What Coould Be A Nightmare for Oprah Winfrey #characterinterviews

On the set of Oprah: Stage is set with couches enough to seat the heroines from author, Ginger Simpson’s historical novels.

Oprah takes the stage: The applause sign is lit. She raises her hands for silence.
“Thank you, thank you, and welcome to our show. Today we’re lucky to have the lovely heroines straight from the pages of author, Ginger Simpson’s, western historicals.”

More applause: “So let’s bring them out in the order that Ginger introduced them to us: Cecile from Destiny’s Bride, Mariah and Taylor from Time Tantrums, Grace from Dancing Fawn and Sarah from Sarah’s Heart and  Passion. We had planned to have Ellie Fountain join us from Ellie’s Legacy, but she was unable to be here because of a contest of some sort she has going on between her and her father’s foreman.”

The ladies take the stage, three dressed in their long cotton dresses of various prints and one in a smartly fashioned pant suit. The contrast between the hair colors may be a prediction of the differences of opinions about to be shared.

Guests are seated.

Oprah: “Welcome, ladies. I’m so glad you could all find time to join us today. I know there’s been a lot of chatter about which book is the best, so I couldn’t think of any better way than to let the heroines help us decide. Cecile, let’s start with you. Ginger featured you in her debut novel which has now been re-released. What can tell us about it and why might someone favor it over another?

Cecile: I’m certain Destiny’s Bride is her favorite because it launched her into the writing world. Why else would she have given me two lovers? I had the best of both worlds, Indian and white.

Taylor: “Wait a minute. That doesn’t make you her favorite. Mariah and I changed eras and inherited each other’s husbands. Seems that we each had two men in our life, too worlds, actually. Nice try, though.”

Mariah: “Of course, I remained faithful to my husband.” She casts a leering look at Taylor.

Taylor: “Oh, get over Mariah. If you weren’t such an old-fashioned prude you would have enjoyed being in the twentieth century.” *Rolls her eyes*

Grace: “Ms. Winfry, I apologize for the rude behavior. There’s no doubt that Destiny’s Bride and Time Tantrums were wonderful reads, but my role in Dancing Fawn was much more daring. I was captured by the Indians, saved by the cavalry, and then discovered I was expecting a baby. I’d love to tell you more, but that would be giving away the ending.”

Oprah: “Goodness, that sounds frightening. What was it like to live with the Indians back in the 1800s?”

Cecile: “She really didn't have a clue.. She just starred in the sequel to Destiny’s Bride and since I was already at the Lakota Village, I taught her everything she knows about Indian life.”

Grace: “Not everything.” *frowns*

Cecile: “Sorry, Grace. You were very young and naïve. You wouldn’t have lasted three chapters without my help.

Grace: “Well, I never.” *huffs*

Taylor: “Well, evidently you did. You said you got pregnant.”

Mariah: “Taylor, must you always be so crass?”

Oprah: “Ladies, ladies. We haven’t heard anything from Sarah yet. Sarah, won’t you tell us a little about your story?

Sarah: “Thank you for asking. I refuse to act like these other women. I have a reputation to uphold.”

Taylor: *makes a face* “You’ve got to be kidding. Standards? Go ahead; tell Ms. Winfry how you traveled across country with a half-breed. Shared his blankets, I suppose.”

Sarah: “How dare you. I did no such thing. My story is about a woman's struggles and the unfairness of the time.”

Taylor: “Bet you wanted too, didn’t ya?”  Taylor wrinkles her nose and winks.

Sarah: “That’s none of your business. Just because you have loose morals, that doesn’t mean the rest of us do.”

Mariah:  *Whips her gaze around to her right* “See, Taylor. I told you your mouth would get you into trouble. Didn’t I beg you to behave? David was right when he said his wife was a pain at times.”

Taylor: “Well, you should have heard what your husband said about you…especially in the bedroom.”

Cecile: “Really, you two shouldn’t even be here. Isn’t Time Tantrums a time-travel?”

Taylor: “Yes, but with an historical twist, so we’re just as welcome here as you are.”

Grace: “Well, if you were invited, I don’t see why Cassie from Embezzled Love and Carrie from First Degree Innocence weren’t."

