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Lee J

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Original Post-

I love some of the language and colloquial expressions used in past times like, 'capital' idea/ I'm your ' huckleberry' and others. They were very descriptive and sometimes now, lost to meaning.
Do you have any favorites?

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“Look life in its iron face”

From about the end of the War until maybe the 1930s, something that was really neat, or pretty, or just GOOD, was a "daisy". That, by the way, is why when Ringo said he could kill Doc, Doc said, "You're a daisy if you do". "If you can kill me, you are awful damn good."

In 1886, a guy that worked for the Plymouth Iron Windmill Company, invented an all metal air rifle. After testing it, he said, "That's a daisy."

I'm sure you've heard of the gun.

Daisy BB Guns - Cart - Daisy Airgun Museum in Historic DownTown Rogers Arkansas!

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I always take precautions

Two of my maternal Grandfather's expressions were:

from kin see to kant see-from dawn til dark;

and

saucered and blowed-his coffee was cool enough to drink, because he had poured part of it into the saucer and blew on it to cool it, and then poured it back into the cup.

He was born in 1880, and died in 1956.

My Grandfather was born in 1889 and didn't talk much at all.
That's why he blew me away one time while riding in the car we passed a house that had a turret built on one side and he said" you know why that was built round? So the cat can't **** in the corner".
My parents and I were dumbfounded. That's all he said during the whole 3 hour trip. I still laugh when I think about it.

Dagnabit! I think I just hijacked my own thread.

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“Look life in its iron face”

The colorful dialog of the remake of "True Grit" is what makes me prefer it over the original. More people in 1800's that could read, got their learnin' from the King James Bible than not.

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Redeemed!

This thread is swell!

Bah, Humbug!

This may not qualify, but I always enjoyed the Gunsmoke episodes with Festus. His "difficulty with verb tenses" was surely very common in the Old West.

"What has went on here?"
"If there's any shooting to be did, I'll be the one what done it."

Actually, it wasn't that uncommon to hear similar infractions of the King's English when I was growing up in rural Michigan in the '50s and '60s.

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You're shy a few manners.

I read some older books that used the phrase, "top of the morning to you."

For me coming up there was always "folding money" and calling everyone "friend". There are a lot more but these I heard the most.

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Psalm 23:4

"Lock, stock and barrel."

"A flash in the pan."

"He's a straight shooter."

"Long in the tooth."

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Oh well, what the hell.

My grandpa was born in 1890 and died in 1958 but he never poured the coffee back in the cup. He just drank it out of the saucer. Working from can see to can't see is what it took for poor people to make a living. Larry

Festus was one of my favorites. His expressions said volumes. He did have a way with words, didn't he? Another favorite of mine was Walter Brennan. Classic.

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“Look life in its iron face”

Just hoping none of you are as worthless as tits on a boar hog.

And please do me that favor. I will give you a Yankee dime.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

I still hear it today, can't say any more or I'll get dinged.

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Minimize the variables

Does anyone use "two bits", "four bits", etc anymore?

He has teeth so crooked he could eat corn on the cob through a picket fence.

If all his brains were dynamite, there wouldn't be enough to blow his nose.

He's studying to be a half wit.


He ain't fit to shoot at when you want to unload and clean yo' gun.

It was so dry the bushes followed the dogs around.


I have to admit, I looked these up, but they are pretty authentic western gibberish.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

A lot of folk started talking like Dizzy Dean, ex pro player, who was an announcer for the Tigers in the late 40 and 50's. When I lived in Port Huron, MI. in the 50's, used to listen to him and tried to copy him and Gabby Hayes

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Slim, U.S. Army, Ret.

He loves him like the Devil likes Holy Water.
Haven't seen him in a Month of Sundays / Coons Age
Knee high to a ....
Hornswoggled

How about these dying terms/expressions?

Please
Thank You
You're welcome

Yes/No Ma'am, Sir

Ya'll get the gist, Shucks and fiddlesticks, I'll stop here so's not to bore.

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GOA
USA Shooting Supporter

That's the bee's knees.

The cat's meow.

It's a Doozy. (Deusenburg)

If that don't take the cake!

Just a hoot'n a holler away.

Cheer leaders?

In the south, the expression "Bless his heart" is used in place of "He's a complete idiot".
For example: "Cousin Ruthie failed ninth grade twice, bless her heart."
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I don't have Alzheimer's- My wife had me tested.

She's cuter than a speckled pup

That boy's head is like a bag of anvils

Get a rope!

Knock knock - Who's there? - Telegram for you sir

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In dog years I'm dead.

