Boondocks, Out in the Boondocks

Hello, you have A Way with Words.

Hello, Grant. This is Erica Smith.

Hi, Erica. Where are you calling from?

I’m calling from Troy, Tennessee.

I’m curious to know if the phrase out in the boonies and the word boondocks originated or have anything to do with Daniel Boone, especially since this is kind of a common phrase in the South. Is there any correlation?

Well, Erica, we can tell you that that is just a coincidence. They just sound similar.

Well, I guess I can ask, do the word boonies and boondocks mean the same thing?

Yes, yes.

And boondocks comes from the Tagalog language of the Philippines. And in Tagalog, boondock means a mountain and came to mean a remote or wild place. And during the Philippine-American War, which was 1899 to 1902, U.S. Service members picked up the word and started using it.

Wow.

Okay.

Do you hear that word often, boonies and boondocks, or is that just commonly used in the South?

Oh, we hear it out in California.

Yeah, I do.

Really?

But Martha and I maybe aren’t good samples because we’re both kind of half, I’m half Southern, Martha’s full Southern, and San Diego’s a military community, lots of Marines and stuff. It’s always had a Marine connection, by the way, boondock and boonies. It’s got a long history of being tied to Marines and constantly shows up in glossaries and dictionaries connected to the Marines.

Wow, that’s so interesting.

I have since bought a Southern slang dictionary for the doctor that I work with so she can kind of keep up with our lingo around here.

Yeah, I bet that was appreciated.

Yes, much appreciated.

Yep, so there you go, Erica.

Thank you so much. I really appreciate your time.

All right, take care now.

And I love your show.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

All right, bye-bye.

Okay, bye, Erica.

Bye.

Bye.

Bye.

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