country mile

From country + mile. So named due to the winding, twisting nature of country roads, a country mile appears to take much longer to travel than a mile in the city, where the roads are straighter. First use appears c. 1717, in the publications of M. Dutton.

• "by a country mile"
• "’Twas long indeed, a country mile;"
• "I liked to imagine that my father had been a pretty fair country ballplayer who didn't pay attention to his batting average but could hit the ball a country mile and run like the wind."
• "Once I got in gear and took off, I was the only car left! I won by a country mile, Bro!"
• "But the passengers we spoke to seemed very happy with the trains - and yes, they are an improvement on the Class 170 by a country mile."