Boondocks

Boondocks

The boondocks is a remote, usually brushy rural areaWilliams, Edwin B. (general editor). "The Scribner-Bantam English Dictionary, Revised Edition", Bantam Books, September 1991, 1078 pages (from page 105), ISBN 0553264966] ; or a term for a remote city or town that is considered unsophisticated [The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language] .

The expression was introduced to English by American military personnel serving in the Philippines during the early years of the 20th century. It derives from the Tagalog word "bundok", meaning "mountain".

Boondocks, or diminutively, "the boonies" has since evolved into a more general American slang term for "the country" or any rural/wilderness location in general, regardless of topography or vegetation, that is isolated. The diminutive "the boonies" can be heard in films about the Vietnam War such as Casualties of War by Brian De Palma. It is used by American military personnel to designate Vietnam.

Among synonyms for "the boondocks" is "the sticks".

Similar slang or colloquial words are "the backblocks" in Australia and New Zealand, and "bundu" in South Africa.

"Down In The Boondocks" was a song written & produced by Joe South and sung by Billy Joe Royal. It was a hit in 1965, reaching #6 on the Cash Box magazine chart and #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In the UK, it hit #38 on the Record Retailer chart.

References


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • boondocks — oondocks n. a remote and undeveloped area; sometimes used deprecatingly. Syn: backwoods, back country, hinterland. [WordNet 1.5] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • boondocks — 1910s, from Tagalog bundok mountain. Adopted by occupying American soldiers in the Philippines for remote and wild place. Reinforced or re adopted during World War II. Hence, also boondockers shoes suited for rough terrain, originally (1944) U.S …   Etymology dictionary

  • boondocks — [bo͞on′däks΄] pl.n. [orig. WWII military slang < Tagalog bundok, mountain] Informal 1. a jungle or a wild, heavily wooded area; wilderness ☆ 2. any remote rural or provincial region; hinterland: Used with the boondock adj …   English World dictionary

  • Boondocks — The Boondocks ist ein täglich in diversen US amerikanischen Zeitungen (darunter die Los Angeles Times, die Washington Post oder der Chicago Tribune) erscheinender Comicstrip. Autor und Zeichner ist der US Amerikaner Aaron McGruder. Hauptthemen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Boondocks — The Boondocks The Boondocks est un comic strip créé et écrit par Aaron McGruder. La première bande est publiée en 1997 pour le journal de l Université du Maryland sous le nom The Diamondback et le strip a commencé à être publié dans les journaux… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • boondocks — /boohn doks /, n. (used with a pl. v.) 1. an uninhabited area with thick natural vegetation, as a backwoods or marsh (usually prec. by the). 2. a remote rural area (usually prec. by the): The company moved to a small town out in the boondocks.… …   Universalium

  • boondocks — noun A very rural location or town. We got lost out in the boondocks, miles from anywhere. Syn: boonies, the sticks, backwoods, backwater, middle of nowhere …   Wiktionary

  • boondocks — Synonyms and related words: China, Darkest Africa, God knows where, Greenland, North Pole, Outer Mongolia, Pago Pago, Pillars of Hercules, Siberia, South Pole, Thule, Tierra del Fuego, Timbuktu, Ultima Thule, Yukon, afforestation, antipodes,… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • boondocks — boon|docks [ˈbu:ndɔks US da:ks] n [plural] AmE informal [Date: 1900 2000; : Tagalog; Origin: bundok mountain ] the boondocks a place that is a long way from the nearest town …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • boondocks — n An isolated place in the country. He lives somewhere out in the boondocks. 1940s …   Historical dictionary of American slang

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