the sticks
the sticks — 慣用語
1. a casual expression for any remote countryside location that lies a great distan
鄉下地方
遠離城鎮的偏遠鄉村區域
a casual expression for any remote countryside location that lies a great distance from urban centres — the term is often used humorously to suggest a place is dull, inconvenient, or underdeveloped
After twenty years in Kaohsiung, Eri's parents sold their apartment and moved to the sticks.
在高雄住了二十年後，Eri 的父母賣掉公寓，搬到鄉下地方去了。
fixed expression: 'the sticks' (always with 'the')
Jabari told his colleagues he grew up in the sticks, about two hours from the nearest hospital.
Jabari 告訴同事他是在鄉下地方長大的，離最近的醫院要開兩個小時的車。
implies inconvenience and isolation
Marco found the sticks too quiet — the closest shop was a twenty-minute drive away.
Marco 覺得鄉下地方太安靜了——最近的商店開車也要二十分鐘。
Karim laughs every time his city friends visit and ask how he survives out in the sticks.
Karim 的都市朋友每次來訪都問他怎麼有辦法住在偏僻的鄉下，讓他覺得很好笑。
Eric grew up in the sticks and remembers a sixty-minute bus ride just to get to the public library.
Eric 在鄉下地方長大，還記得光是去公立圖書館就要搭六十分鐘的公車。
- the middle of nowhere
similar meaning but can describe any remote place, not just the countryside
- the boonies
American slang, even more informal than 'the sticks'
- the backwoods
emphasises a heavily forested, isolated rural area
- the city
the urban centre that 'the sticks' is contrasted with
- the big city
emphasises urban life and convenience
文法句型
the sticks
用法筆記
Always used with the definite article 'the' — never 'in sticks' or 'in the stick'. This is an informal, often humorous or mildly negative way to refer to the countryside, implying it is inconveniently far from modern amenities. Common in the fixed phrase 'out in the sticks'.