A couple of CJ - to - English loans?

[Alan H. Hartley]

Mike & Barbara,

I certainly admit the possibility of a CJ etymology for "the sticks".
Until some early Northwest evidence shows up, though, I think it'll be
difficult to prove. Does anyone know of a CJ example of "sticks" in the
sense of 'bush, interior'? If not, there's a crucial link missing from
the etymology.

Here's the sub-entry from the OED:

THE STICKS: a remote, thinly populated, rural area; the backwoods;
hence, in extended (freq. depreciatory) use, any area that is off the
beaten track or thought to be provincial or unsophisticated; esp. in
phr. in the sticks. orig. U.S.
1905 N. Davis *Northerner* 78 Billy is a cane-brake nigger; he’ll take
to the sticks like a duck to water when he’s scared.
1914 R. Lardner in *Sat. Even. Post* 7 Mar. 8/1, I will have to slip you
back to the sticks [i.e. the minor baseball leagues].
1921 *Daily Colonist* (Victoria, B.C.) 22 Oct. 11/3 Judge Landis..has
not yet consigned Babe Ruth to oblivion for..playing in the sticks for
exhibition money.
1926 Whiteman & McBride *Jazz* xiii. 254 They had..all the real New
Yorker’s prejudice against ‘the sticks’.
[...and several more recent citations]

The vernacular tone of the 1905 quot. gives "the sticks" the feel of an
autochthonous S.E. U.S. expression; conversely, the 1921 quot. from B.C.
feels allochthonous to me. And note that the citation Barbara mentions
is from a Toronto newspaper. (Not very convincing to y'all, I know!)

Note that "sticks" has long been used by English-speaking sailors for
masts, yards, etc.

Regards,
Alan