Cowboy Speak: Slang and Jargon

This post received the all-time record hits at Cowboy Kisses and was created by Sharla Rae.  I didn't think she would mind if I shared it with you.

I’m a huge collector of all types of slang and jargon but as a historical writer I’m partial to cowboy slang and jargon. There’s a difference between the two. And since the list at the end of this blog is mainly slang, I’d like to explain that difference.

Slang is an informal term not found in an ordinary dictionary, coinages and words changed often times for factious figures of speech.

Jargon is a group of terms exclusive to certain kind of technical terminology. An example might be the technical terms that computer geeks use. Those terms may not be in an ordinary dictionary but every computer geek knows what they mean. Jargon might also be terms or the names that are applied to equipment used in a particular profession.  

It is not always wrong to use slang and jargon interchangeably.Sometimes slang is used so much that it earns a definition/place within a set of technical terminology.   

When writing about the Old West, cowboy speak adds atmosphere and realism to the story.  

As writers we use descriptions to set a scene and build an atmosphere that will pull the reader into our characters’ reality. Dialogue or the way our characters speak serves as another form of description. The way someone talks says a lot about where he’s from, his profession, his education and social hierarchy.  

So it’s important to incorporate appropriate dialogue in our Old West stories. The hero’s twang, his slang and jargon should shout, COWBOY!

One note of caution here: Never overdue dialect and slang or your characters come off too slapstick matinee.  Also be careful dialects; too much is distracting. Use just enough to flavor the story. Also, never trust old west movies as a reference for slang and jargon of the 1800s. Sometimes movies use phrases and terms that either didn’t exist at the time or were not yet in common usage. Generally speaking, once a word came into use, it took ten years before it was accepted as “common” usage.

Cowboy Curses: Yes, cowboys did use the F word but in my research I’ve learned that most of their curses took the form of religious blasphemy (hell, dam etc) rather than that of a sexual nature like the F word. Cowboys often competed in cursing contests around campfires but their curses were more outrageous and funny than they were dirty.

Examples: My own Aunt Mary! My dead Sister’s doll! Little Willy’s goat! Well, I’ll be a . . . (something funny)

I’ve compiled a long slang/jargon list with terms from many sources who borrowed from many other sources so there’s no real way for me to give credit where it’s due. However, I have listed some reference links below and I’m certain most of the phrases and terms can be found in them.  

To save my sanity and yours, I’ve corralled mostly slang terms for this list. A (J) after the word means it crosses over into jargon. Most terms and phrases are defined; the rest are obvious. Forgive the curse words, I’m just relating the info.

A hog-killin’ time – a real good time

Ace-high – first class, respected

An invite to a dance – could mean shooting at a man’s feet to make him dance

As different as whiskey and tea

Bad plum – bullet

Bellerin’ like a . . . – yelling, howling, complain loudly

Bellyaching- complaining (still used today)

Belly-up – dead, died; also belly up to the bar (stand up at the bar and drink)

Biddy – hen but often used to refer to a nagging or irritating female

Big bug – the boss, an important person

Blue whistler – a bullet

Bobtail her and fill her with meat – Cut the small talk and get to the point

Bold face – whiskey or alcohol

Book learnin’

Boot-licker- brown noser

By jingo, you’re right

Cached up – hiding

Cain’t shoot center – can’t shoot straight

Calico – a female, a type of print material used in the west for women’s everyday dresses

Caterwauling – usually terrible singing, or complaining

Chawed – chewed

Clean his/your plow – to get or give a thorough wippin’

Clipped his horns – took him down a notch or two; referring to a fight or a braggert

Con sarn it – soft replacement for g ** damn it, might be considered dialect

Cookie – camp cook (J)

Coons age – long time

Corncracker – derogatory for farmer

Cotton to- take a liking to

Crowbait –derogatory term for a poor-quality horse

Cultus – despicable, worthless, stupid

Dad-blame it – G** damn it

Dang! – Damn

Dicker – barter, trade

Dipping – chewing snuff

Dug for his cannon – reached for his gun

Fandango – from Spanish, used for a big party with lots of dancing

Fit to be tied – angry

Fixen – intending

Fly at it – cook says this when his food is ready (have seen it used to mean fight!)

Full as a tick – drunk or over eating

Get a wiggle on – hurry

Go to blazes – go to hell

Gol-Darn – softer version of obvious blasphemy

Goner – lost, dead

Gray backs – lice (J)

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

Hang it all – who cares

Hanker or hankering – strong wish or want

Haulloa stranger – yelled when approaching a strange camp to avoid getting shot

Hazing a tenderfoot – giving a city man a hard time

Heeled – armed with a gun (used more by city slickers)

Hellbenders – drunken sprees

Hell fire – exclamation of irritation, a curse

Hesh up – hush up

Highflautin’ – fancy, stuck up, snooty

Hill of beans – of trifling value, ain’t worth a hill of beans

His look would pucker  a hog’s butt

Hoppin’ mad

Horse feathers – exclamation meaning ridiculous or lack of belief

Howdy pard!

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

I reckon – I suppose, I believe

Ifin’ – if

Infernal – awful (meaning from hell) Infernal weather, infernal man

Jamboree – any kind of party or celebration

Jawin’ me ta death – talking too much

Lambasted – to hit or slug

Lead plum – bullet

Leaky mouths – talks too much, gossip

Lickspittle – insult, a very low person, dishonest, no good

Light a shuck – to get the heck out of here, lets light a shuck

Light and set a while – climb off horse and stay a while

Loco son-of-a-bitch - crazy

Lowdown, dirty sneaking polecats

Mean as catmeat

Meat and tata

Montana feathers – hay used to stuff mattresses on early ranches

Montgomery Ward Woman – a very ugly woman

Moppin’ his plate – licking it clean, eating everything

Nary – never

One horse town

Ornery as a mama bear with a sore teat

Packing – armed

Planted him ‘neath the daisies

Plumb – meaning completely or totally. ( plumb tuckered out, plumb loco)

Prairie coal – dried cow manure, used to build fires (J)

Pretty as a little red heifer

Pshaw, ‘taint no trouble ‘tall – heck it wasn’t any trouble

Purely purdy – purely pretty

Raise hob – raise hell as in going to town to raise hell

Randy - wanton

Red skins got his har – Indians scalped him; dialect

Rode slick – said of a top rider who eschews all devices to help keep him in saddle

Sad as a tick-fevered pup

Sam hill – what the Sam hill? or what the devil?

Scalawags – thieves, con men, bad men

She stock – generic for female cattle regardless of age (J)

She’s aimin’ to hogtie and brand him – she aims to marry him

Shooting iron, six shooter – gun, pistol

Shuck – remove guns but could mean to remove clothes

Skeerd – scared; dilect

Skin yourselves – remove your guns

Slick heels – without spurs (J)

Sorta nice, ain’t it?

Soured my milk – made me irritated

Sowbelly – bacon (J)

Stretched hemp – someone who has been hung with a rope

That don’t/won’t wash – sounds wrong, makes no sense

That shines! – swell, really great

Thunderation – non-profane curse

Time to cut and run – cut your losses and get the hell out

Tromp his britches – beat him up

Unreliable as woman’s watch – because women are always late

Useless as a bull with tits

Vamose or Vamoose – go, leave, disappear

Varmint or Varment – wild animal or a bad man

Viands – food, meals

Vittles – food

Wanna snort? – What a drink

Whoo-up whoo-up – same as Haulloa stranger but from a greater distance

Whup – whip

Will die standin’ up – brave

Wobblin’ jaw – talks to much

Yaller – yellow, coward; dialect

Yarn the hours away – tell stories

Yellow belly – coward

Yonder – over there

Younder, a piece

You can slide, mister – you can go to hell

Yourn – yours

Yup – yes

Cowboy Slang and Jargon Books

Cowboy Slang by Edgar R. “Frosty” Potter: Potter’s books also have info on horses, brands, cattle etc. [one of my all time favorites]

Cowboys Talk Right Purty by Edgar “Frosty” Potter: Similar to Cowboy Slang, it has less slang but lots of invaluable info on rustling, horses, cattle, equipment

A Dictionary of The Old West by Peter Watts: You name it, this books defines it. Contains lots of terms/jargon and definitions of equipment etc.

Dictionary of the American West by Winfred Blevins: Similar to A Dictionary of The Old West yet different and valuable on it’s own.

Wonderous Times On The Frontier by Dee Brown: If you write Old West, this book is a must. This is more of a history of adventures of real people but Brown uses the language of the times. He demonstrates just how much the cowboy loved a good joke but also tells the serious stuff. Mine is highlighted all over the place! Worth every penny.

Cowboy Slang and Jargon On Line

Western Slang and Phrases – You’ll see a few of these on my list. Be careful to check the origin date of some of the terms. Some look like they originated at the turn of the century rather than the 1800s and some are general slang terms used by everyone, not just men of the west. Still, this a good resource.

