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

in the boondocks

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

in the boonies

In 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.

*in the boondocks

 and *in the boonies
in a rural area; far away from a city or population. (*Typically: be ~; camp ~; live ~; stay ~.) Perry lives out in the boonies with his parents.
See also: boondocks
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

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, the
  • in the boonies
  • the boonies
  • in the boondocks
  • mod
  • con
  • (with) all mod cons
  • all mod cons
  • freeloader
  • it'll be a cold day in hell
References in periodicals archive
Other features that makes this book so compelling are references to everyday occurrences and mundane life: buying a rare, cold Coke in the "boonies" from a Vietnamese child; landing at night to the light from a Zippo lighter (the official helicopter landing light, since JP4 fuel kept it burning even under the rotor wash); flying in bad weather with just enough instruments to get you out of trouble--or just enough to get you killed--was certainly an experience that emphasized the importance of the various missions.
North Flag: My Service in the Republic of Vietnam, June 1968-June 1969
Then on the way back, I approached two characters dressed in black expensive-looking suits with coffees, bought at Nirvana, no doubt heading back to their law office, for who else in these boonies would be wearing such attire if not lawyers, and a number of law offices were in the near vicinity, for the Barnstable County Courthouse was across the street from Nirvana "Well, lawyers against freedom of speech issues, bravo!" I hollered to their manicured faces.
The Professionals
The baits he relied on (and still does), as well as the lures, are substantially larger than those we use in the boonies. And the techniques are different.
Spillway savvy: secrets of fishing the tailrace
(10) One that travels from warm salt-tinged humid air wetlands, bayous, and Gulf-backwater boonies to the drafty, always too cold, too white halls of academe.
From bayou to academe: A story of alliance making
The land commissioner is a provincial government official - a down-ballot officeholder out here in the boonies. A president is the Leader of the Free World.
Analysis: Bush Takes 1 Step Forward, 1 Step Back
If you're in the boonies, start thinking about survival and rescue.
Aftermath: even if there are no injuries in a mishap like the one pictured here, navigating what comes next has its own set of rules
"My plan is to be out in the boonies, taking photographs, hiking the occasional trip to the coffee shop or microbrewery, planting a garden and perhaps raising a few chickens," she said.
Librarian Petrazzoullo joins flight away from declining city, region
When out in the boonies and a Bendix drive refuses to engage, shutting everything off, taking the key out of the ignition, getting out of the airplane and using something solid to tap on the cup around the drive has been known to free it.
Starter replacement: consider weight, hot starts
People out in the boonies without cell signal and people at crowded events are the target demographic here, but it does require that everyone buys into the GoTenna platform.
GoTenna Turns Smartphone Into CB Radio, Allows Sending Messages with No Cell Signals
Trigger understood words like "trip" or "hunting." The dog was very tuned in to when his master was about to go on a trip to the boonies in Arkansas to hunt.
Body language and verbal expressions
Unless you've been humping the boonies, you don't know" (136).
Sam Hughes as a Second Generation Trauma Victim in Bobbie Ann Mason's In Country
I guess that qualifies me as a homesteader who lives in the boonies of the Salmon River Valley in central Idaho.--Betty K.
Too much of a good thing!
Countrywoman gives a shrill little trill and says, where do you live, in the boonies, he thought black pudding was sweet, oh this is funny.
Other Side of the Mirror: Mince pie mad
In the boonies of Baramati, we had a 'champagne' breakfast with an as-yet-unreleased sparkling rose and the Maharashtrian staples of sabudana khichdi and missal pao, a sprouted curry sexed up with chopped onions and a squeeze of fresh lemon, and served with the slightly fermented 'pao' that is so typical of Maharashtra.
View in context
There were funny stories about Dean of Women Doris Stout's strict curfews and dress codes for freshman women, of sneaking trays out of the cafeteria for sledding down Library Hill on wintry nights, and of "boonies"--off-campus parties with blankets and six-packs on weekends.
Coming home, fifty years later!