"the sticks" meaning in All languages combined

See the sticks on Wiktionary

Noun [English]

Audio: En-au-the sticks.ogg
Etymology: Possibly derived from 1800s Chinook Jargon stick (“tree, forest”), from English stick. Etymology templates: {{bor|en|chn|stick|t=tree, forest}} Chinook Jargon stick (“tree, forest”) Head templates: {{en-noun|-}} the sticks (uncountable)
  1. (Canada, US, informal, derogatory) A remote, rural area; a place that is removed from civilization such as the boondocks. Tags: Canada, US, derogatory, informal, uncountable
  2. (American football) The set of yardage markers used by a chain crew to indicate the ten yards between the line of scrimmage from the previous first down and the line to gain, which the offense must reach in their series of four downs in order to retain possession of the ball. Tags: uncountable Synonyms: the chains, the yardsticks
    Sense id: en-the_sticks-en-noun-sQoib7~t Categories (other): Football (American), English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 42 58 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 36 64 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 35 65 Topics: American-football, ball-games, football, games, hobbies, lifestyle, sports
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  "etymology_text": "Possibly derived from 1800s Chinook Jargon stick (“tree, forest”), from English stick.",
  "head_templates": [
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
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          "ref": "1904 The American Missionary, \"A Town of Colored People in Mississippi\" by Rev. B.F. Ousley, vol. 58, no. 9 (November, 1904), p. 295",
          "text": "Most of the farming at present is done in the \"sticks,\" that is, in the large, dead, and often blackened trunks of trees standing in most of the cultivated fields around. There are but few new towns in the Delta where the \"sticks\" are not to be seen, and much damage is sometimes done when these old \"deadenings,\" as they are called, are set on fire."
        },
        {
          "ref": "2008, Wally Lamb, The Hour I First Believed, Ch.1, at p.11",
          "text": "Next day after school, I drove over to the town hall and found out where Hay was building their dinky little shoebox of a house. It was out in the sticks, out past the old gristmill. I drove out there around dusk. The place was framed; the chimney was up. Overhead was a pockmarked moon."
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        "(Canada, US, informal, derogatory) A remote, rural area; a place that is removed from civilization such as the boondocks."
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        {
          "word": "boonies"
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          "word": "boondocks"
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          "word": "hinterland"
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          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "bump in the road"
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          "word": "jerkwater"
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          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
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          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
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          "word": "back forty"
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        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "backcountry"
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        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "backwater"
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        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "backwoods"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "tags": [
            "Australia"
          ],
          "word": "beyond the black stump"
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        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "tags": [
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          "word": "boondock"
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          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
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          "word": "boondocks"
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        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
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          "word": "boonies"
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          "word": "bumfuck middle of nowhere"
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          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "dullsville"
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          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
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          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
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          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "ends of the earth"
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          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
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        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "middle of nowhere"
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        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "tags": [
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          "word": "north forty"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "off the beaten track"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "out of the way"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "sticks"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "the sticks"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Actual places"
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        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "tags": [
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          "word": "back o' Bourke"
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          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Outer Mongolia"
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          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Timbuktu"
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        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Fictional places"
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        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Anytown"
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        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "BFE"
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        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Bumblefuck"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Bumfuck"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Egypt"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Idaho"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Iowa"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Kansas"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Minnesota"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Nowhere"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Ohio"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Buttfuck"
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        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "East Bumfuck"
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        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "East Jesus"
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          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Hicksville"
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        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Nowheresville"
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        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Podunk"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Squedunk"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Whateverville"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "tags": [
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          ],
          "word": "wop-wops"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "tags": [
            "Australia"
          ],
          "word": "Woop Woop"
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        "The set of yardage markers used by a chain crew to indicate the ten yards between the line of scrimmage from the previous first down and the line to gain, which the offense must reach in their series of four downs in order to retain possession of the ball."
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        "(American football) The set of yardage markers used by a chain crew to indicate the ten yards between the line of scrimmage from the previous first down and the line to gain, which the offense must reach in their series of four downs in order to retain possession of the ball."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "the chains"
        },
        {
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          "word": "hinterland"
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        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "bump in the road"
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        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "jerkwater"
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        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "jerk-water"
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        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "jerkwater town"
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        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "one-horse town"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "wide spot in the road"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Isolated place"
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        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "arse end of nowhere"
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        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "back of beyond"
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        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
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          "word": "back forty"
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        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "backcountry"
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        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "backwater"
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          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "backwoods"
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        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "tags": [
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          "word": "beyond the black stump"
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          "word": "boonies"
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          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
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          "word": "bumfuck middle of nowhere"
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        {
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          "word": "bumfuck nowhere"
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          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
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        {
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          "word": "off the beaten track"
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          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "out of the way"
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          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "sticks"
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          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "the sticks"
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          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Actual places"
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        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "tags": [
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          "word": "back o' Bourke"
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          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Outer Mongolia"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Timbuktu"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Fictional places"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Anytown"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "BFE"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Bumblefuck"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Bumfuck"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Egypt"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Idaho"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Iowa"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Kansas"
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        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Minnesota"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Nowhere"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Ohio"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Buttfuck"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "East Bumfuck"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "East Jesus"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Hicksville"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Nowheresville"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Podunk"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Squedunk"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "word": "Whateverville"
        },
        {
          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "tags": [
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          "word": "wop-wops"
        },
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          "source": "Thesaurus:remote place",
          "tags": [
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          "word": "Woop Woop"
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      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(American football) The set of yardage markers used by a chain crew to indicate the ten yards between the line of scrimmage from the previous first down and the line to gain, which the offense must reach in their series of four downs in order to retain possession of the ball."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "the chains"
        },
        {
          "word": "the yardsticks"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "American-football",
        "ball-games",
        "football",
        "games",
        "hobbies",
        "lifestyle",
        "sports"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-the sticks.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/b4/En-au-the_sticks.ogg/En-au-the_sticks.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/En-au-the_sticks.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "the sticks"
}

Download raw JSONL data for the sticks meaning in All languages combined (7.6kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-05-16 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-05-01 using wiktextract (142890b and 1d3fdbf). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.