Gone To Texas

Cool Western Slang : Some of these sights borrowed from each other but I noticed each has a few of their own too.   

Cowboy Quotes and Sayings

Cowboy Way

As Roy Rodgers always said -- Happy Trails.

Blog-jacked from Writer's Digest

As much as I would like to claim credit for this wonderful piece, I have to admit I 'blog-jacked' it because I think it so worthy of sharing.  I know as author's we always wonder about the appropriate use of words in our stories, and this article answers a lot of questions you might have.  Here's the direct link in case you want to check out more from this great magazine's blog:

 http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=5Gm3t&m=JuLnY_nJhiBONb&b=liWdJBJ0PCICUXVjw6E0jQ

How to Use Profanity and Other Raw Talk in Your Fiction

The expletive known in polite circles as “the f-word” was most famously used in a major novel, Norman Mailer’s The Naked and the Dead, published in 1948.

Except it wasn’t.

—Elizabeth Sims

Mailer’s publisher prevailed upon him to change the common but crass four-letter description of sex to “fug,” so as not to offend readers. Given the fact that the book was about men at war, the word occurred a lot. This resulted in a cluster-fug of criticism and discussion in literary circles, and gave rise to the anecdote about Tallulah Bankhead (or in some versions, Dorothy Parker) meeting Mailer and saying, “Oh, you’re the man who can’t spell that word.”

Times change.

These days, the f-word has lost some of its shock value, and most people—though by no means all—are not deeply offended by it. Still, authors often debate the role of racy talk in contemporary literature.

How much is too much? How do you know when you’ve gone too far, or not far enough?

First, let’s consider the rich palette of risqué words available to us and clarify their technical differences, so we know what’s what. Once you can differentiate among profanities, curses, obscenities and the like, you’ll be better equipped to determine how, why, and if you should use them.

Profanity

Although it is often used to denote any objectionable word, profanity literally means words that are considered profane—that is, words proscribed by religious doctrine. (Proscribed generally means forbidden by written order.) In the Judeo-Christian tradition, this primarily means taking the Lord’s name in vain (that is, not in prayer).

For the love of God, stop complaining.

Jesus Christ, look at the size of that thing!

Curses

A curse calls upon a deity, or fate, to visit harm on someone or something.

Mild curse: Damn this zipper!

Strong curse: Goddamn her!

To be “damned” is to be condemned to hell. (See the common root lurking in condemned/damned?)

“Hell” can also be used as a curse—

Go to hell!

—or as mild profanity—

Oh, hell, the Potomac’s polluted again!

Swears

To swear literally means to take an oath, or to proclaim an oath. (An oath is a resolution or promise, usually calling on the deity’s assistance in carrying it out.)

As God is my witness, I’ll never go hungry again!

By God, I’ll show you!

Swearing can also be used to bear witness:

I swear, you’re the best cook in Memphis!

Obscenities

Obscene means something disgusting or morally abhorrent, often connoting sex. The f-word is considered the most objectionable of these. (Adding “mother” as a prefix ups the ante.)

Non-objectionable variants of the present participle form of the word—besides “fugging”—include “fecking,” “freaking,” “flipping” and “fricking.” (To be honest, I really don’t know why that “u” is so important.)

“Screw” is a milder word. Notice that both the f-word and “screw” are used not just to literally describe the act of intercourse, but to connote “taking advantage of”:

Don’t go to that repair shop—they screwed me out of $500 for a brake job I didn’t need.

Words referring to the pelvic area, male and female, are also considered obscenities.

Vulgarisms

Vulgarism is a great word that covers a lot of bases. If it’s crude and objectionable and falls outside the aforementioned categories, you’ve got yourself a vulgarism.

Casting aspersions on the circumstances of a person’s birth qualifies as a vulgarism. “Bitch,” “son of a bitch” and “bastard” can be termed vulgarisms. Ditto for “jackass,” which is often used as a substitute for another two-syllable word that starts with “ass.”

Excretory acts and their results fall under this rubric as well. “Crap” seems to be the only one that’s acceptable virtually everywhere.

To Use or Not to Use

Authors are divided about spicy talk, which is not surprising because readers are divided about it. Some really popular tough-guy authors—Lee Child comes to mind—use no profanity in their books, and lots of readers don’t even notice. Why? Because Child, for instance, doesn’t even write the watered-down “dammit,” which would call attention to the fact that he’s not using “Goddamn it.” For the same reason he’s certainly not going to have his characters, who blow one another’s brains out at the drop of a hat, say “darn it.” On the other hand, Tom Clancy, another leader in the same genre, uses lots of profanity, and he sure sells books.

