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I searched on Internet for country fellows, but I couldn't find definition. What is the origin and the real meaning of country fellows?

Edit: I didn't mean "fellow countrymen". does this phrase have a double meaning? Because I heard it in a bad context. If a guy did something unnatural they call him with pity.

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    You don't mean "fellow countrymen"?
    – Pekka
    Commented Mar 5, 2011 at 22:34
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    What is the context of the phrase? Commented Mar 6, 2011 at 1:26
  • No, I didn't mean "fellow countrymen". does this phrase have a double meaning? because i heard it in a bad context. if a guy did something unnatural they call him with pity.
    – Mahesh
    Commented Mar 6, 2011 at 2:46
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    This question can't be answered definitively without more (read: at least an inkling of) context, but my first thought was country fellows as opposed to city folk -- i.e. this might be a different way of saying country bumpkins.
    – Marthaª
    Commented Mar 6, 2011 at 4:39

5 Answers 5

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Even I've tried to find references and failed. I can share my personal experience here, though, assuming the OP is a fellow Indian.

"Country fellow" is a slightly offensive phrase in south India. It is merely a direct translation of the words from south Indian languages (Malayalam, Tamil, etc.), for example, "naadan chekkan" in Malayalam.

It has nothing to do with the original meaning of fellow countrymen. What it actually means is a person who is cultureless; or someone not trendy enough (among a group of friends, mostly).

Suppose three friends are discussing western music (say, a rap song by Eminem). If one of them tells that he likes Indian carnatic music more, then the other two might say "Oh, grow up! Don't be such a country fellow".

I hope my explanation is clear. I couldn't find any reliable reference to add here. Perhaps it's enough that searching "country fellows" on google will have results related to south Indian slang.

It can also mean "people from the countryside", but that doesn't usually apply when used among friends.

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There appears to be a band by this name; in that context it probably means "fellows from the country", i.e. men or friends from the countryside. This probably refers to Country music.

Other than that, I think this word is only used by non-native speakers, as a variation of "fellow countrymen": I do not believe this to be an actual native English word or expression. I have only found it on foreign websites whose English was of questionable quality.

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  • As the band is a Country & Western band, I think that Country in it's name primally refers to the music style.
    – Guffa
    Commented Mar 7, 2011 at 6:16
  • @Gufa: You're absolutely right! I should have mentioned that. It's just that I am not a particular fan of the genre... Commented Mar 7, 2011 at 11:45
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As adjective, fellow means "being of the same kind, group, occupation, society, or locality".

They urged the troops not to fire on their fellow citizens.

Fellows can be used as noun to mean "who is of the same kind, group, occupation, society or locality".
Informally, fellow means also "man or boy".

[Example taken from the New Oxford American Dictionary.]

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  • I can understand both country and fellow separately. In my region "country fellow" is used in a "bad" sense of context. both are good meaning but when combined i don't know why it gives a bad meaning :(
    – Mahesh
    Commented Mar 6, 2011 at 2:49
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    @mahesh: When used in a derogatory way, it means people from the countryside, and implies that people from the city would be more sophisticated.
    – Guffa
    Commented Mar 7, 2011 at 6:20
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The most common meaning is people (friends) from the same country (nation).

Due to the multiple meanings of both country and fellows, it could take other meanings in certain situations. Country could be a nation, it could be the countryside i.e. non-urban regions, or it could be the music style Country and Western. Fellows could mean friends, but also just a group of persons. There is for example a Country and Western band called Country Fellows.

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  • Why the downvote? If you don't explain what it is that you think is wrong, it can't improve the answer.
    – Guffa
    Commented Mar 26, 2016 at 23:12
  • Not my down vote, but I think you and OP aren't on the same page with this. See my answer, for example.
    – NVZ
    Commented Mar 27, 2016 at 9:18
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People from the same country or community are called country fellows.

This is similar to class fellows for people that attended the same school.

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