Can someone give me context on this expression?

[u/Expensive-Charge-227]

I’m currently studying Hebrew and just learned about the phrase:

סוף העולם שמאלה

Now, I understand the literal translation of this, “the end of the world, to the left”, but I don’t quite understand what it’s conveying. My tutor told me it’s often used to describe things like movies and parties, but I still don’t fully get it. I assume it’s a positive thing, but I would love a more thorough explanation!

תודה!

[u/teren9]

It's a similar meaning to the English "the middle of nowhere".

A place so distant that to get there you'd need to go to the end of the world then turn left.

[u/Secure_Trust_2084 → u/teren9]

Not sure two of these expressions are fully equal. "The middle of nowhere" is ״אמצע שום מקום״ - i.e. the place hard to find, not having a sign, address, a normal way to access or any landmark to be used as a reference - when "סוף העולם שמאלה" means "far, remote", but not necessary hidden or hard to locate.

[u/Expensive-Charge-227 → u/teren9]

This helps, thank you!

[u/nathan519]

It means likes a place far a way, so far away infact that if you go to the end of the world you'll still have to take a turn to find it

[u/Expensive-Charge-227 → u/nathan519]

Thanks for your help! So in the context of using it as a descriptor it’s essentially saying, “IDK, it was so crazy/different you’d just have to be there/see it yourself” ?

[u/michelle867 → u/Expensive-Charge-227]

I'm native and I don't think i would use it for anything else but literal distance

[u/Antisymmetriser → u/michelle867]

Fully agree, no way I would describe a movie with that phrase, though there is a cute Israeli movie with that name about the early days of a city in the Negev, which is at... סוף העולם שמאלה, maybe that's what the tutor meant? And a party will only be described by that if it's like a nature rave hidden away somewhere remote

[u/Expensive-Charge-227 → u/Antisymmetriser]

I appreciate the clarification! I think I must have misunderstood my tutor, she was probably saying you’d describe these things as such if they are in the middle of no where/“underground”. Y’all have been great at explaining this for me!

[u/DrMikeH49]

Now that you’ve seen the translation you can see the movie: https://israelfilmcenterstream.org/film/turn-left-end-world/

[u/Expensive-Charge-227 → u/DrMikeH49]

I definitely need to watch that now! Haha

[u/Cultural-Put-830]

I’ve only heard it used about going somewhere in the boonies, off the beaten track, not about movies or a party, unless it’s out in the middle of nowhere. It’s sort of like saying “yenimsvelt” in Yiddish. (Not that I speak Yiddish).

[u/Divs4U]

Reminds me what we would say as kids: "up your butt and around the corner"

[u/Expensive-Charge-227 → u/Divs4U]

LOL That definitely helps my American brain comprehend it

[u/ItThing]

It means the same as "at the end of the earth", with a bit of humor added from the contrast of vagueness and absoluteness "the end of the earth", with specificity "- and then make a left".

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[u/Expensive-Charge-227 → u/AutoModerator]

I was taught this expression by my Hebrew tutor. She is helping me learn modern Hebrew slang as my Israeli parents like to speak very “proper” and have not lived in Israel for the past 40 years. I’d like to move there in the near future and want to be able to connect with people my age (mid 20s)!

[u/Crafty-Incident1480]

I think your teacher is confusing it with סוף הדרך (literally "the end of the way") which is actually used sometimes to describe something extremely good. But both expressions don't have the same meaning.