over the hills and far away
1
8.1
- idiom
- Literature
- As a child, he dreamed of going over the hills and far away to explore new lands.
Examples
-
After graduation, she set off over the hills and far away in search of new adventures.
-
The melody of the song carried her over the hills and far away in her imagination.
-
The children dreamed of going over the hills and far away.
-
He always wanted to travel over the hills and far away.
-
After graduation, she set off over the hills and far away in search of new adventures.
-
As a child, he dreamed of going over the hills and far away to explore new lands.
-
He always wanted to travel over the hills and far away to see what was out there.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A place a short way away from here
416
1.0
At a great distance in space or time
80
4.2
Very far away in place or time
50
8.8
At a great distance
44
9.1
At a place a short distance away that you can see
41
6.7
In a place you cannot get to easily, often used in stories
35
2.8
Far from here in place or time
24
4.5
A way of saying someone will go very far to help or find something
17
4.0
In a place far from towns and not often visited
10
6.0
In a place most people do not visit
9
7.6
A very remote place far from people with a dramatic view
8
8.2
Far from home or usual place, often when working away
7
6.1
Far from towns and not easy to reach
2
9.8
A place far from towns and people
Extremely far away and hard to reach or get
Antonyms
How Far
- Informal
24
4.5
- Literature
1
8.1
43
1.0
219
3.2
845
1.0
358
1.0
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
over + the + hill + and + far + away
The meaning 'to a distant or faraway place' is directly compositional from 'over' (across/beyond) + 'hills' (elevations) and 'far away' (distant), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer the overall sense. Though the string is idiomatic/poetic in usage, its spatial-motion meaning follows normal English composition patterns and has clear cross-linguistic parallels, making it transparent.
Etymology
Over the hills and far away comes from the simple image of someone walking over the hills and going to the far away, leaving home behind. That's why it means 'to a distant place' or 'on an adventure'.