Off the beaten path/track

Origin of: Off the beaten path/track

Off the beaten path/track

This expression is usually used to describe places that are fairly remote and inaccessible, from the obvious allusion that such places are far from well-worn paths and tracks. The expression dates in this sense from the mid-19th century, although beaten path or track dates from the mid-17th century in the sense of a well-worn, standard thoroughfare. Off the beaten ‘path’ is preferred in North America, while the ‘track’ version is more popular in Britain and other English-speaking countries.