beyond the black stump

English

WOTD – 26 January 2016

English Wikipedia has an article on:

Black stump

Etymology

Origin and development contested; possibly from the use of fire-blackened tree-stumps when providing directions to people, or from a particular black stump: see Wikipedia. Attested since the 20th century, and possibly developed in the 19th century.

Pronunciation

Audio (General Australian): (file)
Audio (General Australian): (file)

Prepositional phrase

beyond the black stump

(Australia, informal, idiomatic) In an extremely isolated place, remote from populated areas; in the middle of nowhere. Typically used to refer to outback areas.
- 2002, John Perry, Quick and the Dead: Stawell and Its Race Through Time‎^[1], page 118:
  While Millard did not shift from log cabin to White House, he did transport himself from beyond the Black Stump to strike it rich at Stawell.
- 2004, Leon F. Williams, Rubies of Mogok, Trafford, page 104:
  “Just don't go gettin' serious,” Frank warned. “We don't want any trouble. We're gonna be beyond the black stump out there, not at the bloody Lennox Hotel.”
- 2004, John Leonard Spencer, Waving Goodbye to a Thousand Flies‎^[2], page 241:
  Kimberly, his eldest daughter who we love dearly, is very pregnant with our great grand daughter, the father of whom I have never met and who has shot through to the outback far beyond the black stump.

Synonyms