back forty
The remote part of a farmThe remote part of a farm.
» Ziri will be back in forty minutes.
Meaning
2 senses(Canada, US)The remote part of a farm.
They couldn't contact the farmer right away because he was out plowing the back forty
(Canada, US, idiomatic)The most remote or inaccessible part of any place.
Examples
1 sentencesZiri will be back in forty minutes.
Origin
From back + forty, meaning “back side of a farm”. In the Homestead Acts (1860s–), farmersFrom back + forty, meaning “back side of a farm”. In the Homestead Acts (1860s–), farmers were granted a quarter section; a section was nominally 1 square mile containing 640 acres, a quarter section was 160 acres, and the quarter section was itself subdivided into four quarter-quarter sections of 40 acres each: two front forty and two back forty. Compare north forty, back of beyond, backcountry, and backwater.
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Forms
plural: back forties| Singular | back forty |
|---|---|
| Plural | back forties |
regular