Some readers are turned off by even a single curse word, whereas nobody will buy your book simply becauseyou use raw language. So the safest path is to use zero raw language, right?

Well, writing is a journey, and journeys involve risks. I’m certain there are authors who have been successful in part because they shun propriety. I remember being happily shocked by Holden Caulfield’s speech in The Catcher in the Rye when I was a teenager.

As you write, look for a balance involving what you feel comfortable writing, what suits the characters and story you are creating, and what might please or displease your hoped-for readers.

Why to Use

Humans get angry. They crave precise expression. There’s something about cursing or using vulgar language that acts as a release valve. Most of us have experienced a moment when a good old rule-breaking bad word just feels sublime rolling off the tongue, and so it is for fictional characters. Be true and honest to the voices of those characters. Moreover, if you want to write realistically about certain milieus, such as wharves, mines and battlefields, well-written raw talk can make your characters seem lifelike and more authentic.

How to Use

Spicy language generally works best when it’s used sparingly, or at least in moderation. That way, you preserve the element of the unexpected, which can be a pressure-reliever for both character and reader. Aside from conveying anger or frustration, raw talk can also be humorous, in that it reveals how a character truly feels about something. For instance:

I ate another doughnut.

Versus:

I ate another goddamned doughnut.

You instantly get a clue about this character and her relationship with doughnuts.

You can also have a character who habitually uses profanity in contrast to others who don’t. That, in itself, is a good individualizer.

In the case of the wharf-workers, miners and soldiers, here’s a caveat to remember: You shouldn’t just throw in spicy talk willy-nilly. You have to make it sound real. Go and listen to the people who populate the worlds you’re writing about. Read about them, experiment, read their words aloud.

But even if real cliff-blasting miners use a vulgarism every other word, it’s unnecessary for you to make your characters talk exactly that way. Just as with dialect and accents, using raw talk wisely serves to keep the reader grounded in your imaginary world, while avoiding the potential fatigue of overdoing it.

Consider your characters and employ common sense. A suburban matron wearing a linen dress and pearls might never swear in public, but she might let loose in the principal’s office over a dispute between her kid and a teacher, or when she breaks a nail opening her prescription amphetamines.

How Not to Use

Shakespeare knew that raw talk is the spice of writing.

He wrote the mother of all literary cuss-outs (cuss
is simply a variant of curse) in King Lear, but interestingly there is no profanity or obscenity as we know it, merely terrifically imaginative vulgarisms, delivered with passion. Here it is, the Earl of Kent preparing to thrash the crap out of Goneril’s loathsome lackey, Oswald:

KENT (TO OSWALD): A knave; a rascal; an eater of broken meats; a base, proud, shallow, beggarly, three-suited, hundred-pound, filthy, worsted-stocking knave; a lily-liver’d, action-taking, whoreson, glass-gazing, superserviceable, finical rogue; one-trunk-inheriting slave; one that wouldst be a bawd in way of good service, and art nothing but the composition of a knave, beggar, coward, pander, and the son and heir of a mongrel bitch, one whom I will beat into clamorous whining if thou deniest the least syllable of thy addition.

Knowing the historical references helps; for example, “broken meats” means leftover table scraps. But even without that, we can luxuriate in the rant. This is a beautiful speech for many reasons: It’s forceful, it’s unique, it covers many aspects of insult, it clearly communicates one character’s contempt of another, and—important for many in Shakespeare’s audience—it avoids serious curses and obscenities.

It’s a shining example of how a writer can invent insults way more entertaining than those found in the standard lexicon.

You can do it by brainstorming aspects of your characters and their circumstances:

He was as appealing as a baboon’s butt.

You are the worst thing to happen to the world since
call waiting.

May you be condemned to an eternity of weak coffee, warm gin and a driveway paved with roofing nails.

By now, I think you’ll agree that it’s useful to explore—and perhaps even challenge—your own comfort zone. Certainly if it’s not you, it won’t ring true. But whether you decide to write common curses and vulgarisms
into your work or not, your characters do need a verbal pressure valve. Don’t use tacky asterisks to replace
vowels. Just have fun with the process and remember that a fug by any other name might sound remarkably original.

Contributing editor Elizabeth Sims (elizabethsims.com) is the author of eight books, including the Rita Farmer mysteries and the Lillian Byrd crime novels, and the brand-new instructional title You’ve Got a Book in You: A Stress-Free Guide to Writing the Book of Your Dreams (WD Books).