country mile
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From country + mile. So named due to the winding, twisting nature of country roads, a country mile appears to take much longer to travel than a mile in the city, where the roads are straighter. First use appears c. 1717, in the publications of M. Dutton.
Pronunciation
[edit]- IPA(key): /ˌkʌntɹi ˈmaɪl/
Audio (General Australian): (file)
Noun
[edit]country mile (plural country miles)
- (informal, idiomatic) A long way, a great distance.
- by a country mile
- 2000, Steve Holt, A Day at the Ballpark, Xlibris, page 13:
- I liked to imagine that my father had been a pretty fair country ballplayer who didn't pay attention to his batting average but could hit the ball a country mile and run like the wind.
- 2023 April 5, Pip Dunn, “'196s' giving commuters a smoother ride”, in RAIL, number 980, page 57:
- But the passengers we spoke to seemed very happy with the trains - and yes, they are an improvement on the Class 170 by a country mile.