the boonies

the boonies

A very distant or remote location, often one that lacks modern amenities. That place is all the way out in the boonies—it'll take us hours to get there. Good luck getting a cell signal out here in the boonies.
See also: boonies
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

boonies

n. a remote and undeveloped place. (From boondocks.) He lives out there in the boonies.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

boonies, the

The provinces, a remote rural area. This slangy term is an abbreviation of boondocks, which comes from the Tagalog word bundok, for “hill” or “mountain.” It was coined by U.S. Marines fighting against Filipino guerrillas after the Spanish-American War (1899–1902) for the rough hill country there. Later American troops in the Philippines during World War II shortened it, and after the war it began to be used more widely as an equivalent for another such term, the sticks, which dates from the early 1900s. W. C. Handy used it in Father of the Blues (1957), “I continued playing for dances, touring on the road and through the sticks.”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • boonies
  • boonies, the
  • in the boonies
  • in the boondocks
  • mod
  • (with) all mod cons
  • all mod cons
  • con
  • freeloader
  • it'll be a cold day in hell
References in periodicals archive
And "humping the boonies" is what she will do, but not before learning about Vietnam in any way she can beforehand.
Sam Hughes as a Second Generation Trauma Victim in Bobbie Ann Mason's In Country
"We have to show results to get promoted." But all of this discord disappears and is quieted when the platoons are dropped off by helicopter and marched farther into the boonies. Then their marine training takes over, and combatants become a single unit again, supporting each other in battle and in death and making sure that no one is left behind, even the dead.
Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War
(The only one I've tried to get that wasn't available, near as I can remember, is "A Thousand Clowns," a Jason Robards film about a bright young kid raised by a quirky single uncle, made back in the '60s.) Order one and unless you live somewhere deep in the boonies, you have it in your mailbox in a couple of days.
Cure for government may be in mail
"If you're responding to a 911 call out in the boonies, I want to know where you live, and that parcel map has to be accurate and they can tell a fire truck to drive right to (a house)," he said.
Chelan County's assessor retires after 20 years
Outraged, he launches proceedings that get his rival sent to the boonies. This righteous act comes back to bite him when his rival gains power as a regional bureaucrat in league with thugs.
Crime and Punishment in a Foreign Land
That's never a good situation when you're out in the boonies.
Tap, tap beats whack, bang!
Fans of '80s movies like Iron Eagle and Top Gun may think all military training takes place out in the boonies. Many would be surprised at how much live-fire activity goes on within a few miles of populated areas and airways.
You're so busted: you messed up and didn't comply with ATC. Will the FAA come knocking on your door? That depends on what you did and how you handle it
In the early '90s, Greg Tinsley, a former editor of BOWHUNTING magazine, came out from the big city of Los Angeles to hunt whitetails in the boonies with me.
One pin to shoot them all
It was intriguing to see a doctor practicing out in the boonies thoroughly focused on assessing patient hormone status using 24-hour urine hormone measurements.
Letter from the publisher
Clearly, there are lots of those folks out there in the boonies, and they came to her concerts and bought her records, not to be excited by her musicality, but to be comforted by her persona: the unassuming, non-threatening stage personality, the soft alto voice purring those warm and toasty vocals, the self-deprecating humour poking fun at the glitter gowns she was sometimes asked to wear.
The Snowbird's Story: Anne Murray describes her career but doesn't analyze it
Just a couple of normal guys from the boonies with a band.
Light years: the fast times and forgotten history of Nirvana's debut
I was going to have to drop my wife at the door and hoof it from the boonies myself to get to the doctor's office.
Handicapped parking spaces: why shouldn't I be able to use them?
Leave the 4x4s to us straw suckers in the boonies..
107 Urban puts an end to the big myth
Whether you live in a big city or the boonies, finding favorite activities and connecting with people who share your zest requires just a few taps on a computer keyboard.
Get fit and get connected: fun activities and people who enjoy them are as close as your computer
If you enjoy working with big scopes in the boonies, then Going Deep is for you.
Probing NGC 5746: don't overlook this edge-on galaxy in eastern Virgo