Overview

The cowboy - that enigmatic, larger-than-life icon of our culture -has long been considered a figure of fast hands, steel nerves, and few words.But according to Ramon Adams, cowboys, once among themselves, enjoyed a vivid, often boisterous repartee.You might say that around a campfire they could make more noise than 'a jackass in a tin barn.' Here in one volume is a complete guide to cowboy-speak.Like many of today's foreign language guides, this handy book is organized not alphabetically but situationally, lest you find yourself in Texas at a loss for words.There are sections on the ranch, the cowboy's duties, riding equipment, the roundup, roping, branding, even square dancing.There are words and phrases you'll recognize because they've filtered into everyday language - 'blue lightnin',' 'star gazin',' 'the whole shebang' - plus countless others that, sadly, are seldom heard in current speech: 'lonely as a preacher on pay night,' 'restless as a hen on a hot griddle,' 'crooked as a snake in a cactus patch.' As entertaining as it is authoritative, COWBOY LINGO captures the living speech of the Great Plains and serves as a window into the soul of the American West.

Full Product Details

9780618083497

Table of Contents

Reviews

An encyclopedia of cowboy data, in the form of a dictionary of cowboy slang. Conveniently arranged so that the exact term can be found which the cowboy used in his work-a-day language, under such headings as, - The Ranch, The Cowboy and His Duties, His Costume and Furnishings, His Riding Equipment, Ropes and Roping, Cattle, and so on. Sources are traced - definitions carefully substantiated. A reference work primarily, but such entertaining reading that anyone with an interest in words would enjoy it. Market - writers, students of Western history, anyone interested in cowboys, young or old. The work must have taken years of research plus a thorough working knowledge of the subject, as indicated by his commentary on nature, work, ideals, appearance of the cow-puncher, which makes the book more than a mere reference book. (Kirkus Reviews)

Author Information

Ramon F. Adams (1889-1976) was an American cowboy, a musician, a folklorist, and the author of numerous books on western Americana.

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