Cowboy Slang

A's

A hog-killin’ time: a real good time

A lick and a promise: to do haphazardly.

Above Snakes: If you were “above snakes,” you were above ground – meaning still alive

Ace-high: first class, respected

Ace in the Hole: hideout or a hidden gun

Acknowledge the Corn: admit the truth, to confess a lie, or acknowledge an obvious personal shortcoming

Adam’s Ale: water

Airin’ the Lungs: term for cussing

All down but nine: missed the point, not understood. This is a reference to missing all nine pins at bowling

At sea: at a loss, not comprehending.

B's

Bad plum/Lead plum/Blue whistler: bullet

Bag of Nails: Everything in confusion, topsy-turvy

Bake: to overheat a horse by riding too fast, long, or hard

Bangtail: wild horse; mustang

Barkin’ at a Knot: Doing something useless; wasting your time, trying something impossible

Barn sour: horse that loves his stall; speeds up the pace as he nears the barn on the journey home

Batwings: long chaps with broad leather flaps

Bazoo: mouth. “Shut your big bazoo

Bear sign: donuts. A cook who could and would make them, was highly regarded

Bee: gathering of friends, family and neighbors to get a specific job done. Usually used with women’s quilting get togethers as in a quilting bee

Bee in Your Bonnet: An idea

Best bib and tucker: best clothes.

Big bug: the boss, an important person

Boil over: horse that starts bucking

Bone orchard: cemetery

Broom-tail: a negative term for an ill-behaved or ugly horse

Burn the breeze: ride at full speed

Busted off: bucked off

C's

Caterwauling: usually terrible singing, or complaining

Cayuse: cowboy’s steed

Chew gravel: thrown from a horse

Chisel/Chiseler: cheat or swindle, a cheater

Choke Strap: A necktie

Clean his/your plow: get or give a thorough whippin

Clipped his horns: took him down a notch or two

Coffee boiler: shirker, lazy person. (Would rather sit around the coffee pot than help)

Cow sense: a horse that knows what to do around cows

Crowbait: derogatory term for a poor-quality horse

Curly wolf: real tough guy, dangerous man.

D-I

Dug for his cannon: reached for his gun

Eatin Irons: Silverware

Fit to be tied: angry

Flannel mouth: overly smooth or fancy talker

Fly at it: cook says this when his food is ready

Full as a tick: drunk or over eating

Get a wiggle on: hurry

Hang fire: delay, lets hang fire before we make up our minds

Hazing a tenderfoot: giving a city man a hard time

Hoosegow: jail

I can set with that: I can agree with that, I can handle that

In apple pie order: in top shape

L-R

Lickety Split: Headlong, at full speed

Light a shuck: to get the heck out of here

Nailed to the counter: proven a lie

Odd stick: eccentric person. “Ol’ Farmer Jones sure is an odd stick

Of the First Water: First class.

Owl headed: horse that won’t stop looking around

Plumb: meaning completely or totally (plumb tuckered out)

Prairie coal: dried cow manure, used to build fires

Pull in your horns: back off, quit looking for trouble

Quirley: roll-your-own cigarette

Rocky Mountain canary: burro used by the miners in the Rocky Mountains

Roostered: drunk. “Looks like those cowboys are in there gettin’ all roostered up"

S-U

Scratching Rake: A comb

Shooting iron, six shooter: gun, pistol

Simon pure: the real thing, a genuine fact. “This is the Simon pure”

Squinny: To cause a laugh, to laugh, wink, smile

Taradiddles: Falsehoods, traveler’s yarns or tales

Ten-cent Man: a small, narrow-minded, trifling man

That Dog Won’t Hunt: That idea or argument isn’t going to work. Or, the person saying it doesn’t believe what you’re saying

Thunderation: non-profane curse

Too Much Mustard: a braggart

Uncorkin’ a bronc: breaking a horse

V-Y

Varmint or Varment: wild animal or a bad man

Waddie: hired man, especially in the western United States, who tends cattle and performs many of his duties on horseback; sometimes refers to a cattle rustler; especially a cowboy who drifted from ranch to ranch and helped out in busy times

Wanna snort? Want a drink

Wild West Weekly: Pulp or “dime” novels

Will die standin’ up: brave

Wobblin’ jaw: talks to much

Yarn the hours away: tell stories