Western Slang & Phrases - A Writer's Guide to the Old West

Western Slang & Phrases - "T"

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Table Muscle - A pot belly.

Taffy - Flattery.

Tail-Race - The water course leading from a mill after it has passed the water-wheel.

'Taint - A corrupt abbreviation for it is not.

Take French Leave - To desert, sneak off without permission.

Take on - Grieve. "Don't take on so."

Take the Rag Off - Surpass, beat all. "Well, if that don't take the rag off the bush."

Take the Starch Out - Extinguish one's conceit, widely applied to weakening, refuting or deterioration.

Talk a donkey's hind leg off - To talk with no purpose.

The cowboys who worked for the Aztec Land & Cattle

Company, known as the Hashknife Outfit, in Arizona

"took the rag off" many other "saddle stiffs." Photo, 1897.

This image available for photographic prints HERE!

Talking-Iron - A gun or rifle, called also a shooting-iron.

Tall Hog at the Trough - Superior, outstanding, exudes leadership.

Tallow - Fat, whether on humans or animals.

Tally - To live tally is to live as man and wife though not married.

Tan Your Hide - Spanking. "I started raisin' Cain, an my mama said she was going to tan my hide!"

Tangle-footed, tangle- legged - Drunk from bad whiskey.

Taos Lightening - A name given to any potent liquor.

Taps - To be on one's taps is to be on one's feet, on the move, ready to move.

Taradiddles - Falsehoods, traveler's yarns or tales.

Tare, Tear - A frolic, spree, riot, bender, rampage.

Tarantula Juice - Cheap whiskey.

Tarnal - Yankee swear word.

Tarnation - A mild oath or explanation.

Tatch, Thatch - Hat.

Teapot - A depot or railroad station.

Tearin' up Jake - Making a lot of noise. “He must be tearin' up Jake out there!"

Tear Squeezer - A sad story.

Techy or Techy as a Teased Snake - Grumpy, irritable.

Tee-Total - Entirely, total.

Tee-Totaller - A thorough temperance man, who avoids every kind of ardent spirits, wine, and beer.

Ten-cent Man - A small, narrow-minded, trifling man.

Ten Commandments - Fingers or nails.

Tenderfoot - A person new to the job, or a young person.

Tenderloin - The red-light commercial district of a town, featuring brothels.

Tendsome - Requiring much attendance, as, 'a tendsome child.'

Ter - To

Texas Butter - Gravy made with flour, hot water, and fried steak grease.

Texas Cakewalk - A hanging.

There You Ain't - Expresses a failure. The opposite of "There you are."

Three-by-nine smile - A laug or smile to the full extent on the jaws.

Three-legged Mare - Gallows.

Thumper - A gross falsehood.

Thumping - Very large.

Tied Up - Given over, finished.

Tiger Town - Refers to an alley, street or district that had many gambling halls where Faro was played. Also referred to as "Tiger Alley."

Tight - Drunk

Tightener - A hearty meal.

Tile Loose, Tile Off - Slightly deranged. Also "slate loose."

Tilt On - to come across, meet.

Timbers - Legs. Also "stems" or "pegs."

Tin - Money.

Tin-horn Lot - A term used to express contempt towards a small-minded or mean fellow.

Tinker's News - News that has already been heard or told before.

Tippery - Payment

That Dog Won't Hunt - That idea or argument isn't going to work. Or, the person saying it doesn't believe what you're saying. After I broke curfew for the second time and blamed it on my car catching fire, my daddy said to me, "Traci, that dog won't hunt."

And I lie in such pose

On my pallet tonight

With my boots unremoved,

That you fancy me tight --

And I rest so at large

On my pallet tonight

With my head to its foot,

That you fancy me tight --

That you frown was you look at me,

Thinking me tight.

-- Funny Folks

We never put tin on a horse to win,

Lack of oof explains it partly,

But the horse that will be in the final three,

Is the one that races Smartley.

-- Sporting Times.

Three Ways from Sunday - Moving quickly; high-tailing it out of there.

Throw Off on - Make fun of.

Throw up the sponge - Quit, give up, surrender.

Thundering - Very, exceedingly.

Thumb Buster - Single action six-gun that required cocking.

Tie To - Rely on. "He's a man you can tie to."

Old 76 Still, advertising focused on "tiplers," Strobridge

& Co. between 1850 and 1900.

This image available for photographic prints

and downloads HERE!

Tight Scrouging - Hard squeezing. Said of anything difficult to accomplish.

Tipple - Drink liquor.

Tin - A slang word for money. 'Kelter,' 'dimes,' 'dough,' rocks,' and many other words are used in the same manner.

Tiswin - A kind of weak beer brewed from corn, popular among the Apache.

Titivate - To dress up.

Tit For Tat - I shall treat you as you treat me.

Titter - An eruption on the skin.

Toad Strangler - Heavy rain.

Toddle, Tortle, Turtle - To be off.

Toddy - A kind of punch made of rum, water, sugar, and nutmeg.

Toff - A dandy, a swell, one who dresses well. "Toffer" is the female version.

Toggery, Togs - Clothing.

To Rights - In the proper way.

Tote - A hard drinker.

To Toll - To entice, to lead on. Western.

Tombstones - Large teeth.

Tongs - A name for pantaloons and roundabouts formerly in use in New England.

Tongue Oil - Strong liquor.

Tonsil Paint - Liquor, also referred to as "tonsil varnish."

Too Big For His Breeches - Said of a man who is above his business, arrogant, haughty.

Too Much Mustard - A braggart.

Topping - Elegant, swell, great.

Top-sawyer - Denoting excellence, superiority

Tornado Juice - Whiskey.

Tottie - A fast girl.

Tottle, Tottlish - To walk unsteadily.

Towelling - Thrashing, beating.

Trace – A trail or path.

Trailing - Moving cattle from one location to another.

Train Up - Hurry.

Trampous, Trampoose - To walk, to lounge or wander about, to tramp.

Tranklements, trollybobs, trollybags - Entrails, intestines.

Traps - Goods, household stuff, baggage.

Trat - A pretty girl.

To Tree - To take refuge in a tree, usually said of a wild animal. To tree oneself, is to conceal oneself behind a tree.

Trickly - Tricklish, practicing tricks.

Tricks - Ones personal belongings.

Trig A Wheel - To stop a wheel so as to prevent its going backwards or forwards

Trimmings - Bread and butter and other necessary eatables for the tea-table.

Trotter Boxes, Trotter Cases - Shoes or boots.

Trounce - To beat

Truckage - The charges for carrying on a truck, the cartage.

Truk, Trug - A prostitute of the lowest class. Usually dirty, slatternly.

Tub-thumping - Street preaching.

Tuckered Out - Tired out, fatigued.

'Twa'n't - It was not.

Twig - Observe, understand.

Twist - A good appetite. Also to outlaws, it means to hang.

Twistical - Tortuous, unfair, not quite moral.

Twisting the Tiger's Tail - Playing Faro or poker. Also referred to as "bucking the tiger."

Twofer - A loose woman.

Two Whoops and a Holler - Not far away.

Continued Next Page

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