one-horse town

one-horse town

A very small and unremarkable town that is typically regarded as dull or boring. I can't wait to graduate high school and get out of this boring, one-horse town!
See also: town
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

one-horse town

Fig. a very small town; a small and backward town. I refuse to spend a whole week in that one-horse town! I grew up in a one-horse town, and I liked it very much.
See also: town
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

one-horse town

A small and unimportant place, as in Ours was just a one-horse town until the nuclear plant was built. This expression, first recorded in 1857, presumably alluded to a town so small that a single horse would suffice for its transportation needs.
See also: town
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

a one-horse town

If you describe a town as a one-horse town, you mean that it is very small and uninteresting. This place is something of a one-horse town, but you can always take a boat across to the island. Would you want to spend your whole life in a small one-horse town?
See also: town
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

one-horse town

a small town with few and poor facilities. informal
See also: town
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

a one-horse ˈtown

(informal) a small, boring town where nothing happens: The President likes to remind people that he grew up in a small one-horse town in the Midwest.
See also: town
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

one-horse town

n. a very small town; a small and backward town. I refuse to spend a whole week in that one-horse town!
See also: town
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

one-horse town

A small, unimportant place. The term, which dates from the mid-1800s, presumably alludes to a town so small that a single horse would be enough for its needs. Long a cliché, the expression may be dying out. See also boonies; Podunk.
See also: town
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • a one-horse town
  • burg
  • extreme
  • boring in the extreme
  • live a dog's life
  • lead a dog's life
  • boring, silly, etc. in the extreme
  • all work and no play (makes Jack a dull boy)
  • All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
References in classic literature
If it is, it ain't in this one-horse town. They ain't no numbers here."
Tom Sawyer
There was a little one-horse town about three mile down the bend, and after dinner the duke said he had ciphered out his idea about how to run in daylight without it being dangersome for Jim; so he allowed he would go down to the town and fix that thing.
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Summary: IT TOOK ALMOST thirty years for Hollywood to go from one-horse town to the world's financially dominant film powerhouse and in true Dubai st...
Meet Jamal Al Sharif, the man behind Dubai's movies
"He's been stationed in a one-horse town in the countryside and he's fairly isolated as he's the only policeman there.
Endeavour's back - in a new direction
During my years working there, I discovered what a small, incestuous one-horse town it actually is.
A lust for power beyond reason
Even in that one-horse town, though, his memories intrude, haunting him even as the here and now demands his attention.
Resurrection America
Kumbaga sobrang one-horse town yung town namin at the time.
Lessons from the creators of 'Saving Sally'
Faded golf pro Roy McAvoy makes ends meets by giving lessons in a one-horse town, but his humdrum life is turned upside when a beautiful psychologist asks him to give her lessons to please her partner.
Films of the day; What's on the small screen this week
Roy McAvoy makes ends meet giving golf lessons in a one-horse town, but his life is turned upside down when beautiful shrink Molly walks in his door.
YOUR FILM GUIDE
MONDAY TREMORS, ITV4, 9PM Near-perfect cult creature feature in which an American one-horse town is plagued by giant man-eating worms.
FILMS OF THE WEEK
California is the only wine region where you can take a hot-air balloon ride 2,000 feet over scenic vineyards and have a gourmet wine breakfast once you land on the ground (www.napavalleyballoons.com and www.up-away.com), or wear your hiking shoes and join Zephyr Adventures to discover the Sonoma County, starting with one-horse town Geyserville, which has some fine restaurants and a lot of vineyards to visit in the neighbourhood (www.zephyradventures.com).
Spirited traveller: Sourish Bhattacharyya
But this is a show with good songs and a simple but appealing storyline concerning saloon boss Henry Miller's efforts to land big singing star Adelaide Adams to entertain the locals in a one-horse town.
Calamity Jane at the Mill [...]; reviews
"A One-Eyed Horse in a One-Horse Town" is a heartwarming tribute to the author's real horse, a half-blind old horse who could dance to music and stole the hearts of the town (minus one cranky neighbor).
A One-Eyed Horse in a One-Horse Town
Why go now: New storefronts and fresh faces are giving this one-horse town a buzzier vibe.
Mendocino County day trip Boonville
Without the horses Naas might be only a one-horse town - I walked for five minutes and saw five betting shops - but it is an ideal base for those on the Trail, who pay between EUR214 and EUR365 for their weekend depending on the swishness of their accommodation.
Dermot Weld and Harry the dog take Trailblazers to a happy place; Steve Dennis joins a band of newcomers as they enjoy a privileged insight into Irish racing