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You are here: Home / Language / Why Is a Country Mile Longer Than the Average Mile and Where Did the Term Come From?

Why Is a Country Mile Longer Than the Average Mile and Where Did the Term Come From?

July 31, 2020 by Karen Hill

To “miss by a country mile” means you weren’t even as close as if you’d have only missed by a mile.

A country mile is an exaggeration of the 1,760 yards in the standardized English distance.

Rural roads in Britain twist and turn through the countryside.

So although the distance to be traveled is a mile, the real distance traveled on a winding road will be considerably greater than “as the crow flies,” or in a straight line.

That’s why a country mile is considered a greater distance than the average mile.

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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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