Out of the way

Question

Hi,The farmhouse we stayed in was completely off the beaten path.Can I use out of the way instead of 'off the beaten path' as in 'The farmhouse we stayed in was completely out of the way?Do the two phrases mean exactly the same here? What's the difference between them?Thank you very much.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

anonymousThe farmhouse we stayed in was completely off the beaten path.

It can't be completely off it because it can't be partly on it. "Off the beaten path" is an expression, and "completely" breaks it by making the path literal. The house was off the beaten path. If you must have the crippling adverb, you need something more like "The farmhouse we stayed in was off the beaten path, completely hidden by the trees and the terrain."

anonymousCan I use out of the way instead of 'off the beaten path' as in 'The farmhouse we stayed in was completely out of the way?

Ignoring "completely", no. "Out-of-the-way" (note the hyphens) is a non-predicative adjective that must come before its noun. You would have to say "We stayed in an out-of-the-way farmhouse."

CalifJim · Answer

anonymous
Can I use out of the way instead of 'off the beaten path' as in 'The farmhouse we stayed in was completely out of the way?
Do the two phrases mean exactly the same here? What's the difference between them?

There are some idiomatic uses of 'out of the way', but as I read your sentence, I take 'out of the way' to mean something more literal, i.e., not in a position where it obstructs movement through the area.

The suitcases were in the way. No one was able to get through the hallway. We had to move them out of the way so people could pass through.

So for me, 'out of the way' doesn't work very successfully as a substitute for 'off the beaten path' in that sentence.

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

Hi, anonymous and CJ

"We stayed in an out-of-the-way farmhouse."

Can I use 'off the beaten path' in stead of 'out-of-the-way' in the example above as in

'The farmhouse we stayed in was off the beaten path'?

Do the two sentences mean exactly the same?

The example of 'out of the way' below is from Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Which means a place that is out of the way is far from any towns; remote.

'It’s a great little pub, but a bit out of the way.'

Does out of the way here mean 'off the beaten path'? Or we can't use 'out of the way' to mean that?

I'm still very confused.

Thank you very much for your kind answers.

Out of the way

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