Language Use Question

[jennythereader]

Inspired by A Way With Words, the podcast I'm listening to today, I have a question for everybody:

How do you refer to an out of the way part of something? For example, you're at the mall and the parking lot is full enough that you need to use the outermost part of the lot, and end up with a long walk to the place where you're meeting your friends. When you meet up with them you say "I'm so sorry, the lot was packed and I had to park ________."

How do you fill in the blank?

I'd most likely fill it in with either in the back 40, or in the north 40.

Edit: If I was really annoyed, I might say in the back of beyond.

Comments

[nounsandverbs]

"Way the hell out in the boonies," maybe.

[stillsostrange.livejournal.com]

I most commonly hear "in the boonies," "in the sticks" (which I have only heard and never read--for all I know they're saying "Styx", but I kinda doubt it) or "in BFE."

[jennythe-reader.livejournal.com]

BFE? What does that stand for?

[stillsostrange.livejournal.com]

Butt-fuck Egypt. I take no responsibility for any of these expressions.

[jennythe-reader.livejournal.com]

That's similar to what my husband usually says - "bumble-fuck nowhere."

[kasnow860.livejournal.com]

I often say "...in Timbuktu."

[cypherindigo.livejournal.com]

At Pennsic I say "In Erie"

[seawasp]

Depending on how frustrated I was, it could be "the ass end of nowhere".

[magpie49.livejournal.com]

... all the way over in East Yabib.

My Dad would say... on the other side of nowhere.

My first husband would say ... in East Jesus.
or ... in parking lot 80.
(if you went to Penn State, you know that Parking lot 80 is north of East Halls, and generally regarded (unless it has been superceded by a more distant lot) as the remotest spot that is actually ON campus.)

My husband doesn't usually use a colorful phrase for a distant parking space; he's likely to tell you where he parked, using distances and landmarks to indicate the relative location. On the other hand, if he is with me as a passenger, and I park a long walk away from the front door of our destination when I don't absolutely have to, he will refer to my location as "New Car parking" or "$myfirstname parking"

[jennythe-reader.livejournal.com]

If I'm trying to tell somebody how to find my car I'll use distances and landmarks. If I'm just complaining, then I use a figure of speech.

[nounsandverbs]

"East Jesus" reminds me of how my ex-housemate would refer to a whole lot of something: "half a Jesusload."

It was never a whole Jesusload. Just a half.

[stefka.livejournal.com]

Cleveland.

East Bumble.

Hell's Half-acre.

Ultima Thule.

[jennythe-reader.livejournal.com]

East Bumblef*** is Tom's other frequent phrase. :)

[ckd]

I usually say "out in BFE", despite the generally unsuitable nature of the expansions of the acronym.

A long list of possibilities: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placeholder_name#Places

[jennythe-reader.livejournal.com]

Those are great. Thanks for the link.

[purpura.livejournal.com]

Guam, bumble-fuck, and sometimes the back 40.

[jennythe-reader.livejournal.com]

Would I be right in guessing that of your parents, your Dad is more likely to use the first two and your Mom is more likely to use the third?

[siderea]

Huh. Apparently, as someone without an actual car to park and dependent on shank's mares I have an exceptionally rich native idiom to express the sentiment, "I've got to warn you, it's going to be a hell of a walk."

Halfway to nowhere.
To hell and gone.
Out on hell's halfacre.
in Rhode Island. (In Boston.)
out in West Bumfuck, Nowhere.
in Outer Guam.

There were others that lept to mind and now I can't remember. Let's see if they come back to me with more caffeine.

ETA: Are you looking for diversity of examples (brainstorm) or prevalence (endorse previously raised exampes if you use them too)?

[jennythe-reader.livejournal.com]

Actually what I was curious about was how the phrases used related to where people were from. Of course, if I really wanted to find that out I should have remembered to ask it in the original post...