neck of the woods
A neighborhood or nearby area; the area around where one lives. Next time you find yourself in my neck of the woods, give me a call and I'll show you around.
neck of the woods
A neighborhood or region, as in He's one of the wealthiest men in our neck of the woods. Originally (mid-1800s) alluding to a forest settlement, this colloquial term is now used more loosely, for urban as well as rural locales.
neck of the woods
a particular small geographical area or community. Neck in the sense of ‘narrow strip of woodland’ is recorded from the late 18th century.
1998 Spectator Both [letters] come from the same neck of the woods, both are on the same subject and both are cries for help which are being ignored.
neck of the woods, this
This particular region or neighborhood. An Americanism once meaning a forest settlement, this term appeared in print in the 1850s. “She is welcome to the hospitalities of this neck of the wood,” wrote Alice Cary (Married, Not Mated, 1856).