"Neck of the Woods" Idiom Meaning, Origin & History | Superduper English Idioms скачать в хорошем качестве

"Neck of the Woods" Idiom Meaning, Origin & History | Superduper English Idioms

0:00 - How to Say, “Neck of the woods…” 0:30 - Examples of “Neck of the woods…” 1:00 - Meaning of “Neck of the woods…” 1:37 - Origin of “Neck of the woods…” 3:17 - More Examples of “Neck of the woods…” 3:58 - Conclusion “Neck of the woods…” You have probably heard someone refer to the neighbourhood where they live as, “my neck of the woods.” Or perhaps an out-of-town visitor has asked you where to find good food in “your neck of the woods.” “Come over to my neck of the woods next week and I’ll take you to my favourite cafe,” your friend might say when leaving your home. Maybe you’re giving directions to someone who’s lost, “I’m not familiar with this neck of the woods, can you tell me where…” As is plain to see, “neck of the woods”, refers to a place where someone lives or someone is from. It refers to someone’s neighbourhood or geographical area around their home. “Woods” of course, means “forest” - but what about “neck”? Animals have necks, but do forests? Looking at the origin of the idiom, “neck of the woods”, we find that “neck” has been used since at least 1555 in England to describe a narrow strip of land, usually surrounded by water. It’s easy to imagine how a narrow strip of land surrounded by water resembles the neck of an animal. It was Americans, however, that first applied the term, “neck”, to a settlement in a certain part of the forest, or woods. In Bill Bryson’s “Made in America”, he posits that “neck” originates from the indigenous Algonquian word for point or corner, “naiack”. Normally, people use “neck of the woods” to describe the area in which they live, when the person they are talking to lives in the same country. It is not usually used to differentiate between different countries or lands that are very far away from each other. Your friend might call you on the phone, “Come down to my neck of the woods, there’s a street party going on!” “It’s hard to find tropical fruit down here, maybe we’ll have better luck in your neck of the woods,” your friend might say as you hunt for exotic fruit. You might even catch yourself saying, “What neck of the woods is this? I think we’re lost!” If you’re ever looking for a way to refer to your or someone else’s neighbourhood or area where they live, don’t forget whose “neck of the woods” it is! #superduperenglishidioms #englishidioms #idioms #proverbs