“Howdy partner” and other cowboy vocabulary

Profile Pic Karren Geronimo   February 05, 2018

I’m sure you have seen and maybe heard cowboys in American films and on TV, but did you know that American cowboys have their own dialect or way of speaking? Well, they do. Today I thought I’d teach you some common cowboy phrases and sayings so that you can understand cowboy-speak next time you hear it. So saddle up partner, because here we go!

Cowboy vocabulary:

howdy = hi

howdy partner = hi there friend

ya’ll = all of you
ya = you
giddy up = let’s go (often said while riding to a horse)

Head ’em up, move ’em out. = Let’s go. (Let’s move these cattle.)
a dude = a person who tries to dress like and talk like a cowboy, but really is a city person
wet your whistle = have a drink (usually alcohol)
hoedown = a dance
a half-wit = a stupid person
city-slicker = a person from the city
tenderfoot or greenhorn = a new person
hoosegow or calaboose= jail
namby-pamby = not brave
pony up = hurry up
skedaddle = get out of here
the jig is up = the game is over; the truth has been exposed
He’s a goner. = He’s dead.
by hook or crook = any way possible
in cahoots = doing something in secret
yokel = a person from the country (not the city)
yonder = over there
saloon = bar/restaurant

Now, here is a brief conversation between two cowboys that uses some of this vocabulary from above to help you put these phrases in context.

A: Howdy.
B: Howdy partner.
A: Are you going down to wet your whistle at the saloon tonight?
B: Not me, that saloon over yonder is full of namby-pamby city slickers. I don’t go there anymore. I’m going to the hoedown tonight.
A: By hook or crook I think I’ll join ya! I’m tired of being around all those dudes at the saloon.
B: Well, we better head ’em up and move ’em out and get back to town. Pony up!
A: Giddy up, I’m right behind ya’.

Source: https://blogs.transparent.com/english/howdy-partner-and-other-cowboy-vocabulary/