Mariah: “Oh come now, Grace. Those two novels have nothing to do with the historical genre.”

Taylor: “Holy shit, you and I finally agree on something, Mariah.”

Mariah: “Must you always talk like a drunken sailor?”

Taylor: “What do you know about drunken sailors? If you’d said that in the book, the editors would have red-penned it. You know how picky they are about keeping your language and facts pertinent to the era.

Mariah: “You’re right. So, must you always talk like a trailhand? Is that better?”

Taylor: “Fu—”


Oprah: *Waving hands* Well, that about takes up our time for today. Before we cut to commercial, I’d just like to thank you all for taking time to visit with us  If these ladies ever want to share their experiences again,I'd welcome them one at a time, otherwise, I think they truly belong on Jerry Springer's show.. To Ellie, if you’re watching, I’ve heard that Tyler Bishop is quite a handsome hunk and that you really give him a run for his money. Hope you can visit with us sometime. Again, Ladies, thank you, and maybe next time we can find out more about your stories and less about your personalities. *smiles*

Cut

USING FACTS AND FICTION TO CREATE A WESTERN NOVEL

My husband and I don’t subscribe to the Hallmark Channel and are just now watching (via Netflix) the great series based on Janet Oke’s writing, “When Calls The Heart”, set in a Canadian West coal town called Coal Valley. I wish I had seen this series before I wrote my own western romance of coal mining, O’NEILL’S TEXAS BRIDE, McClintocks book two. My book doesn’t include a Mountie, of course. Mine features a ranch hand hero, Finn O’Neill, who goes undercover in a lignite coal mine to earn money to buy his own ranch.

On second thought, perhaps I’m better off using research and my imagination to create my own version of a coal town operated by a less than ethical man. The town in my story is not nearly as neat and pretty as the one in Janet Oke’s stories. The miners get just as dirty, though. And the miner's homes were as basic as in the television series.

My idea of Lignite, only I added more grime
(photo purchased from iStock)

I confess that research into coal mining in 1885 Central Texas was difficult. I found plenty of information on early coal mining from BCE to today—but not much on the specific time period I needed. What I did discover was fascinating in some areas, not so much in others, and downright scary in places.

I found the perfect place for my story, the town of Coal, Texas southwest of San Antonio and near the town of Lytle. In my story, the town is called Lignite after the type of coal mined there. Also in my story, someone is causing deadly “accidents” at the mine and the owner wants to determine who is guilty. For this, he hires my hero, Finn O’Neill.

The beauty of changing the name of the town in fiction is that the town has whatever buildings I choose and/or need for the story. Instead of Lytle, in my book the next town is Spencer for the same reason. That’s one of the fun things about writing historical fiction. The author gets to build the setting and only has to be true to the period in customs and dress. I love making up my stories and their settings and I hope readers enjoy them.

The actual town of Coal was on the Missouri Pacific line in southeastern Medina County. Coal mines, worked by as many as 500 people at a time, precipitated the growth of mining camps in the 1880s. In 1881 the International-Great Northern Railroad built a rail line from Austin to Laredo that passed through Lytle southwest of San Antonio.

The community of Coal developed on this line a mile southwest of Lytle and just north of the mining camps. The high-grade lignite produced at the mines was sold to the railroads until the advent of oil-burning locomotives. In 1888 Coal Mine consisted of a store, a bandstand, a main plaza, a dance hall, a Catholic church, and at least two schools. Hmmm, in my story, Lignite has a store, both a Catholic and a Protestant church, a saloon, two dormitories called longhouses for single men, an infirmary with a nurse on duty, and one two-room school where heroine Stella Grace Clayton and her sister Nettie Sue Clayton teach. I included a lot of mystery in this book, but O’NEILL’S TEXAS BRIDE is a romance between Finn O’Neill and Stella Clayton.

Photo model for Stella Grace Clayton
(photo purchased from iStock)

Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is a soft brown combustible sedimentary rock that is formed from naturally compressed peat. It is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its relatively low heat content. It is used almost exclusively as a fuel for steam-electric power generation. In China, lignite is also mined for its germanium content.

I learned a couple of interesting things in my research. (1) Dark black lignite, or jet, is where the term 'jet black' originates. (2) Now the term has more scientific and precise basis, but the actual term “horse power” began as the amount of effort it took one horse to lift one container of coal up from the mine shaft to the ground. (3) Another thing I learned is that I never, ever want to work in a coal mine. I get claustrophobic in elevators.  

O’NEILL’S TEXAS BRIDE, McClintocks book two, is available at these links:

Amazon    Apple/iTunes    Nook    Kobo    GooglePlay

Amazon bestselling and award winning author Caroline Clemmons writes western historical and contemporary romances. Her latest release is O’NEILL’S TEXAS BRIDE, McClintocks book two. Other series include the Kincaids and Stone Mountain Texas. You can keep up with Caroline’s releases by signing up for her newsletter. Her books are listed on her website at www.carolineclemmons.com and on her Amazon Author Page.   

Welcome Becky Lower to Cowboy Kisses #guestblogger@cowboykisses

I’m so pleased to be on Cowboy Kisses today. Although I’ve been writing American historicals for several years, they’ve mostly been set in New York in the 1850s. My seventh book in the Cotillion Ball Series, Expressly Yours, Samantha, takes place in Missouri and Kansas as the Pony Express was coming into existence. So, for the first time, I have a horse on the cover of my book, and can actually classify it as a western romance.

I learned an awful lot about the Pony Express while researching the book. 

Most people don’t realize that one of the most heralded chapters in American history was only in existence for eighteen months. It opened to business in April, 1860 and was surpassed by the telegraph in October, 1861, when the Pony Express folded.

American ingenuity was responsible for the Pony Express coming into existence in the first place. The US government wanted a northern route for correspondence to flow between the nation’s capital and California, in the event of a war between the North and the South. The government wanted to put wealthy California into the Union column.

Pony Express Relay Station Preserved

William Russell was the mastermind of the Pony Express. In a matter of sixty-seven short days, he cobbled together a route running through Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and California, consisting of seven different divisions. Each division employed a host of small, scrappy men with nerves of steel who knew the countryside they were riding through. Their shift was roughly eighty miles at a full gallop, changing horses at strategically-placed relay stations set along the route at approximately ten-mile increments, the length of endurance for a horse. While I was doing my research trip, I took a picture of one of the relay stations, which is still standing today.

After a long day or night in the saddle, the rider would reach a home station where a new rider would take the mochila, a locked pouch filled with government documents and other mail and continue on the journey. Most of the horses used were wild mustangs, as tough as the territory they’d be crossing.

Smith Hotel

The Pony Express trail followed the same path that the wagon trains had been carving out for years, starting in St. Joseph, MO. The Patee House was the headquarters for the Pony Express, and today it is still in existence. It’s on the Historic Registry and houses a museum about the Pony Express. The first home station after Patee House was the Smith Hotel in Seneca, KS.

Because the trail was so well used, it was relatively easy for the riders to follow by day or night. Of course, there were herds of bison to block the way, or Indian war parties, so the Express riders had to be vigilant. The important thing was to get the mail through in ten days or less from coast to coast.

Telegraph lines were being set up along this same route as well, and once there was a more efficient method to keep California in touch with the East Coast, the Pony Express became a romantic memory in American lore.

BLURB:

Samantha Hughes needs to get away from her wicked uncle, and, following 
her aunt’s death, she has one day to escape. A sign in the post office 
offers an avenue out. She can cut her hair, pose as a man, and become 
Sam Hughes, a Pony Express rider.

Valerian Fitzpatrick has defied his parents and stayed in St. Louis for 
the past year. He doesn't want the weight of responsibility his brothers 
have in the family business. All he wants to do is ride horses, and, 
fortunately, the Pony Express is starting up and looking for wiry young 
fellows.

When Sam Hughes helps Valerian control a runaway horse, Joseph, 
Valerian’s brother-in-law, tells him their meeting was destiny. Over the 
weeks and months that follow, Sam and Val work side by side on the 
exciting Pony Express. Val assumes Sam is on the run from the law, and 
helps shield his buddy from the Pinkerton agents. He thinks this must be 
the destiny Joseph talked about. Although Samantha harbors feelings for 
Val, he has no idea she’s a woman. Until she suffers a stray gunshot 
wound and he has to undress her to staunch the wound.

