backwater vs the sticks

backwater

noun
  • A remote place; somewhere that remains unaffected by new events, progresses, ideas, etc. 

  • A rowing stroke in which the oar is pushed forward to stop the boat; see back water 

  • Water used in the papermaking process. Recycled to reduce usage of fresh water, and usually containing residual amounts of chemicals and fibres. 

  • The water held back by a dam or other obstruction 

verb
  • To vacillate on a long-held position. 

  • To row or paddle a backwater stroke. 

the sticks

noun
  • A remote, rural area; a place that is removed from civilization such as the boondocks. 

  • The set of yardage markers used by a chain crew to indicate the ten yards between the line of scrimmage from the previous first down and the line to gain, which the offense must reach in their series of four downs in order to retain possession of the ball. 

How often have the words backwater and the sticks occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )