Western Slang & Phrases - "R"

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R

Raft - A large quantity.

Rag Proper - Dress well.

Rail It - To travel by rail-road.

Railheads - Towns with facilities for loading cattle onto trains.

Railroad Bible - A deck of cards. This stemmed from the large number of card sharks working aboard the railroads.

Raise - To make a raise. Meaning to make a haul, to raise the wind.

Raise One's Bristles - To excite one's anger.

Raise Sand - Start trouble.

Loading cattle in North Dakota, 1936, photo by Paul

Carter, Farm Security Administration.

Right Smart - Many, much, good. "He got a right smart bit of work done."

Ring - A group of businessmen or politicians form to advance their own interests, usually in such a way that places the public at risk. "The notorious Santa Fe Ring was an unscrupulous group of politicians in the 1800s."

Ring in - To force or insinuate oneself into company where one is not wanted or does not belong.

Ringster - A member of ring, or group whose objective is to profit at the public's expense.

Ringy - Ornery or angry man or animal.

Rip - Reprobate. "He's a mean ol' rip."

Rip Out - Impatiently give vent to one's feeling or opinions. "When he came upon the town bully, he ripped out what he thought of him."

Rip-roaring, Rip-staver, Rip-snortin' - An impressive person or thing.

Road Agent - A robber, bandit, desperado.

Colorado burros were often called Rocky Mountain Canaries.

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Road Ranch - A supply center or store, often located on the major trails headed westward, that supplied the wagon trains with provisions.

Rode Hard and Put Up Wet - Ugly, rough or hard looking. "She looks like she's been rode hard and put up wet!"

Roastineer - Corn roasted over an open fire while still in the husks.

Rock - A piece of money.

Rocky Mountain Canary - A burro used by the miners in the Rocky Mountains.

Rod - A revolver.

Rode Fence - Patrolled the range checking see if any areas of fencing needed repairs.

Roily Or Rily - Turbid, excited to resentment, vexed.

Rook - To cheat, to dupe, such as a cardsharper or conman might do in a poker game.

Rookus Juice - Liquor.

Roostered - Drunk. "Looks like those cowboys are in there gettin' all roostered up."

Roost over one - To get the better of.

Roping In - Cheating.

Rot-gut - Bad liquor.

Rouncher, roncher - Used to describe something extreme, powerful, large, fine, remarkable.

Round Browns - Cow chips.

Round Up - A gathering of sheep, cattle or pigs.

Rousing - Very great, commonly applied to a fire.

Round-Rimmers - Hats with a round rim, hence, those who wear them.

Row - A fight

To Row Up - To punish with words, to rebuke.

Row Up Salt River - Used generally to signify political defeat.

Rowdy-dow - Low, vulgar.

Ruckus - Loud noise, voices, a racket. "What's all the ruckus about?"

Ruinatious - Ruinous.

Rumbumptious, rumbustious - Haughty, pompous, boisterous, making a great fuss about.

Rum-hole, Rum-mill - A small drinking establishment, saloon.

Run - A small stream or rivulet.

To Run - To press with jokes, sarcasm, or ridicule. 'To get the run upon one,' is to make a butt of him.

Run against a pill - To be shot, to take a bullet.

To Run One's Face - To make use of one's credit.

Russer, Rusher - A dashing, sensation-causing man, a heavy player - often applied to politicians and clergymen.

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"They say I killed six or seven men for snoring. It ain't true. I only killed one man

for snoring."

 -- John Wesley Hardin.