The Wild West was full of new opportunities, fabled stories of robbers and lawmen, and more gunslingers than you could count. What is most notably different from now, however, was the dialect. If one thing could be inferred from the way they spoke, the cowboys of America knew how to have a hog-killin’ time. Here are 15 of the best slang terms used by everyone from infamous gunslingers to deputies.
Ballyhoo: exaggeration
“That story was all ballyhoo.”
Fish or cut bait: do it or stop talking about it
“You’ve said it twice already — just fish or cut bait.”
Catawamptiously chawed up: defeated
“I’m catawamptiously chawed up after that.”
Ditty: something random, whatchamacallit
“I don’t know, it’s a ditty.”
By hook or crook: in any way possible
“I’ll ace this test by hook or crook.”
Catch a weasel asleep: something unlikely
“Yeah, you’ll win this race any sooner than you’ll catch a weasel asleep.”
Hoity-toity: expressing contempt, snobbish
“She was acting all hoity-toity.”
Ding: very, excessive
“It’s ding cold out.”
Feeze: state of excitement or joy
“I’m in such a feeze!”
Get a wiggle on: to hurry
“We’re so late, we need to get a wiggle on.”
Hellabaloo: confusion, ruckus
“There’s such a hellabaloo outside.”
Knee-high to a ____: calling someone short
“He ain’t knee high to a baby horse.”
Lickfinger: a kiss-up
“He is such a lickfinger.”
Make a mash: to impress someone
“She’s trying to make a mash on that new boy.”
Namby-pamby: sick, sentimental
“You’ve made me all namby-pamby.”
Photo credit: Google
Works cited: https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-slang/10/
