Cowboy and Western Expressions
Jan 29, 2026 by Tempe Javitz
Cowboy and Western Expressions
Cowgirls and cowboys do have a special vocabulary,
which is sometimes confusing to ordinary folks.
I’ve posted some of these amusing expressions before.
I’ve found more to share, some that I grew up with.
Many of these expressions are widely used today.
Their source probably wasn’t only in the West.
Tough as nails: This describes a person who is very
strong and resilient in facing life’s challenges.
Old as the hills: Living for a very long time.
Smart as a tack: A person who is smart, clever, and
with a keen intellect.
Thin as a rail: Comparing someone’s shape to the
thinness of a wooden support or rail. Funy but
there is a marsh bird, a Virginia Rail, known for it’s
compressed body allowing it to slide through thick
vegetation.
Dead broke: Having no money at all, penniless or
destitute. That keeps your cowboy or cowgirl from
betting in a poker game. The origin of this expression
is unknown.
Hang tight: To wait patiently and remain steady
without taking action. Hard to do when out hunting
game or hiding from the indigenous Indians.
Tin horn: A flashy gambler, often pretending to have
money or skill. A inexperienced “cowboy” who really
doesn't know much about cows.
Two whoops and a holler: A cowboy expression for a short
distance ahead. “But two jumps ahead of the sheriff, was
never far enough.” A direct quote from my favorite book
“The Dictionary of the American West” by Win Blevins.
Skunk Wagon: A comical Wyoming and Montana name for
a car. Win Blevins states in his dictionary that “an old Indian
named Black coal in Lander, Wyoming, got a whiff of his
first car and said, ‘Heap skunk wagon,’ and amused
cattlemen picked it up. Yellowstone Park now seems to
many people to be skunk-wagon country.”
Slick: An unbranded calf as it hasn’t been earmarked.
Men who then branded slicks were later called rustlers!
Hope you have fun adding these expressions to your vocabulary.
Now dear reader, don’t shirk your job. Read more of my
blogs at:https://tempejavitz.com/
Or order my book if you haven’t done so already!
https://www.sdhspress.com/books/bighorn-visions
Cowgirls and cowboys do have a special vocabulary,
which is sometimes confusing to ordinary folks.
I’ve posted some of these amusing expressions before.
I’ve found more to share, some that I grew up with.
Many of these expressions are widely used today.
Their source probably wasn’t only in the West.
Tough as nails: This describes a person who is very
strong and resilient in facing life’s challenges.
Old as the hills: Living for a very long time.
Smart as a tack: A person who is smart, clever, and
with a keen intellect.
Thin as a rail: Comparing someone’s shape to the
thinness of a wooden support or rail. Funy but
there is a marsh bird, a Virginia Rail, known for it’s
compressed body allowing it to slide through thick
vegetation.
Dead broke: Having no money at all, penniless or
destitute. That keeps your cowboy or cowgirl from
betting in a poker game. The origin of this expression
is unknown.
Hang tight: To wait patiently and remain steady
without taking action. Hard to do when out hunting
game or hiding from the indigenous Indians.
Tin horn: A flashy gambler, often pretending to have
money or skill. A inexperienced “cowboy” who really
doesn't know much about cows.
Two whoops and a holler: A cowboy expression for a short
distance ahead. “But two jumps ahead of the sheriff, was
never far enough.” A direct quote from my favorite book
“The Dictionary of the American West” by Win Blevins.
Skunk Wagon: A comical Wyoming and Montana name for
a car. Win Blevins states in his dictionary that “an old Indian
named Black coal in Lander, Wyoming, got a whiff of his
first car and said, ‘Heap skunk wagon,’ and amused
cattlemen picked it up. Yellowstone Park now seems to
many people to be skunk-wagon country.”
Slick: An unbranded calf as it hasn’t been earmarked.
Men who then branded slicks were later called rustlers!
Hope you have fun adding these expressions to your vocabulary.
Now dear reader, don’t shirk your job. Read more of my
blogs at:https://tempejavitz.com/
Or order my book if you haven’t done so already!
https://www.sdhspress.com/books/bighorn-visions
