The WRCA Blog | Cowboy Slang

There’s little question that when cowboys converse, it may take a translator for the uninitiated to understand. In celebration of the puncher parlance, here’s some entertaining cowboy idioms and slang terms of yesteryear, pulled from the wonderful book, Cowboy Lingo, by Ramon F. Adams.

►  “pet makers” |  spurs

►  “roll the cotton” | roll your bedroll, also used as an expression for departure

►  “cocky as the king of spades” | confident

►  “stomach pump” | spade bit

►  “as fast a horse that ever looked through a bridle”

►  “waltz with the lady” | ride a bucking horse

►  “wrinkling his spine” | a horse bucking

►  “sea plum” | oyster

►  “slow elk” | stolen beef

►  “traveled the lonesome places” | on the dodge from the law

►  “Oklahoma rain” | sandstorm

►  “prairie wool” | grass

►  “down in the skillet” | the Texas Panhandle

►  “lazy enough to be a good fiddler”

►  “too proud to cut hay and wild enough to eat it”

 

photo courtesy Library of Congress photo archive