back forty

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noun

remote, usually uncultivated acreage on a large piece of land, as on a farm or ranch.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

Origin of back forty

Apparently because forty acres was a typical size for such a piece of land

Think back to the Bush-Kerry race of 2004, the Thrilla in Vanilla.
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Back in New York, the slow pace and inward focus of her yoga practice was less fulfilling.
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Music is a huge part of the tone of Black Dynamite overall—going back to the original 2009 movie on which the series is based.
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The al Qaeda-linked gunmen shot back, but only managed to injure one officer before they were taken out.
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So, Islamized teaching sends girls back home for marriage and housework, and remains exclusively for boys.
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I waited three months more, in great impatience, then sent him back to the same post, to see if there might be a reply.
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Ages back—let musty geologists tell us how long ago—'twas a lake, larger than the Lake of Geneva.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
The boys were tumbling about, clinging to his legs, imploring that numerous things be brought back to them.
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With a suffocating gasp, she fell back into the chair on which she sat, and covered her face with her hands.
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She was holding the back of her chair with one hand; her loose sleeve had slipped almost to the shoulder of her uplifted arm.
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