Friendship turns into attraction and maybe even love. When her uncle 
tracks her down, she is forced to run yet again. She realizes the danger 
she’s put Valerian into, having him try to shield her from her uncle, 
and leaves him behind with a note to not track her down. Will he be able 
to find her, or is he relieved to not have any responsibility again? 

 AUTHOR BIO:

Amazon best-selling author Becky Lower has traveled the country looking 
for great settings for her novels. She loves to write about two people 
finding each other and falling in love, amid the backdrop of a great 
setting, be it on a covered wagon headed west or in present day small 
town America. Historical and contemporary romances are her specialty. 
Becky is a PAN member of RWA and is a member of the Historic and 
Contemporary RWA chapters. She has a degree in English and Journalism 
from Bowling Green State University, and lives in an eclectic college 
town in Ohio with her puppy-mill rescue dog, Mary. She loves to hear 
from her readers at beckylowerauthor@gmail.com. Visit her website at 
www.beckylowerauthor.com

The Spirit of Christmas

The Spirit of Christmas 

by Christina Cole

Christmas is always a special time, both in my own life and in the lives of the characters I create. The holiday season plays a role in my newest western historical romance, due out from Secret Cravings Publishing in January, so it was important for me to do a little research to learn how Christmas was celebrated in the past.

I found that by the mid-1800s, Christmas traditions in America were very similar to those we know today. They included brightly-decorated trees, the exchange of cards and gifts, caroling, lots of festive foods, visits from Santa Claus, stockings hung by the fireplace, and many religious celebrations.

Of course, farther west, in rural areas and sparsely-populated villages, celebrations were sometimes quite humble. Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote of  receiving precious gifts: a tin cup, a shiny new penny, a heart-shaped cake, and a peppermint candy. In the west, many gifts were homemade, and wintry weather often interfered with holiday plans, but despite the hardships of life on the prairie on in rough, unsettled territories, the spirit of Christmas lived on. 

Several years ago, my family and I visited the National Frontier Trails Museum in Independence, Missouri for their annual Christmas celebration. In addition to visiting with and hearing stories from Laura Ingalls Wilder (through the talents of a gifted re-enactor) , we toured the old railroad depot. This brought back a wealth of memories for me. Many of you know I lived with my grandfather while growing up. He was a railroad telegrapher, and touring this depot was like stepping back into my childhood.

Upstairs, where the agent and his family lived, the table was set for a festive Christmas meal.

In the old west, tables probably weren't this ornately set, but I cherish this image. To me, it somehow exemplifies the beauty of the holiday season and the importance of home and family. I had this vision in mind as I wrote about Emily Sue Phillips on Christmas Eve.

As a little gift to readers, I'm now sharing two short Christmas excerpts from the story, He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not.  I hope you enjoy them.

In this excerpt, Emily Sue reflects upon Christmas, childhood, home and family. 

Each year on Christmas Eve, the Phillips family gathered in the parlor at sunset for a festive celebration. Emily loved Christmas. When she’d been a child, the holiday always meant gaily-wrapped presents beneath the tree, Mama’s holiday cakes and pies, sweet cinnamon candies and peppermints, and fresh oranges tucked inside stockings hung on the fireplace mantel. Once upon a time, she’d actually believed in Santa Claus. In fact, she’d believed in the jolly, bewhiskered fellow for a good many years. She wished now she could go back to those childhood days, those simpler times when she could make wishes and, as often as not, they came true. Of course, she knew now that it was Pa, not Father Christmas, St. Nicholas, or any other legendary figure who brought the gifts she cherished.
     Earlier that morning, Kat's husband had cut down a lovely spruce tree and brought it to the house. Emily and Mama had worked together for most of the afternoon, adding ornaments, bows, tinsel, and tapers, but then Mama had been called away. The Sherwood family was about to get a brand new baby for Christmas. Soon after she left, a heavy snow began to fall. Mama would not be able to make it home until the weather cleared.

