Western Thesaurus - W

Folks in the 19th Century spoke differently than we do.  Just as every generation has its own lingua franca, post-antebellum America was no different.



W

Wabble	Make free use of one's tongue, to be a ready speaker.
WADDIE	Another term for cowboy, a hired man, in the western United States, who tends cattle and performs many of his duties on horseback.  The term waddy is an old term that no one seems to be able to actually put their finger on the exact origin. It is more common in the Midwest and Southwest.   Saddlemaker Mike Brennan did research with these results.  "It originally was a very derogatory term and meant a thief or rustler, then evolved gradually into a lower class "hired man on horseback", and finally came to mean a top hand.  My grandfather carried the nickname "Waddy" from the time he was a little sprout until the day he died, in fact most people didn't even know his real name. Apparently both spellings of the term waddie as in Waddie Mitchell, were and are correct with some sources listing waddy as preferred, and some listing waddie as preferred. "
Waddy	One of the words for cowboy, especially a cowboy who drifted from ranch to ranch and helped out in busy times.
Wag	tail
WAGON	A chuck and a bedroll wagon goes out with the cowboys when they work cattle on the range for several months at a time, especially in the spring and fall.
Wait On	To court.
Wake Snakes	To raise a ruckus.
Wake up/ Woke up the Wrong Passenger	To trouble or anger the wrong person.
Walk The Chalk	Walk straight.
Wall	Roll your eyes.
Wamble	Cropped
Wampum	In the Massachusetts Indian language, this word means white, or the color of shells.
Wanton	disloyal, uncontrolled. "The case was much like that of a loyal and faithful husband, and a light-heeled wanton of a wife." P.196
Wap	To throw quickly, to flap
War Bag	Cowboys traveled light, and stored their meager worldly possessions in his "war bag". Inside was generally everything he owned, typically an extra set of clothes, extra ammunition, spare parts for equipment, playing cards, bill of sale for his horse, and maybe a harmonica or a few precious letters. Also called a "war sack" and a "yannigan bag."
War Bonnet	Hat.
Warm/ warmly	difficult, quick-paced.  Describing a battle that went badly for the British--"This was a warm day to the British." and "The siege was carried on warmly for several days..." P.234
Warrant	guarantee.  Used like the modern expression "You bet." "...'he is not thirsty. I will warrant it.'" P.24
Washy	Weak, not firm or hardy.
Wasp Nest	Light bread.
Wattles	Ears.
Wax	In a rage.
Wearing  the Bustle Wrong	Referring to a pregnant woman.
Weather	Breeder
Weed	A common term for tobacco.
Well To Live	To be in easy circumstances, to live comfortably.
Whack	To share.
Whacker	Anything very large, same as a "whopper."
Whale Away	To preach, talk or lecture continuously or vehemently.
Whaler	A big, strapping fellow.
Whaling	A lashing, a beating.
Whang	Sinews of the buffalo or other animal, or small strips of thin deer
Whap	A quick and smart stroke.
Whap	A quick and smart stroke.
Whapper or Whopper	Anything uncommonly large, as, 'That's a whopper,' meaning a monstrous lie.
Whapping	Very large.
What in the Tarnation	A polite way of saying "What the hell?"
Wheel	Horse
Whelk	An old name for a pustule, a pimple. The word is not much used in America.
Whelky	Protuberant, rounded.
Whim	Wham
Whip	belly
Whistle Berries	Beans.
White	Eyed
White Eye	Maize whiskey.
White Liner	An alcoholic.
White Tape, White Wine	Gin
Whitewash	To gloss over or hide one's faults or shortcomings.
Whittled	Drunk
Whole Kit and Caboodle	The entire thing.
Whomper	jawed
Whuppin'	Spanking.
Wicket	A place of shelter, or camp made of the boughs of trees.
Widow	The gallows.
Widow Maker	A very bad or "outlaw" horse.
Wigging	A rebuke.
Wild Mare's Milk	Whiskey.
Wild West Weekly	Pulp or "dime" novels.
Windies	Tall Tales.
Winsome	Lively, cheerful, gay.
Wipe Your Chin	Be quiet.
Withal	and all that, besides "...we lay still and showed our good breeding by not interfering with them, as they were strangers, and we knew not but they were bashful withal." Seems typically used at the end of a sentence. P.33
Wolfer	A man with a large appetite or a hard drinker.
Wolfish	Savage, savagely hungry.
Wood	Saddle.
Wooding	Place
Woolies	Sheep
Woolsey	A cheap hat, usually made of wool.
Worse Than a Cat in a Roomful of  Rockers	Someone who is really nervous.
Wrapper	A loose dress or gown.
Wrathy	Very angry.
Wrinkle	Whim, fancy, a cunning trick or artful dodge.
Wrinkled His Spine	A horse bucking.