off the beaten path » off the beat and path

Classification: English – and «» in/en

Spotted in the wild:

  • The town the resort is located in is off the beat and path, so there is almost no shopping near by. (from Fiske, unattributed)
  • The Dalton Highway and adjacent lands are so unique that Congress established special designations to honor and conserve their extraordinary values for both the nation and the world. Discover the Dalton or get off the beat and path by visiting the majestic wilderness that surrounds it. (BLM Alaska)
  • Was a bit hard to find the first time, since it is off the beat and path but only a block away from the major streets and a few blocks walking distance from Piazza Fiume with cafes, gelato shops, grocery stores, great pizza, theaters, etc. (Review of Hotel Galeno, Rome)

Analyzed or reported by:

  • Robert Hartwell Fiske (The Dictionary of Disagreeable English)

One of a large number of reanalyses that turn on the interpretation of an unstressed syllabic n, which could be “and”, “in”, “-en”, “-in’”, etc.

| link | entered by Arnold Zwicky, 2005/03/29 |

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