How far is ‘over yonder’?

In response to last week’s question, “How far is ‘over yonder’?,” my dad’s beach buddy Bob explained, “It’s sort of like over the hill but not as critical a destination.”

My former CA colleague Jim, who was always a quiet one, wrote, “In my small community, when repair men (or women) say it will be done tomorrow, they don't mean tomorrow, just not today. "Over yonder" is similar. It doesn't mean just over the next hill, just not on this side of the hill.”

My sailing and writing friend Jodie shared, “One says "over yonder" when you don't know how far it is. Or don't wish to tell, in a take-a-hike kind of way.”

My sailing friend Kate defined it as “far enough away to make one contemplate if going there is worth the trip.” My birthday bud Jon and college roomie John agreed, “Not sure. That sounds like there is a good distance to travel; but you get there eventually. (They call the response a "callback" in the comedy world.)”

My tech society co-chair and water rescue friend Andy noted, “On a lake, 'over yonder' is just of the distance you think you can swim past but actually just shy of the distance you can swim. Wear a PFD...”

My friend Richard explained that “Yonder is not an indication of distance, only of direction (±45°). “A piece” indicates a moderate distance that is somewhat farther than a “stone’s throw.” But my friend Tracey thought it was a distance, writing, “It's just down the road a spell.” My sailing friend Kurt thought it was, “ Just a piece.” Then my friend Effie stated, “The distance can vary from just off the tip of your pointed finger and can stretch to infinity (and beyond!)”

My cousin Greg, whose contributes more often than his parents, suggested “obviously you have to travel over Yonder to get there” and my friend Royce asked, “Is Yonder an Amish name?”

My sailing and writing friend Rich noted that “In the old days, we would say it's a "fer piece" because it took "a bit" to wander on over. Today you can't go a fer piece no more cause it’s politically incorrect.”

My friend Swany was the most specific as he wrote, “Over yonder is a stone's throw away from Bugtussle.”

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ”:

         Is it possible to dig half a hole? from my friend Ted

Live well...laugh often and heartily…. have a good week and never regret anything that made you smile!

Hal

OK, one more. My dentist and flying friend Ted shared, "Over Yonder is truly a variable distance and is usually measured by how far the speaker of the term can spit. However, this distance is strongly impacted by the the general condition of the remaining dentition--are they fractured , missing, decayed, mobile due to periodontal disease or absent all together! Given that the people who use this colloquialism generally score poorly on a dental health report card, their ability to projectile spit would seemingly be compromised. However, In all my years of practice I am still amazed by what people can adapt to. People you would think are complete "spit cripples" are somehow able to launch loogies an astounding distance. It's just a matter of what you consider important in life!! So-- how far is over yonder? I would say about 30 feet!

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Please visit my 100 Pints project on Facebook and “like” the page --- or email me with any questions. http://www.facebook.com/?sk=lf#!/pages/100-Pints/121406587930931?v=info Thanks in advance for caring.   Hal