What it means
Means a place way out in the middle of nowhere, deep rural, far from shops, signal, and basically any quick errand. You say the boonies when you're so far out the road starts feeling optional and grabbing a coffee turns into a full side quest. In Canadian and North American speech, it's basically the same lane as out in the sticks.
Usage examples
"We took a wrong turn past Sudbury and ended up in the boonies, counting moose and praying for a Timmy's sign and one bar of service."
"They bought a place way out in the boonies, it is gorgeous but you drive forty minutes just to grab a carton of milk."
"My cousin lives in the boonies, no cell signal, no neighbors, just him and a whole lot of trees."
"We were out in the boonies so bad the gas station sold bait, jerky, and moral support."
"Jess moved to the boonies and now popping out for snacks means a forty-minute drive and a prayer."
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Where it comes from
It comes from boondocks, which English picked up from Tagalog bundok, meaning mountain. US soldiers brought the word back from the Philippines in the early 1900s, and boonies grew as the shorter, more casual version for anywhere that feels way out beyond civilisation.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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