Some unconventional spelling is used in this book to impart an authentic cowboy feel to the narrative. The author rode with various cowhands, prospectors and other bush folk who spoke as Annie, Spud, Wolf, Mose, Sir Jacob and the other characters do. Wolf’s Injin speak is his own.
Cowboys are fond of colorful and obscure language. It is a source of humor and a sign of their unique culture. Their stories are passed back and forth, repeated over and over during the long hours on the trail and around the campfire. Accents are accentuated, especially in front of dudes and tales get taller with the telling. Jokes and pranks are another form of entertainment, often pulled on unwitting comrades. All in good fun.
Here is a guide to the more unusual vernacular terms:
About: as in ‘I don’t know what he is about’, what he is doing or thinking.
Acrost: across.
Agin: again.
Ah: I, myself.
Aholt: hold, as in ‘grab aholt of that shovel.’
An’: and
Anothah: another.
Ariding: riding
Ahorseback: on horseback.
Askcents: accents.
Atcha: at you.
Atween: between.
Aught: 0, or double aught: 00 horseshoe sizes, more aughts is smaller.
Awl: all.
Bannock: an unleavened flat bread quick to cook and popular on the trail.
Boys: Cowboys generally refer to each other as boys, less often as men. Shorthand for cowboy.
Cleah: clear.
Conversatin’: conversing.
Crick: crick.
Dasn’t: dare not.
Dayum: damn.
Den: then.
Dese: these.
Dint: didn’t.
Disremember: forget.
Doan: don’t.
‘Em: them.
Ever’one: everyone.
Ever’thing: everything.
Fav’rite: favorite.
Four-in-hand: A team of four horses, rigged so they can be handled by one driver, pulling a carriage or wagon.
Gawds: gods.
Gelding: a neutered male horse.
Git: get.
Green, green broke: a horse that has only had a rider on his back a few times.
Gut: intestines, cleaned and dried, they are tightly sewn together with tiny stitches to make waterproof rain gear and dry bags.
Hand: a unit of measure for horses, originally the width of your hand, now standardized at 4 inches. Rather than 15 hands 2 inches, we would say ‘fifteen two’. A horse who is 15h 2” is 62” tall at the withers.
Heah: here.
He’p, he’ped: help, helped.
Hisself: himself.
If’n: if.
...in’: any verb ending in ‘ing’ is generally pronounced with a silent ‘g’. As in, ‘I was pointin’ my gun at the varmint’.
I’se: I was, I is or I am.
Jes’: just
Jillion: Not a number, it means too many to count.
Kin: can, also relatives.
Kinda: kind of.
Long pig: human meat.
Mañany: mañana, tomorrow.
Marching soldiers: the classic regimented clouds that pass many hours in advance of a front.
‘Member: remember.
More’n: more than.
Myse’f: myself.
Nary: not any.
Naught: none, zero
Nevah: never.
O’: of, pronounced like a short ‘a’.
Off side: the right side of a horse when facing forward.
Ol’: old.
On side: the left side of a horse when facing forward. The side people commonly mount from. If not trained to it, mounting a horse from the off side could cause a wreck.
Outfit: ranch.
Pannier: pronounced ‘panyard’. From the French, A bag or box hung on each side of a packsaddle to carry cargo.
Pemmican: a mixture of dried meat and wild berries, pounded into a powder and mixed with lard. Stays good for months or years. An old time emergency ration.
Philosophizers: philosophers.
Port: left side of any craft when facing forward, commonly boats, airplanes, spacecraft.
Possibles: food and gear, whatever a person who only goes to town once a year may possibly need to survive until the next trip into civilization.
Powah: power.
Poor, poorly: underfed, ill or out of shape.
Purt: pretty
Pronghorn: Called antelope locally in the West, but actually their own unique species, true antelope are African. A case of convergent evolution. When spooked the white fur on their butt goes erect and flashes in the sun. Very curious, they can be hunted by waving flags to attract them.
Pupus: Hawaiian for hors d’oeuvres.
Querido: dear.
Reg’lar: regular.
Remuda: the remuda consists of spare horses. All horses need days off for rest and recuperations. Extra mounts are kept around in case of injury to the working horses.
Rideabout: like a walkabout, but on horseback.
Ruint: ruined.
Sawbuck: a wooden packsaddle, for carrying cargo. The shape resembles a true sawbuck, a jig used for cutting firewood to length.
Seguro que sí: for sure, certainly.
Sho’ nuff: sure enough.
Shore: sure.
Sitiation: situation.
Skookum: excellent.
SOB: a small of the back holster. Used for concealed carry.
‘Some: short for awesome. Popular with mountain men; as in “He were ‘some b’ar killer.”
Sound: healthy, not lame.
Starboard: right side of any craft when facing forward
Steganography: a hidden message, employing methods such as invisible ink.
Swim or tread water: Move or stay still.
Ta: to.
Tawlk: talk.
Tetch(y): touch(y).
That’n: that one.
Theah: there.
Travois: an American Indian sledge. The plural is also travois.
‘Twere: It was.
Victuals: food, pronounced ‘vittles’.
We’awl: we all or we.
Wit’: with.
Withers: The hump in the spine at the base of an animal’s neck just above the shoulder blades. The standardized place used to measure the height of many four-footed species, including dogs, horses, cattle and goats.
Yassuh: yes sir.
Y’all: you all.
Y’awl(s): you all, singular and plural.
Yes’m: yes ma’am.
Yesse’f: yourself.
Yore: you’re or your.
Yowza: yes sir.
Get on that Pony & Ride!
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About the Author
Rustic western visionary Barbara Neville is a rancher, homesteader, cowgirl, artist and mother of two kick ass children. She lives at the arse end of nowhere with her horses, cattle, goats, chickens, guineas and Great Pyrenees livestock guardian dogs.
Cowgirls Rock is her third book.
Author Photo by Nancy Neville Cordell
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