The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1927-09-23

big rsvel,' or He don't know dung from
wild honey
although a COW is one of the most
stupid of animals, when a cowboy says
that a man has good COW sense he
means tc pay him a high compliment.
When Ell means a thing is easy, he says
It's just as easy as quitting a slut; OF
washing his face, bathing out your
countenance' or washing h profile;
Of bathing, washing out your canyon;
Of vomiting, airing the paunch'; an eye
baller' is a person who pokes himself
into other peoples business; going
CALM, sitting the bag 'sittin' her;
cutting a rusty means doing your best;
moving fast is 'faggin',' leffin' here or
sailing away dragging his navel in
the sand;' going like the heel flies are
after him
A very small town is a wide place
in the road. A 'two-gun man is a man
who uses a gun in each hand, often at
the same time. A man quick to retort
is said to have a good comeback Tell
ing a windy means telling a boasttul
story; a 'goosy' man is a man physically
nervous. When a man plays the deuce
spot in a card game, he is said to be
laying down his character To fork
a horse IS to ride him; when a man is
without information on a subject, he
tells you he amt got any medicine
'~anti-godlin'' mean going diagonally or
in a roundabout a The 'roustabout'
is a man of all work about a camp.
Sweating a game means doing moth
ing but sitting around looking at a
card game. Tie your hats to the saddle
and let's ride means to go on a long
hurry-up roundup.
Chewing Water to Swallow 1t
1.-THE boss house is referred to as the
white house When a fellow makes a
night Of it, he is said to have stayed
out with the dry CATTLE When a delicate
situation arises there is said to be hair
in the butter The water on the plains
is sometimes so muddy that a cowboy
saws he has to chew it before he can
swallow it. When he has gained a little
more experience on a proposition, he says
he has taken a little more hair off the
dog When there is room for doubt
about his knowledge he is said to know
as much about it as a hog does about
a side saddle
"A man who is good at roping is said
to sling the catgut we'll Damp, freez-
ing weather is characterized as cold as
a we'll digger in Montana Riding or
a freight train in place Of paying regu'
lar fare on a passenger train is said tC
be saving money for the bartender.
Ordinary stealing is camping 'Plumt
locoed' is quite crazy. A very blacl
negro is characterized as a headlight tx
l a snowstorm.'
Living in isolated groups, visiting
= but little except among these groups
rarely going to town, shy and timid a
2 a result of long days Of solitude, tn
= cowboy develops his own form Of speech
cowboy words, phrases and custom
] therefore easily becomes communit,
8 property-his language a dialect of hi
own.
I "I cannot refrain from giving yo1
0 one or two cowboy graces repeated in
a discriminatory either before or durin
q a meal, and I shall finally end wit
q some Of his most characteristic dane
calls. The rhyme dance calls are sup
d Elementary to his spoken directions t
: the dancers, and d almost as muc
interest and loneliness of the dance q
does the music. Here are two cowbo
= graces:
d Eat the meat and leave h skin;
Turn up your plate and let's begin"
d Yes, Well come to the table