OƖɗ Ɯєѕт | Sємι-Aɗναηcєɗ RσƖєρƖαу discussion

Ace-high
first class, respected.

According to Hoyle
correct, by the book.

A hog-killin' time
a real good time. "We went to the New Year's Eve dance and had us a hog-killin' time."

A lick and a promise
to do haphazardly. "She just gave it a lick and a promise."

All down but nine
missed the point, not understood. (Reference to missing all nine pins at bowling.)

Arbuckle's
slang for coffee, taken from a popular brand of the time. "I need a cup of Arbuckle's."

At sea
at a loss, not comprehending. "When it comes to understanding women, boys, I am at sea."

Back down
yield, retract.

Balled up
confused.

Bang-up
first rate. "They did a bang-up job."

Bazoo
mouth. "Shut your big bazoo."

Bear sign
cowboy term for donuts. A cook who could and would make them was highly regarded.

Beat the devil around the stump
to evade responsibility or a difficult task. "Quit beatin' the devil around the stump and ask that girl to marry you."

Beef
to kill. (From killing a cow to make beef to eat.) "Curly Bill beefed two men in San Antonio."

Bend an elbow
have a drink. "He's been known to bend an elbow with the boys."

Bender
drunk. "He's off on another bender."

Between hay and grass
neither man nor boy, half-grown.

Best bib and tucker
your best clothes. "There's a dance Saturday, so put on your best bib and tucker."

Big bug
important person, official, boss. "He's one of the railroad big bugs."

Bilk
cheat.

Blow
boast, brag. "Don't listen to him, that's just a lot of blow."

Blowhard
braggart, bully.

Blow-up
fit of anger. "He and the missus had a blow-up, but it's over, now."

Bone orchard
cemetery.

Bosh
Nonsense.

Boss
the best, top. "The Alhambra Saloon sells the boss whiskey in town."

Bulldoze
to bully, threaten, coerce.

Bully
Exceptionally good, outstanding. (Used as an exclamation.) "Bully for you!"

Bunko artist
con man.

Burg
town.

By hook or crook
to do any way possible.

Calaboose
jail.

California widow
woman separated from her husband, but not divorced. (From when pioneer men went West, leaving their wives to follow later.)

Chisel, chiseler
to cheat or swindle, a cheater.

Clean his/your plow
to get or give a thorough whippin'.

Coffee boiler
shirker, lazy person. (Would rather sit around the coffee pot than help.)

Consumption
slang for pulminary tuberculosis.

Copper a bet
betting to lose, or prepare against loss. "I'm just coppering my bets."

Come a cropper
come to ruin, fail, or fall heavily. "He had big plans to get rich, but it all come a cropper, when the railroad didn't come through."

Croaker
pessimist, doomsayer. "Don't be such an old croaker."

Crowbait
derogatory term for a poor-quality horse.

Curly wolf
real tough guy, dangerous man. "Ol' Bill is a regular curly wolf, especially when he's drinkin' whiskey."

Cut a swell
present a fine figure. "He sure is cutting a swell with the ladies."

Dicker
barter, trade.

Difficulty
euphamism for trouble, often the shootin' or otherwise violent kind. "He had to leave Texas on account of a difficulty with a gambler in San Antonio."

Directly
soon. "She'll be down, directly."

Deadbeat
bum, layabout, useless person.

Dinero
from the Spanish, a word for money.

Don't care a continental
Don't give a damn.

Down on
opposed to. "His wife is really down on drinking and cigars."

Doxology works
a church.

Dragged out
fatigued, worn out.

Dreadful
very. "Oh, her dress is dreadfully pretty."

Dry gulch
to ambush. Reference from abandoning a body where it fell.

Dude
an Easterner, or anyone in up-scale town clothes, rather than plain range-riding or work clothes.

Eucher, euchered
to out-smart someone, to be outwitted or suckered into something.

Fandango
from the Spanish, a big party with lots of dancing and excitement.

Fetch
bring, give. "Fetch me that hammer." / "He fetched him a punch in the nose."

Fight like Kilkenny cats
fight like hell.

Fine as cream gravy
very good, top notch.

Fish
a cowboy's rain slicker, from a rain gear manufacturer whose trademark was a fish logo. "We told him it looked like rain, but left his fish in the wagon anyhow."

Flannel mouth
an overly smooth or fancy talker, especially politicians or salesmen. "I swear that man is a flannel-mouthed liar."

Flush
prosperous, rich.

Fork over
pay out.

Four-flusher
a cheat, swindler, liar.

Full as a tick
very drunk.

Fuss
disturbance. "They had a little fuss at the saloon."

Game
to have courage, guts, gumption. "He's game as a banty rooster." Or, "That's a hard way to go, but he died game."

Get a wiggle on
hurry.

Get it in the neck
get cheated, misled, bamboozled.

Get my/your back up
to get angry. "Don't get your back up, he was only joking."

Get the mitten
to be rejected by a lover. "Looks like Blossom gave poor Buck the mitten."

Give in
yield.

Goner
lost, dead.

