# BFE or EBF?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bfe-or-ebf/591478
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [August 4, 2011, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bfe-or-ebf/591478 "2011-08-04T17:10:13Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2011, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bfe-or-ebf/591478/1 "2011-08-04T17:10:13Z")
Okayeeee…
I grew up in various places, but by the time I hit the age when I was conscious about it, everybody who wanted to leave was calling the place East Bumfuck (or EBF for short). I thought they meant one specific hellhole, but then I started hearing it applied to other, equally non-GD places.
But people I knew in California were calling the same kind of place BFE, or Bumfuck, Egypt. Really? EBF makes so much more sense.
So, how did/do you hear it, and where were/are you?
EBF, Oklahoma (not there anymore)
BFE, California (not there anymore, either, Herlong if you want to get specific)
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### Author:  [@iftheresaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iftheresaway)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2011, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bfe-or-ebf/591478/2 "2011-08-04T17:16:08Z")
I always heard it as BFE, but it was “butt” instead of “bum”, and there was no other place name attached to it. Also, it was typically not your own location, but somewhere else, e.g. “I hate going to that store, it’s all the way out in BFE.” I agree that BFE, California (which, incidentally, if the state I most frequently heard it in) makes much less sense than EBF, Oklahoma.
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### Author:  [@stretch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stretch)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2011, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bfe-or-ebf/591478/3 "2011-08-04T17:31:22Z")
Here in Washington State (both wetter Washington and here on the dry side), I’ve heard Bumfuck, Egypt and the associated BFE way more than East Bumfuck or EBF.
AKA the boonies/boones, toolies, or sticks, you know, way out to Timbuk-fucking-tu. Meaning anyplace that isn’t “cool” or meaning living out of town and away from the nearest real store.
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### Author:  [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2011, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bfe-or-ebf/591478/4 "2011-08-04T17:33:29Z")
I learned BFE as Beyond Fucking Egypt.
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2011, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bfe-or-ebf/591478/5 "2011-08-04T17:34:54Z")
Never heard of East Bumfuck, EBF or BFE. We always used Bumfuck, Egypt.
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### Author:  [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2011, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bfe-or-ebf/591478/6 "2011-08-04T17:35:45Z")
grew up in the south and heard “east bumfuck” my whole life. no abbreviations, no variations.
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### Author:  [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2011, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bfe-or-ebf/591478/7 "2011-08-04T17:37:11Z")
New England. We learned it as Bumfuck. If it was **really** out in the sticks, then East Bumfuck.
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### Author:  [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2011, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bfe-or-ebf/591478/8 "2011-08-04T17:42:11Z")
Northern WV, western PA area - always heard bumfuck egypt, never abbreviated.
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### Author:  [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bfe-or-ebf/591478/9 "2011-08-04T17:47:53Z")
Bumfuck, Egypt. Grew up in a far west suburb of Chicago, mostly. Didn’t hear the BFE abbreviation until later, in the 90’s, but knew what it meant immediately.
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### Author:  [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bfe-or-ebf/591478/10 "2011-08-04T17:50:41Z")
Here in Virginia, it’s always BFE. I have heard of variants on BFE, where sometimes rather than Egypt the letter has been replaced with another letter and for some other random place (eg, N for Nowhere), but it’s always at least been of the form Bum Fuck, Someplace. I don’t recall ever hearing the EBF construction.
And I have to say that I think the BFE construct makes more sense than EBF. EBF implies that maybe there’s a WBF or something. I’ve heard the construction like “dude, you live out in Bumfuck.” to imply he lives in the sticks. You’ll also hear things saying someone is in some obscure exotic place to imply the same thing. Thus, BFE implies that not only are you out in the middle of nowhere, but you’re in the middle of nowhere in a country that’s in the middle of nowhere. It’s like another whole magnitude of middle of nowhere.
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### Author:  [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2011, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bfe-or-ebf/591478/11 "2011-08-04T17:57:39Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#):
>
> I learned BFE as Beyond Fucking Egypt.
^This +1
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### Author:  [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2011, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bfe-or-ebf/591478/12 "2011-08-04T17:59:25Z")
Oh, I probably should have added that I heard this mostly on or about air force bases, which have a tendency to be in the middle of goddamn nowhere (i.e., Cordell, Okla.) I guess Cordell is east of someplace. (if East BF is Cordell, then West BF would certainly be Herlong.)
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### Author:  [@bufftabby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bufftabby)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2011, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bfe-or-ebf/591478/13 "2011-08-04T18:40:51Z")
BFE, Tennessee. It has a nice ring to it, dontcha think?
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### Author:  [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2011, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bfe-or-ebf/591478/14 "2011-08-04T18:42:34Z")
BFE, usually just the letters; everybody knows what it means. Never EBF.
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### Author:  [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bfe-or-ebf/591478/15 "2011-08-04T18:46:14Z")
Growing up in Columbus, OH, it was either Bumfuck, Egypt or East Jesusville.
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### Author:  [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bfe-or-ebf/591478/16 "2011-08-04T18:46:55Z")
Another vote for Buttfuck, Nowhere.
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### Author:  [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2011, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bfe-or-ebf/591478/17 "2011-08-04T18:58:33Z")
From SoCal, I’ve heard BFE most often, and am times am known to refer to remote places as East Bumblefuck.
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### Author:  [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2011, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bfe-or-ebf/591478/18 "2011-08-04T18:59:41Z")
I grew up in rural Southeast Michigan, aka Buttfuck, Egypt.
Never heard the other variations. But they all make me snicker.
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### Author:  [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2011, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bfe-or-ebf/591478/19 "2011-08-04T19:03:45Z")
Not sure why, but my family members always referred to people who lived in Bumfuck, Nairobi. I didn’t hear mention of BFE until I was in my 30s.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2011, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bfe-or-ebf/591478/20 "2011-08-04T19:06:35Z")
EBFE - East Bum Fuck, Egypt
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