A country mile is a term that dates back at least to the 1800s. We will look at the definition of the term country mile, its origin and some examples of its use in sentences.
A country mile is a deceptively long distance, an extremely long way. The idea behind a country mile is the fact that most country roads are not in a straight line. Instead, roads in the country tend to meander up and down and all around. This makes it seem as if a mile in the country takes longer to cross than a straight mile in the city. In addition, with the long distances between landmarks that are common in the country, rural people tend to underestimate actual distances whereas urban people tend to overestimate actual distances. The oldest reference to a country mile was published in 1829, in Frederick de Kruger’s poem The Villager’s Tale. A country mile may be used literally to describe a physical distance or figuratively. Other related terms are a farmer’s mile and a Welsh mile.
Examples
After winning the 1,000 Guineas by a country mile, Nuclear Affair with Aaron Chatrie aboard looked all over a winner in the Oaks, but a late race surge by A Thousand Stars (Robert Halledeen) ended with a short head victory by the latter. (The Jamaica Observer)
Heavily tattooed and shoes that scream out “eccentric” from a country mile, he vowed us on the silver screen. (The Times of India)
It’s not that I’m disagreeing with Rafa Benitez this season and I still think we will win the league by a country mile but….why when we are clearly the strongest team in the league, do we play with two non-attacking full backs?? (The Mag)
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