Alone now, Emily lit the candles one by one, reflecting on how many things had changed over the years. Kat now celebrated Christmas Eve in her own home with her husband and children. Mama did very little holiday cooking and baking these days since she was usually too busy attending to her midwifery or caring for Pa. His days were numbered; he wouldn't be with them forever. Each year when Christmas came around, Emily wondered if this might be their last together. The thought brought a tear to her eye. For all his faults -- and her father had many -- she loved him dearly.

With the candles glowing brightly, she stepped back to gaze upon the magnificent sight. The sweet scent of pine filled the air, mingling with the aroma of hot spiced cider and frothy cocoa. For a moment, her spirits lifted. Christmas possessed a special magic.

In this excerpt, Emily Sue receives a visit from Benjamin, the young man she loves. They've been through some difficult times in their relationship in recent weeks.He has brought a gift wrapped in butcher's paper and tied with a coarse jute string. 

"Why are you here? Why are you doing this?"

"It's Christmas. I'm giving you a gift. That's what Christmas is all about."

"Not really, but I won't quibble over theology. My point," she said, her voice growing cooler with each word, "is that you've made it clear you don't want anything to do with me. Of course, then you do an about-face and tell me how much I mean to you, but in the next breath, you're sending me away again. You've got me so confused, I don't know what to think."

"I'm sorry. I know I've put you through a lot over the last few weeks."

"And this is supposed to make up for it?" She took the gift he held out. Its szie and shape alone, plus its weight in her hand, clearly made known its contents. She turned toward the tall spruce with its glittering tapers and shimmering tinsel and slipped the crudely-wrapped present beneath the fragrant pine branches. Next to the other gifts, Ben's contribution looked woefully out of place.

"You're not going to open it?"

"I can't. It's not Christmas yet," she explained. "My father won't allow us to open even a single gift until Christmas morning."

"Are you sure you can't make an exception?"

"Sorry, Ben. No exceptions."

A crestfallen expression showed on his face. "I hoped to be here when you unwrapped it. I wanted to know if you liked it."

"I'm sure I will," she said in quiet voice. She would cherish anything Ben gave her.

But her reply did not appease him. He huffed out a short breath. "How can you say that? You don't even know what it is."

Emily rolled her eyes. "It's a book, Ben. It's not like it's any great mystery." Lifting the present again, she hefted it up. "I appreciate it, all right?" For the life of her she couldn't understand why she was acting like such a spoiled brat. Too many emotions were vying for control.

“I swear, you’re impossible.” Ben nodded toward the tree as she placed the present beneath it once more. “Fine,” he said. “There’s your gift. Yes, it’s a book. A book of poetry, to be precise. It’s nothing terribly fancy. I got it from old Asa Taylor at the mercantile. I hope you enjoy it.” He turned and walked away. “Merry Christmas,” he added in a gruff voice.

     Although Christmas may not be so merry for Emily Sue Phillips and Benjamin Brooks, I sincerely hope your holiday is filled with warm wishes, true love, and the joy of family and friends. It is a special time of year. Enjoy! 

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not 

Coming in January 2015

Secret Cravings Publishing

For more information, visit Chistina Cole's Love Notes on Facebook.

Cowboy Speak: Slang and Jargon

I’m a huge collector of all types of slang and jargon but as a historical writer I’m partial to cowboy slang and jargon. There’s a difference between the two. And since the list at the end of this blog is mainly slang, I’d like to explain that difference.

Slang is an informal term not found in an ordinary dictionary, coinages and words changed often times for factious figures of speech.

Jargon is a group of terms exclusive to certain kind of technical terminology. An example might be the technical terms that computer geeks use. Those terms may not be in an ordinary dictionary but every computer geek knows what they mean. Jargon might also be terms or the names that are applied to equipment used in a particular profession.  

It is not always wrong to use slang and jargon interchangeably. Sometimes slang is used so much that it earns a definition/place within a set of technical terminology.   

When writing about the Old West, cowboy speak adds atmosphere and realism to the story.  

As writers we use descriptions to set a scene and build an atmosphere that will pull the reader into our characters’ reality. Dialogue or the way our characters speak serves as another form of description. The way someone talks says a lot about where he’s from, his profession, his education and social hierarchy.  

