I don’t normally appreciate the vast collection of books and magazines my husband stores in the powder room (commonly referred to in our house as “the library”). But every once in a while I stumble across something of note while decluttering the stacks.
Here’s a gem I discovered recently. I have books on Old West slang and have several websites bookmarked devoted to the topic, but finding these in an old Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader was a surprise; many of these were new to me. Hope you find a smile or two among them, I know I did!
He's crooked enough to sleep on a corkscrew (dishonest)
Raised on prunes and proverbs (a religious person)
Coffee varnish (whiskey)
Fat as a well-fed needle (poor)
Deceitful beans (meaning they'll talk behind your back,or give you gas)
Got a pill in his stomach that he can't digest (shot dead)
Like a turkey gobbler in a hen pen (proud)
Like a breedin' jackass in a tin barn (noisy)
Fryin' size but plumb salty (an old person)
Quicker'n you can spit and holler howdy (fast)
Studyin' to be a half wit (stupid)
Built like a snake on stilts (tall)
Right on melody but strong on noise (a bad singer)
Weasel smart (crafty)
Scarce as bird dung in a cuckoo clock (hard to find)
Dry as the dust in a mummy's pocket (very dry)
In the lead when tongues was handed out (talks too much)
If he closed one eye, he'd look like a needle (very skinny)
Lives in a house so small he can't cuss his cat without gettin' fur in his mouth (a tightwad)
Died of throat trouble (hung)
Happy Trails!
Nic
www.nicolemccaffrey.com
Showing posts with label western slang. Show all posts
Showing posts with label western slang. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Western Words
by Anna Kathryn Lanier
This past month has been really rough for me. On Feb. 16th, my mother went into the hospital and spent the next 2 weeks in ICU, 12 of those days on a ventilator. Though still in the hospital at this time, she is, I’m happy to say, making a slow, but what looks to be a full recovery. I appreciate the many prayers and good thoughts uplifted in her name that I know my fellow Sweethearts of the West sent her way.
Because I’ve spent most of the last month at the hospital, I’ve not been able to do much in the way of writing or research. So, I’m going to fall back onto one of my tried and true blog posting – a vocabulary test. No, not for me….for you.
The words and their definitions are from WESTERN WORDS: A DICTIONARY OF THE OLD WEST by Ramon F. Adams.
Just match the words to what you think are their correct definitions. Leave a comment with your ‘test’ answers in the comment section. On Wednesday, I’ll draw a winner from those commented for a “Ride ‘em Cowboy” wall plaque. Ex. 20-Y, 21-X, 22-Z.
1. Knobhead
2. Sea Plum
3. Desert Canary
4. Maleta
5. Snuffy
6. Music Roots
7. Hairpin
8. Rope Meat
9. Dewey
10. Anti-godlin
A. An oyster
B. Mount a horse
C. Burro
D. Six-shooter
E. Sweet potatoes
F. Spirited
G. Victim of a hanging
H. Mule
I. Bag made of rawhide
J. Going diagonally or in a round-about way
This past month has been really rough for me. On Feb. 16th, my mother went into the hospital and spent the next 2 weeks in ICU, 12 of those days on a ventilator. Though still in the hospital at this time, she is, I’m happy to say, making a slow, but what looks to be a full recovery. I appreciate the many prayers and good thoughts uplifted in her name that I know my fellow Sweethearts of the West sent her way.
Because I’ve spent most of the last month at the hospital, I’ve not been able to do much in the way of writing or research. So, I’m going to fall back onto one of my tried and true blog posting – a vocabulary test. No, not for me….for you.
The words and their definitions are from WESTERN WORDS: A DICTIONARY OF THE OLD WEST by Ramon F. Adams.
Just match the words to what you think are their correct definitions. Leave a comment with your ‘test’ answers in the comment section. On Wednesday, I’ll draw a winner from those commented for a “Ride ‘em Cowboy” wall plaque. Ex. 20-Y, 21-X, 22-Z.
1. Knobhead
2. Sea Plum
3. Desert Canary
4. Maleta
5. Snuffy
6. Music Roots
7. Hairpin
8. Rope Meat
9. Dewey
10. Anti-godlin
A. An oyster
B. Mount a horse
C. Burro
D. Six-shooter
E. Sweet potatoes
F. Spirited
G. Victim of a hanging
H. Mule
I. Bag made of rawhide
J. Going diagonally or in a round-about way
Anna Kathryn Lanier
"A story full of emotions... hurt, loss, and betrayal, turning it into a story of love, family, and happiness. A seasonal read, A Gift Beyond All Measure delivers on it's title." ~Talina; Night Owl Reviews
http://www.aklanier.com/
http://www.annaktharynlanier.blogspot.com/
"A story full of emotions... hurt, loss, and betrayal, turning it into a story of love, family, and happiness. A seasonal read, A Gift Beyond All Measure delivers on it's title." ~Talina; Night Owl Reviews
http://www.aklanier.com/
http://www.annaktharynlanier.blogspot.com/
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