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Cowboy Slang: A Dictionary of the Trail
By Randy Salars·
Cowboys had a unique way of speaking, filled with metaphors drawn from their environment, livestock, and the harsh realities of frontier life. It was a language born in the saddle, shaped by the dust of the trail, and influenced by Spanish vaqueros and Native American languages. This dictionary decodes the colorful slang that echoed across the plains.
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Featured Slang
Hornswoggle
Verb: To cheat, deceive, or bamboozle someone.
While it sounds like a cartoonish invention, "hornswoggle" was very real frontier slang. Its exact origins are unknown, but it perfectly captures the spirit of the Old West—where traveling salesmen, card sharks, and snake-oil peddlers were always looking for a way to separate a cowboy from his hard-earned pay. E.g., "That slick-talking gambler hornswoggled me out of my last ten dollars."
A-C
- Above Board
- Honest, open, and legitimate. Originating from card games where keeping one's hands above the table proved no cheating was occurring.
- Absquatulate
- To leave abruptly, sneak away, or depart in a hurry, usually to avoid trouble or debt.
- Ace-high
- A highly respected, first-class person or thing. Derived from poker, where an ace is the highest card.
- Acknowledge the corn
- To admit the truth, confess to a mistake, or own up to a lie.
- Belly-up
- To approach a bar for a drink. E.g., "Belly-up to the bar, boys!"
- Bite the dust
- To fall hard, usually off a horse, or to be killed.
- Bog rider
- A cowboy assigned the miserable task of pulling cattle out of mud bogs or quicksand.
- Bronco
- An unbroken or untamed horse. From the Spanish word meaning rough or gruff.
- Buckaroo
- An Anglicized version of the Spanish vaquero, meaning cowboy, primarily used in the Great Basin region.
- Cahoots
- In partnership or conspiring together, often for nefarious purposes.
- Chuck
- Food or a meal, served from the iconic "chuckwagon."
- Coffee-boiler
- A shirker or lazy person who spends too much time lingering around the camp fire rather than working.
- Curly wolf
- A very tough, dangerous guy who shouldn't be messed with.
D-F
- Dally
- To wrap a lasso rope around the saddle horn after roping an animal. From the Spanish dar la vuelta.
- Dogie
- An orphaned calf. Often pronounced "doh-gie." Made famous by the song "Git Along, Little Dogies."
- Drop the string
- To rope an animal successfully.
- Fair to middlin'
- Feeling okay; average. Not great, but not terrible.
- Firewater
- Cheap, strong liquor or whiskey.
- Flapjack
- A pancake, a breakfast staple cooked over an open fire or cast-iron skillet.
- Four-flusher
- A bluffer or someone who pretends to have money or courage they don't possess. From poker, pretending to have a flush with only four cards of the same suit.
- Fuzz
- Law enforcement or sheriffs. Originating in the West and surviving well into modern times.
G-J
- Greenhorn
- An inexperienced person, newcomer to the West, or tenderfoot. Easily spotted by their clean, ill-fitting clothes.
- Grubstake
- Supplies, equipment, or funds given to a prospector or cowboy in exchange for a share of their future profits.
- Hair in the butter
- A delicate situation, a complication, or a tricky problem that needs to be handled carefully.
- Hang fire
- To delay or hold off on taking action. Derived from a gun that fails to fire immediately after the trigger is pulled.
- High-tail it
- To run away fast. Describes the way mustangs and cattle stick their tails straight up when they flee in panic.
- Hoosegow
- Jail or prison. Derived from the Spanish word juzgado, meaning tribunal or courtroom.
- Iron
- A six-shooter or revolver. E.g., "Keep your hand off your iron." Also referred to branding irons.
- Juniper
- Another term for a greenhorn or a cowboy from the East coast who lacks real frontier skills.
K-Z
- Lick
- Molasses or syrup, a staple sweetener on the trail.
- Maverick
- An unbranded calf. Evolved to mean an independent, rebellious person who doesn't conform to the herd.
- Owlhoot
- An outlaw or fugitive from justice. Being "on the owlhoot trail" meant you were on the run from the law.
- Paint
- A horse with spotted coloring, highly prized by Native Americans and some cowboys.
- Pull in your horns
- To back down from a fight or apologize after being overly aggressive.
- Remuda
- A herd of saddle horses from which cowboys choose their mounts for the day. A typical cowboy might cycle through 6-10 horses.
- Riding the river
- Saying someone "will do to ride the river with" is the highest compliment, meaning they are dependable and brave in difficult situations.
- See the elephant
- To go to town and experience all the excitement, vices, and dangers it has to offer, often resulting in losing all one's money.
- Sodbuster
- A mildly derogatory term used by cowboys and ranchers for farmers who fenced the open range and plowed the plains.
- Vaquero
- A Spanish or Mexican cowboy, the original cowboys whose traditions, gear, and language strongly influenced the American cowboy.
- Widow-maker
- A particularly dangerous, untamed horse that was known to severely injure or kill riders.