So it’s important to incorporate appropriate dialogue in our Old West stories. The hero’s twang, his slang and jargon should shout, COWBOY!

One note of caution here: Never overdue dialect and slang or your characters come off too slapstick matinee.  Also be careful dialects; too much is distracting. Use just enough to flavor the story. Also, never trust old west movies as a reference for slang and jargon of the 1800s. Sometimes movies use phrases and terms that either didn’t exist at the time or were not yet in common usage. Generally speaking, once a word came into use, it took ten years before it was accepted as “common” usage.

Cowboy Curses: Yes, cowboys did use the F word but in my research I’ve learned that most of their curses took the form of religious blasphemy (hell, dam etc) rather than that of a sexual nature like the F word. Cowboys often competed in cursing contests around campfires but their curses were more outrageous and funny than they were dirty.

Examples: My own Aunt Mary! My dead Sister’s doll! Little Willy’s goat! Well, I’ll be a . . . (something funny)

I’ve compiled a long slang/jargon list with terms from many sources who borrowed from many other sources so there’s no real way for me to give credit where it’s due. However, I have listed some reference links below and I’m certain most of the phrases and terms can be found in them.  

To save my sanity and yours, I’ve corralled mostly slang terms for this list. A (J) after the word means it crosses over into jargon. Most terms and phrases are defined; the rest are obvious. Forgive the curse words, I’m just relating the info.

A hog-killin’ time – a real good time

Ace-high – first class, respected

An invite to a dance – could mean shooting at a man’s feet to make him dance

As different as whiskey and tea

Bad plum – bullet

Bellerin’ like a . . . – yelling, howling, complain loudly

Bellyaching- complaining (still used today)

Belly-up – dead, died; also belly up to the bar (stand up at the bar and drink)

Biddy – hen but often used to refer to a nagging or irritating female

Big bug – the boss, an important person

Blue whistler – a bullet

Bobtail her and fill her with meat – Cut the small talk and get to the point

Bold face – whiskey or alcohol

Book learnin’

Boot-licker- brown noser

By jingo, you’re right

Cached up – hiding

Cain’t shoot center – can’t shoot straight

Calico – a female, a type of print material used in the west for women’s everyday dresses

Caterwauling – usually terrible singing, or complaining

Chawed – chewed

Clean his/your plow – to get or give a thorough wippin’

Clipped his horns – took him down a notch or two; referring to a fight or a braggert

Con sarn it – soft replacement for g ** damn it, might be considered dialect

Cookie – camp cook (J)

Coons age – long time

Corncracker – derogatory for farmer

Cotton to- take a liking to

Crowbait –derogatory term for a poor-quality horse

Cultus – despicable, worthless, stupid

Dad-blame it – G** damn it

Dang! – Damn

Dicker – barter, trade

Dipping – chewing snuff

Dug for his cannon – reached for his gun

Fandango – from Spanish, used for a big party with lots of dancing

Fit to be tied – angry

Fixen – intending

Fly at it – cook says this when his food is ready (have seen it used to mean fight!)

Full as a tick – drunk or over eating

Get a wiggle on – hurry

Go to blazes – go to hell

Gol-Darn – softer version of obvious blasphemy

Goner – lost, dead

Gray backs – lice (J)

Hang fire – delay, lets hang fire before we make up our minds

Hang it all – who cares

Hanker or hankering – strong wish or want

Haulloa stranger – yelled when approaching a strange camp to avoid getting shot

Hazing a tenderfoot – giving a city man a hard time

Heeled – armed with a gun (used more by city slickers)

Hellbenders – drunken sprees

Hell fire – exclamation of irritation, a curse

Hesh up – hush up

Highflautin’ – fancy, stuck up, snooty

Hill of beans – of trifling value, ain’t worth a hill of beans

His look would pucker  a hog’s butt

Hoppin’ mad

Horse feathers – exclamation meaning ridiculous or lack of belief

Howdy pard!

