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Murder at the Deadwood Saloon
Words From The Wild West A
To Help you out on your trip to Deadwood
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.”
B 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.” 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. ©2005 Night of Mystery Inc. - www.nightofmystery.com
Murder at the Deadwood Saloon
C 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 loose, or being prepared 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.”
D 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.
e Eucher, euchered ~ to out-smart someone, to be outwitted or suckered into something.
©2005 Night of Mystery Inc. - www.nightofmystery.com
Murder at the Deadwood Saloon
f 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 flannelmouthed 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.”
g 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.
h Hang around ~ loiter. Hang fire ~ delay. Half seas over ~ drunk. ©2005 Night of Mystery Inc. - www.nightofmystery.com
Murder at the Deadwood Saloon 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.
i In apple pie order ~ in top shape. Is that a bluff, or do you mean it for real play? ~ Are you serious?
j Jig is up ~ scheme/game is over, exposed.
K Kick up a row ~ create a disturbance. Knocked into a cocked hat ~ fouled up, rendered useless. Knock galley west ~ beat senseless.
l 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.
m 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.
n Nailed to the counter ~ proven a lie. Namby-pamby ~ sickly, sentimental, saccharin.
©2005 Night of Mystery Inc. - www.nightofmystery.com
Murder at the Deadwood Saloon
o 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.”
p 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.” Pull in your horns ~ back off, quit looking for trouble. Put a spoke in the wheel ~ to foul up or sabotage something.
q Quirley ~ roll-your-own cigarette.
r 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.”
S 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.
©2005 Night of Mystery Inc. - www.nightofmystery.com
Murder at the Deadwood Saloon 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.”
t 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.
u Up the spout ~ gone to waste/ruin.
W 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.”
©2005 Night of Mystery Inc. - www.nightofmystery.com