country cousin

noun

1. a person from the country or from a small town, to whom the sights and activities of a large city are novel and bewildering.

country cousin

noun

1. an unsophisticated person from the country, esp one regarded as an object of amusement

Word History and Origins

Origin of country cousin¹

First recorded in 1760–70

Idioms and Phrases

One whose lack of sophistication or rural ways may amuse or embarrass city dwellers. For example, The sightseeing guide geared his tour toward country cousins who had never been to a large city before . This term, which literally means “a cousin who lives in the country,” has been used in this figurative way since the second half of the 1700s, although the idea is much older (such persons were stock figures of fun in Restoration comedies of the late 1600s and early 1700s).

Example Sentences

Notwithstanding the ginned-up controversy over Harris’ anti-gouging initiatives, it’s proper to note that price gouging and its country cousin, price-fixing, have traditionally been a bipartisan concern.

From Los Angeles Times

Coachella’s country cousin, Stagecoach, takes over the venue April 26-28.

From Los Angeles Times

We're stuck "wallerin' in the mud," as my country cousin would say, with the politicians.

From Salon

Again, another righteous request, but a battle that wasn’t waged when the much sexier and hipper Target — whose salaries and practices were no better than its blue-and-yellow country cousin — built a store in Columbia Heights.

From Washington Post

An eight-minute case in point this year is 1938’s “Buzzy Boop at the Concert,” a wild and crazy Fleischer Studios cartoon featuring Betty Boop’s uninhibited country cousin Buzzy.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• hick
• hillbilly