an imaginary marker of the extent of civilization (esp in the phrase beyond the black stump )
a long way off
First recorded in 1925–30
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
We mounted then, and it looked as if we were all matched for a race to the Black Stump.
From Robbery under Arms; a story of life and adventure in the bush and in the Australian goldfields by Boldrewood, Rolf
Half-an-hour before sundown we rode up to the Black Stump.
From Robbery under Arms; a story of life and adventure in the bush and in the Australian goldfields by Boldrewood, Rolf
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
