APAD: The back of beyond

Meaning:

   A lonely forsaken place.

 

Background:

   The inland desert region of Australia that is otherwise known as the

   Never-never is also sometimes called the `Back of Beyond'.

 

   The term is more generally used to refer to any real or imagined remote

   region. It was first put into print by Sir Walter Scott in his novel The

   Antiquary, 1816:

 

     "You... whirled them to the back of beyond to look at the auld Roman camp."

 

   The Scots and Irish dialect version `back o' beyant' is also found in print

   throughout the 19th century. It's quite possible that Scott anglicised a

   rural expression rather than coined it himself - something he did numerous

   times with other phrases.

 

- www.phrases.org.uk [edited]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The back of beyond might be real, but "lonely and forsaken" is merely

world-weary over-fed middle-aged lifers spooking themselves. Even the Death

Valley is full of life.

 

Back in the 60s, Dick Proenneke went up to Alaska, built a wood cabin, and lived

there for 30 years. No nine-to-five, no healthcare, dental, or vision coverage,

no FDA dietary guidance, no cruise vacation, no mortgages or cars, or any other

trappings and noise imposed on moderns. As shown in the documentary "Alone in

The Wilderness," he led a fascinating life and seemed much less lonely than most

megacity dwellers.

 

[This phrase is a revisit, I found out after jotting down the above, and I was

amazed that I thought of the same Proenneke story.]