In Michigan, “out in the sticks” means a very rural or remote place. I’ve always taken “sticks” to reference forests and trees, rather than the river Styx, maybe I’m wrong about that?
I wonder if originally the expression was STYX in reference to the river sticks being somewhere far away but overtime we lost the original meaning and to the more common word STICKS became understood as the meaning
Yes. The gate to the underworld in green mythology was at the edge of the world, and Greek mythology has been read by writers for at least 2700 years. It’s absolutely the origin of the term.
In Greek mythology it was possible to physically travel to the underworld, rather than just die. Those who went there could return back over the river. Orpheus returned after going to beg Hades for the return of his wife.
True, but so was almost everyone in Greek mythology. After reading the Iliad I think I would scream if I heard the term “Zeus descended” one more time.
Do you also use the phrase BFE in your part of Michigan? We use it as a phrase to indicate a faraway place. For example, when you park in the far end of a parking lot, it's common to say "I parked out in Bumfuck Egypt."
Also from Michigan. I was a teenager before I heard someone refer to BFE and people laughed when it had to be explained that it stood for "Bum F*ck Egypt". Apparently a common expression in these here parts.
After watching the likes of father ted and Derry girls I never realised just how words/sayings I thought to be ‘scouse’ are actually just lifted from Ireland. Not surprising really seen as everyone’s man is Irish and the history etc but I found it fascinating.
Past the black stump actually used to refer to Coolah, there was a black stump that symbolised how far out you could go. The main pub is called the Black Stump Hotel.
But I think many other towns claim to be the Black Stump as well
But the black stump was a real place. It was a farm at the edge of the New South Wales colony and it was illegal to travel past Black Stump Station, hence "beyond the black stump".
The Styx is a tributary to the Taieri River in Strathtaieri, the unfashionable part of Otago, New Zealand. If it’s near the Styx, it’s very out of the way
Yes, this is a thing. I picked it from my mother who grew up near there
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u/AgreeableSystem5852 2d ago
Also "out in the Styx" or "past the black stump" which also aren't real places.