back forty

American  

Or back 40

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of back forty

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

back forty

So, you’re not saying he was a special agent going back forty years?

From The New Yorker ● Nov. 24, 2019

And, here, it’s instructive again to go back forty years.

From The New Yorker ● Apr. 11, 2019

“Main man, you’re my support,” it begins, “your two strong legs, your back forty years against a brick wall.”

From New York Times ● Mar. 31, 2012

Those of us who can look back forty years must well remember the fancy that society took, on a sudden, to interrogate children.

From Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 4 A series of pen and pencil sketches of the lives of more than 200 of the most prominent personages in History by Horne, Charles F. (Charles Francis)

The fort has a foundation dating back forty years.

From The New North by Cameron, Agnes Deans