I can set with that – I can agree with that, I can handle that

I reckon – I suppose, I believe

Ifin’ – if

Infernal – awful (meaning from hell) Infernal weather, infernal man

Jamboree – any kind of party or celebration

Jawin’ me ta death – talking too much

Lambasted – to hit or slug

Lead plum – bullet

Leaky mouths – talks too much, gossip

Lickspittle – insult, a very low person, dishonest, no good

Light a shuck – to get the heck out of here, lets light a shuck

Light and set a while – climb off horse and stay a while

Loco son-of-a-bitch - crazy

Lowdown, dirty sneaking polecats

Mean as catmeat

Meat and tata

Montana feathers – hay used to stuff mattresses on early ranches

Montgomery Ward Woman – a very ugly woman

Moppin’ his plate – licking it clean, eating everything

Nary – never

One horse town

Ornery as a mama bear with a sore teat

Packing – armed

Planted him ‘neath the daisies

Plumb – meaning completely or totally. ( plumb tuckered out, plumb loco)

Prairie coal – dried cow manure, used to build fires (J)

Pretty as a little red heifer

Pshaw, ‘taint no trouble ‘tall – heck it wasn’t any trouble

Purely purdy – purely pretty

Raise hob – raise hell as in going to town to raise hell

Randy - wanton

Red skins got his har – Indians scalped him; dialect

Rode slick – said of a top rider who eschews all devices to help keep him in saddle

Sad as a tick-fevered pup

Sam hill – what the Sam hill? or what the devil?

Scalawags – thieves, con men, bad men

She stock – generic for female cattle regardless of age (J)

She’s aimin’ to hogtie and brand him – she aims to marry him

Shooting iron, six shooter – gun, pistol

Shuck – remove guns but could mean to remove clothes

Skeerd – scared; dilect

Skin yourselves – remove your guns

Slick heels – without spurs (J)

Sorta nice, ain’t it?

Soured my milk – made me irritated

Sowbelly – bacon (J)

Stretched hemp – someone who has been hung with a rope

That don’t/won’t wash – sounds wrong, makes no sense

That shines! – swell, really great

Thunderation – non-profane curse

Time to cut and run – cut your losses and get the hell out

Tromp his britches – beat him up

Unreliable as woman’s watch – because women are always late

Useless as a bull with tits

Vamose or Vamoose – go, leave, disappear

Varmint or Varment – wild animal or a bad man

Viands – food, meals

Vittles – food

Wanna snort? – What a drink

Whoo-up whoo-up – same as Haulloa stranger but from a greater distance

Whup – whip

Will die standin’ up – brave

Wobblin’ jaw – talks to much

Yaller – yellow, coward; dialect

Yarn the hours away – tell stories

Yellow belly – coward

Yonder – over there

Younder, a piece

You can slide, mister – you can go to hell

Yourn – yours

Yup – yes

Cowboy Slang and Jargon Books

Cowboy Slang by Edgar R. “Frosty” Potter: Potter’s books also have info on horses, brands, cattle etc. [one of my all time favorites]

Cowboys Talk Right Purty by Edgar “Frosty” Potter: Similar to Cowboy Slang, it has less slang but lots of invaluable info on rustling, horses, cattle, equipment

A Dictionary of The Old West by Peter Watts: You name it, this books defines it. Contains lots of terms/jargon and definitions of equipment etc.

Dictionary of the American West by Winfred Blevins: Similar to A Dictionary of The Old West yet different and valuable on it’s own.

Wonderous Times On The Frontier by Dee Brown: If you write Old West, this book is a must. This is more of a history of adventures of real people but Brown uses the language of the times. He demonstrates just how much the cowboy loved a good joke but also tells the serious stuff. Mine is highlighted all over the place! Worth every penny.

Cowboy Slang and Jargon On Line

Western Slang and Phrases – You’ll see a few of these on my list. Be careful to check the origin date of some of the terms. Some look like they originated at the turn of the century rather than the 1800s and some are general slang terms used by everyone, not just men of the west. Still, this a good resource.

Gone To Texas

Cool Western Slang : Some of these sights borrowed from each other but I noticed each has a few of their own too.   

Cowboy Quotes and Sayings

Cowboy Way

As Roy Rodgers always said -- Happy Trails.