Podunk

Podunk
Podunk legendary small town, 1846, originally the name of a small group of Indians who lived around the Podunk River in Connecticut; the tribe name is in colonial records from 1656 (as Potunck), from southern New England Algonquian (Mohegan or Massachusetts) Potunk, perhaps an alteration of ptukohke "neck, corner of land;" or, on another authority, from pautaunke, from pot- "to sink" + locative suffix -unk, thus "a boggy place." Its popularity as the name of a typical (if mythical) U.S. small town dates from a series of witty "Letters from Podunk" which ran in the "Buffalo Daily National Pilot" newspaper beginning Jan. 5, 1846.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Podunk — [ˈpō ˌdəŋk] bezeichnet ursprünglich einen einst in Connecticut ansässigen Indianerstamm, der heute Mattabesic genannt wird. Davon abgeleitet tragen mehrere Ortschaften in den Vereinigten Staaten diesen Namen: Podunk, Connecticut ein Ortsteil der… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Podunk — [pō′duŋk΄] n. [after a village of that name in Mass. or Conn.: prob. of AmInd orig.] Informal any hypothetical or actual small town in the U.S., regarded as typically dull, insignificant, etc …   English World dictionary

  • Podunk — This is about the use of Podunk as a term or name in American geography; for other uses, see Podunk (disambiguation). In American English, Podunk, podunk, or Podunk Hollow has come to denote a place (or sometimes something else) of small size,… …   Wikipedia

  • Podunk — [“podarjk] 1. n. an imaginary rural town where everything and everyone is backward, old fashioned, and inferior. □ I don’t want a job in Podunk. □ This is the big city, not Podunk. 2. mod. rural and backward. (Usually podunk.) □ I want out of… …   Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions

  • podunk — po|dunk [ˈpəudʌŋk US ˈpou ] adj AmE informal [Date: 1800 1900; Origin: Podunk, village in Massachusetts or area in Connecticut] a podunk place is small and unimportant ▪ Bob s from some podunk town in Iowa …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Podunk — /poh dungk/, n. any small and insignificant or inaccessible town or village: After a year in the big city, I was ready to move back to Podunk. [1660 70, Amer.; generic use of Podunk, village near Hartford, Conn.] * * * …   Universalium

  • podunk — adjective AmE informal a podunk place is small and unimportant: Brad comes from some podunk town east of the mountains …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • podunk — ˈpōˌdəŋk noun ( s) Usage: usually capitalized Etymology: from Podunk, village near Worcester, Mass., or Podunk, locality in Conn. : a small, unimportant, and isolated town …   Useful english dictionary

  • Podunk — noun Etymology: Podunk, village in Massachusetts or locality in Connecticut Date: 1846 a small, unimportant, and isolated town …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Podunk — Po|dunk [ pou,dʌŋk ] adjective AMERICAN INFORMAL small, unimportant, and not respected: He got a degree from some Podunk junior college in Oklahoma …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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