backblocks
C1/C2 (low frequency, specialized/regional)Informal, primarily Australasian/New Zealand English; used in narrative, descriptive, and historical contexts.
Definition
Meaning
Remote, sparsely populated rural areas far from cities and main transport routes.
Any remote, undeveloped, or isolated region, often with connotations of being culturally or socially disconnected.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The term inherently carries a perspective of distance from a centre of population or civilization. It is not purely geographic but implies a degree of hardship, simplicity, or ruggedness.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The term is not native to British or American English. It is a loanword from Australasian English, used understandingly but not natively in the UK/US. In the US, analogous terms would be 'the backcountry', 'the boonies', or 'the sticks'.
Connotations
In its native context (Aus/NZ), it can be neutral, descriptive, or slightly pejorative depending on usage. In UK/US usage, it sounds distinctly foreign and evokes an Australasian setting.
Frequency
Extremely rare in standard British or American corpora. Its appearance almost always signals an Australasian context or speaker.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
live in the backblockscome from the backblocksbe situated in the backblockstravel out to the backblocksVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “born and bred in the backblocks”
- “a backblocks upbringing”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare. Might appear in context of mining, agriculture, or infrastructure projects in remote regions.
Academic
Used in historical, geographical, or sociological studies of Australasia.
Everyday
Informal use in Australia and New Zealand to describe remote rural locations.
Technical
Not used in technical jargon; remains a colloquial geographical descriptor.
Examples
By Part of Speech
adjective
British English
- He had a backblocks upbringing.
- It was a real backblocks town.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Their farm was way out in the backblocks.
- After university, she spent a year teaching in the remote backblocks of New Zealand.
- The novel paints a vivid, unsentimental picture of the hardship and isolation of backblocks life in 19th-century Australia.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine BLOCKS of land far at the BACK of beyond — the 'back-blocks'.
Conceptual Metaphor
REMOTENESS IS DISTANCE FROM THE CENTRE (The 'blocks' of land are far back from the civilized centre).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Не переводить буквально как 'задние блоки'.
- Не является синонимом 'глубинки' в её ностальгическом русском смысле.
- Ближе по смыслу к 'глухомань', 'медвежий угол', но с австралийским колоритом.
Common Mistakes
- Using it to describe a suburb (it must be remote).
- Using it in a non-Australasian context without signalling its origin.
- Spelling as two separate words: 'back blocks'.
Practice
Quiz
In which variety of English is 'backblocks' a native term?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, not natively. Americans would say 'the boonies', 'the sticks', or 'the backcountry'.
No, it specifically refers to remote rural areas, not urban neighbourhoods.
It can be, depending on context and tone. It often implies remoteness and lack of sophistication, but can also be used neutrally or affectionately.
'Outback' specifically refers to the arid, remote interior of Australia. 'Backblocks' is broader, referring to any remote rural area, including forested or hilly regions, and is also common in New Zealand.