Western United States Slang

Ace-high: High quality, highly respected
Backshooter: Someone who shoots a person from behind
Bangtail: A wild horse or mustang
Beans: Money or a small amount of cash
Bear sign: Doughnuts or pastries
Bee in your bonnet: To be preoccupied or obsessed with something
Bellyache: Complain or whine
Biscuit roller: A cook, especially at a cow camp or on a trail drive
Bite the dust: To die or be killed
Blackwater: Strong, dark coffee
Blowhard: A braggart or someone who talks too much
Boil over: To become angry or lose one's temper
Bronco buster: A person who tames wild horses
Buffalo chips: Dried buffalo dung, used as fuel for fires
Bunk: Nonsense, foolish talk
Cackleberries: Eggs
Call it a day: To stop working for the day or give up on something
Catgut: Rawhide laces or strings
Cavort: To have a good time or celebrate
Chaw: Chewing tobacco
Chuck: Food, especially in a cowboy camp
Chum: A friend or companion
Cowpoke: A cowboy or cattle herder
Critter: An animal, often used to refer to livestock
Deadwood: Useless or unproductive people or things
Dicker: To bargain or trade
Dish: To serve food, as in "dish up some grub"
Dogie: A motherless or orphaned calf
Dry gulch: To ambush and kill someone
Fandango: A lively party or dance
Firewater: Alcoholic beverages, especially whiskey
Fodder: Food for livestock, such as hay or grain
Giddyup: A command to a horse to start moving or go faster
Git: To leave or go away
Greenhorn: An inexperienced or naive person
Grubstake: Money or supplies provided in exchange for a share in future profits
Gumption: Courage, initiative, or resourcefulness
Hacienda: A large ranch or estate
Hang fire: To delay or hesitate
High-tail: To leave or run away quickly
Hoosegow: Jail or prison
Hornswoggle: To cheat or deceive
In cahoots: In partnership or collusion with someone
Jaw: To talk or chat
Kicker: A hidden or unexpected problem or objection
Larrup: To beat or thrash
Lick: A small amount or a quick effort
Livery stable: A stable where horses are kept and rented
Locoweed: A poisonous plant that can cause mental derangement in livestock
Maverick: An unbranded calf or an independent-minded person
No-account: Worthless or good-for-nothing
Outlaw: A criminal, especially one who operates outside the law
Pard: Short for partner, a term of endearment for a friend or companion
Pizen: Poison or something harmful
Plumb: Completely or absolutely
Ponderosa: A large ranch or estate
Pudding: A person's brain
Quicksilver: Mercury, a heavy silvery-white liquid metal
Ranny: A cowboy or ranch hand
Red-eye: Cheap whiskey or other low-quality alcoholic beverages
Roost: A place to sleep or rest
Ruckus: A disturbance or commotion
Rustle: To steal cattle or horses
Sagebrush: A type of shrub common in the western U.S., also used to describe the vast open range
Saddle tramp: A wandering cowboy with no permanent home or job
Sawbones: A doctor or surgeon
Scarce as hen's teeth: Very rare or difficult to find
Shindig: A party, dance, or other social gathering
Skedaddle: To leave or run away quickly
Sodbuster: A farmer or someone who plows the land
Stampede: A sudden, panicked rush of a large group of animals, often cattle or horses
Straight shooter: An honest, trustworthy person
Tenderfoot: A newcomer or inexperienced person, especially in a rural or wilderness setting
Texas tea: Oil, especially petroleum
Tinhorn: A small-time gambler or swindler
Two whoops and a holler: A short distance or a short period of time
Ugly as a mud fence: Extremely unattractive or unpleasant
Vamoose: To leave or go away quickly
Varmint: A troublesome or annoying animal or person
Waddy: A cowboy or ranch hand
Warbag: A cowboy's personal belongings, often carried in a saddlebag
Wet your whistle: To have a drink, especially an alcoholic beverage
Whippersnapper: A young, impertinent person
Yellow-belly: A coward or someone who is easily frightened
Zephyr: A gentle breeze, often used to describe the western wind