Backwater
WordNet
noun
(1) Any backward region that is isolated from the world and resists progress
(2) A body of water that was created by a flood or tide or by being held or forced back by a dam
"The bayous and backwaters are breeding grounds for mosquitos"
WiktionaryText
Noun
- The water held back by a dam or other obstruction
- a remote place; somewhere that remains unaffected by new events, progresses, ideas, etc.
- 1978, National Opera Association - The Opera Journal page 29
- It's a volume for those who delight in exploring the backwaters of nineteenth-century opera
- 1978, National Opera Association - The Opera Journal page 29
- A rowing stroke in which the oar is pushed forward to stop the boat; see back water
Synonyms
jerkwater town, one-horse town, Podunk- See Wikisaurus:remote place
Verb
- To row or paddle a backwater stroke.
- To vacillate on a long-held position.