Gone up the flume
same as goner!

Gospel mill
a church.

Gospel sharp
a preacher. (Apparent opposite of a card sharp!)

Got the bulge
have the advantage. "We'll get the bulge on him, and take his gun away."

Go through the mill
gain experience. (Often the hard way.)

Grand
excellent, beautiful. "Oh, the Christmas decorations look just grand!"

Granger
a farmer.

Grass widow
divorcee.

Hang around
loiter.

Hang fire
delay.

Half seas over
drunk.

Hard case
worthless person, bad man.

Heap
a lot, many, a great deal. "He went through a heap of trouble to get her that piano."

Heeled
to be armed with a gun. "He wanted to fight me, but I told him I was not heeled."

Here's how!
a toast, such as Here's to your health.

Hobble your lip
shut up.

Hold a candle to
measure up, compare to.

Hoosegow
jail.

Hot as a whorehouse on nickel night
damned hot.

In apple pie order
in top shape.

Is that a bluff, or do you mean it for real play?
are you serious?

Jig is up
scheme/game is over, exposed.

Kick up a row
create a disturbance.

Knocked into a cocked hat
fouled up, rendered useless.

Knock galley west
beat senseless.

Let slide/ let drive/ let fly
go ahead, let go. "If you think you want trouble, then let fly."

Light (or lighting) a shuck
to get the hell out of here in a hurry. "I'm lightin' a shuck for California."

Like a thoroughbred
like a gentleman.

Lunger
slang for someone with tuberculosis.

Make a mash
make a hit, impress someone. (Usually a female.) "Buck's tryin' to make a mash on that new girl."

Mudsill
low-life, thoroughly disreputable person.

Nailed to the counter
proven a lie.

Namby-pamby
sickly, sentimental, saccharin.

Odd stick
eccentric person. "Ol' Farmer Jones sure is an odd stick."

Of the first water
first class. "He's a gentleman of the first water."

Offish
distant, reserved, aloof.

Oh-be-joyful
liquor, beer, intoxicating spirits. "Give me another snort of that oh-be-joyful."

On the shoot
looking for trouble. "Looks like he's on the shoot, tonight."

Pass the buck
evade responsibility.

Pay through the nose
to over-pay, or pay consequences.

Peter out
dwindle away.

Play to the gallery
to show off. "That's just how he is, always has to play to the gallery."

Played out
exhausted.

Plunder
personal belongings. "Pack your plunder, Joe, we're headin' for San Francisco."

Pony up
hurry up!

Powerful
very. "He's a powerful rich man."

Promiscuous
reckless, careless. "He was arrested for a promiscuous display of fire arms."

Proud
glad. "I'm proud to know you."

Pull in your horns
back off, quit looking for trouble.

Put a spoke in the wheel
to foul up or sabotage something.

Quirley
roll-your-own cigarette.

Rich
amusing, funny, improbable. "Oh, that's rich!"

Ride shank's mare
to walk or be set afoot.

Right as a trivet
right as rain, sound as a nut, stable.

Rip
reprobate. "He's a mean ol' rip."

Roostered
drunk. "Looks like those cowboys are in there gettin' all roostered up."

See the elephant
originally meant to see combat for the first time, later came to mean going to town, where all the action was.

Scoop in
trick, entice, inveigle. "He got scooped into a poker game and lost his shirt."

Scuttlebutt
rumors.


Shave tail
a green, inexperienced person.

Shin out
run away.

Shindy
uproar, confusion.

Shoddy
poor quality.

Shoot, Luke, or give up the gun
poop or get off the pot, do it or quit talking about it.

Shoot one's mouth off
talk nonsense, untruth. "He was shootin' his mouth off and Bill gave him a black eye."

Shove the queer
to pass counterfeit money.

Simon pure
the real thing, a genuine fact. "This is the Simon pure."

Skedaddle
run like hell.

Soaked
drunk.

Soft solder
flattery. "All that soft solder won't get you anywhere."

Someone to ride the river with
a person to be counted on; reliable; got it where it counts.

Sound on the goose
true, staunch, reliable.

Stand the gaff
take punishment in good spirit. "He can really stand the gaff."

Stop
stay. "We stopped at the hotel last night."

Stumped
confused.

Superintend
oversee, supervise. "He just likes to superintend everything."

Take on
grieve. "Don't take on so."

Take French leave
to desert, sneak off without permission.

Take the rag off
surpass, beat all. "Well, if that don't take the rag off the bush."

The Old States
back East.

The whole kit and caboodle
the entire thing.

Throw up the sponge
quit, give up, surrender.

Tie to
rely on. "He's a man you can tie to."

To beat the Dutch
to beat the band. "It was rainin' to beat the Dutch."

To the manner born
a natural. "He's a horseman to the manner born."

Twig
understand.

Up the spout
gone to waste/ruin.

Wake up/Woke up the wrong passenger
to trouble or anger the wrong person.

Who-hit-John
Liquor, beer, intoxicating spirits. "He had a little too much who-hit-John."

Wind up
settle. "Let's wind up this business and go home."