country mile

English

Etymology

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

• IPA^(key): /ˌkʌntɹi ˈmaɪl/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Noun

country mile (plural country miles)

1. (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.