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.
V
| Valley Tan | A kind of liquor sold in Mormon Country. |
| Vamoose | To disappear or leave quickly. |
| Vamos | A Spanish word signifying let us go. |
| VAQUERO | Spanish term for a man who takes care of cattle. Mexican cowboy. From the Spanish word "vacca" --meaning cow. |
| Varmint | A corrupt pronunciation of the word vermin. |
| Vaulting House | Brothel. |
| Velvet Couch | A cowboy's bedroll. |
| Venting our gall | expressing anger, getting things off their chest.
"While we were thus venting our gall against we knew not who..." P.186 |
| Verdant | lush,
fertile. "...for it yet seems to my fancy...like one of those little verdant plats of ground between the burning sands of Arabia so often described by travelers." P.250 |
| Vexation | annoyance, frustration. When the British were avoiding battle-- "But perhaps they thought that, as we had undergone so much fatigue and vexation on our journey, we might feel cross and peevish, and perchance some unlucky accidents might have happened. The British were politic, and it is good to be cautious and discreet." P.78 |
| Viands | food,
probably choice dishes. "Here we again regaled ourselves on Thanksgiving viands..." P.254 |
| Vum | A form of swearing. "I vum!" similary to "I vow!" |
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