I read many old books, magazines, and newspapers whenever available, and yes there was some interesting usage of common words that aren't used in the same context today. An example was an 1890's newspaper account from Salida, Colo. telling of a man ticketed for ejaculating in public! Seems in the 1890's ejaculating meant swearing loudly in public. In a Leadville, Colo. newspaper of the same era, 3 men were fined for "guying" a fellow man. Guying was the act of teasing, harassing, belittling ,ect. I do try to use old phrases whenever possible just to keep a conversation interesting. I still use and carry a 4 bit piece wherever I go to give to someone who has never seen one. My favorite saying of fractured English is "A person should went home with the one what done brung you to the dance".

No brag, just fact.

My mother used to say she loved us kids "a bushel and a peck."

From Blazing Saddles:

No sidewindin, bushwhackin, hornswogglin, cracker croaker is gonna ruin my biscuit cutter.

I have no idea what they were saying!

''I'll be home about dark-thirty.''

''Mess with me and I'll dot yore eyes.''

''He ain't no bigger than a minute.''

''The only thing worse than a Yankee is a yanker.''

''That went faster than a 'New York' minute.''

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PC, censorship
with a smile.

It goes back at least to Lincoln's time as he said the same thing about one of his generals.

Hes Short on Sense and Long on Mouth.

"A shave and a haircut--Two bits." Translated from: Da da da da da----da da." If youve seen any Three Stooges episodes? you will know exactly what im sayin.

I actually do use that when I go for a haircut--always makes the ladies giggle.

Im not sure of the meaning of this sayin but--I heard it date back to the 20s or so. I went into an old house a saw this scrawled on a wall: "Vo de oh do."

Look at him run around like a chicken with its head cut off.

Eat everything on your plate--think of all the starving kids in China.

Somethings rotten in Denmark.

Can also be used for early morning, as in "We've been up since Oh Dark Thirty"

We is leaving early!
How early?
Before the rooster crows or the bugle blows.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

Hes dead as a doornail.

She is slower than frozen Molasses in Winter.

Dumb as a stick in mud.

Crazy like a Fox.

He needed killin.

The only time I ever saw my Dad come plumb unwound was a day when one of our bulls got through a fence into a neighboring farmers pasture. We had a!ready got the bull out, fixed the fence, and were riding our horses back to where we had unloaded, when the farmer drove up, climbed over the fence onto our side.

He had never fixed fence in his life, but started cussing us out. My Dad put up with him for bit, but he finally had enough. He shook out a loop, spurred his horse, and started after the guy. He yelled "You wrinkle bellied sod bustin' ********!!"

You shoulda seen that plow jockey run. I'll bet he cleared that bobwire fence by three foot.

I had never heard my Dad even raise his voice against another man, and I had never heard that phrase before or since.

I will say this, I think ol Pappy kinda enjoyed letting himself go for a change. He run around with his neck bowed for about 3 days.

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Eccentric old coot

A lot of people were impressed by the beautiful letter home that the soldier sent that said something like, "If you feel a breeze against your cheek, you will know that I am there." People said, "Why don't people talk like that anymore"? I'll tell you why. Because people think it's 'sentimental' and I've been told many time that sentimentality is B.S. plain and simple. You can't convince some people that it may have value in the right place.

Here, this says it better than I can:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNfBdzpG6L4

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

My Cousin uses the "Bless Your Heart" all the time. After I told her the meaning for most of us, she swears she's sincere, but I ain't so sure...

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GOA
USA Shooting Supporter

Val Kilmers statement "I'm your Huckleberry" I had to look it up. I had never heard it until the Movie..Tombstone....."I'm the Man you are looking for".....Other meanings also.....According to history Doc Holiday was known to use the term...That is according to Mozilla Firefox.....

Cuter than a spotted pup under a porch in a rainstorm...That is pretty cute.....

My father used to have some but they were from other eras.

He's as useful as a bump on a log
He's a dull tool
Put the Kaibasch on him.

seems like I recollect

I'll pawn my honor

We'll be there directly

it's dog days so stay outa the creeks

his eyes are bigger than his belly

I'd like to buy him for what he's worth and sell him for what he thinks he's worth

don't have no truck with that Jabez bunch

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God spelled backwards is dog.

How bout It's hotter than two rats doing it in
a wool sock.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

And a hug around the neck.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

My grandmother used the terms "tiny few" which was 3-5 and a "little dozen" for cooking with small eggs.

"Crazy as a road chicken."

"Hes been sparking her a while now."

"He don't know bigwood from brush."

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Bill
Dis B. Leaf

I guess that range war between the farmers and the ranchers never really got settled, did it?

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I need a new watch as a matter of fact. That one would do nice and would compliment my BSing the neighbors. If anyone called me on a BS? I would just point to the watch and tell them that they dont know **** from Shinola.I wonder what these are priced at?

There is a 'bless you heart' that is sincere BUT if it refers to anything in somebody that could be described as a character flaw, it ain't sincere. Like:

"Shes' a harpy and a drunk. She doesn't even go to church, bless her heart".

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"