Common Mountain Man Terms
ABSAROKA: To be in Crow territory. This is a Crow word that means "Land of the Sparrow-Hawk People."
AH'LL SWAR BY HOOK : I'll swear to it, whatever the subject was being discussed.
APISHEMORE: Saddle Pad for a horse
ARWERDENTY: Liquor, a corruption of a Spanish word.
AUGE FIT:A fever, which comes and goes. Often suffered by trappers who spent a great deal of time in the water.
BLACK YOUR FACE AGAINST (TO): To be at war with someone or a group. To want or prepare to fight. It was an Indian custom to black a face to show the tribe is on the warpath. Black is also a symbol of DEATH.
BACCER, BACCY: Tobacco, either smoking or chewing.
BALDFACE: Alcohol.
BRAVE AS A BUFFLER BULL IN SPRING:A very brave man, who acted similar to a buffalo bull during mating season.
BY A LONG CHALK:For better or worse, or by a long shot.
BOUDINS: Buffalo guts, a real special treat for the mountain man and they often ate them by the yards.
BUG'S BOYS: Children of Satan; Also a name usually reserved for the Blackfoot tribe.
BULLTHROWER: A black powder rifle, usually made by the Hawken Company.
CACHE: To hide or conceal something; could be used for self or supplies. Also used as a noun: hidden goods; from the French language.
CHILD, COON, CRITTUR, BEAVER, NIGGUR, NIGGER: terms for person, either someone else or it could be used as a pronoun. The word did not always carry a charge of denigration; the term nigger was often applied to white, red, and black men. General term used often.
COLD DOIN'S: This is used for frigid or very uncomfortable weather.
CONSARNED: An expression of exclamation, used similar to Waugh!
CORNCRACKERS: A negative term used for people back East.
COME (TO MAKE SOMEONE); To kill a person or animal. An Example, "I made two of them Blackfoot come that day, I shorely did."
COUNT COUP (TO): To do a brave deed such as killing someone, scalping him, or striking him with a coup-stick. Or, to take an enemies weapon from him in battle. “I counted coup on that red nigger, I done got his Hawken!”
DUPONT: Gunpowder. From the name of the black powder company that manufactured it.
ENGAGÉ: A hired hand, sometimes French-Canadian. Of lower social status than a free trapper or a trapper contracted for part of his take; from the French.
FEEDBAG: To eat a meal, also the stomach or abdominal area of the body.
FOOFURAW, FOOFOORAW: Trinkets, doodads, decorative items desired by women, especially Indian women. Often used in trade with Indians as well, “Fer a little Fooruraw I got me a blanket warmer fer the night.”
GALENA: Lead for rifle or pistols balls. Melted and casted into bullets.
GO UNDER (TO): To die or be killed, usually the latter. Gone beaver was used also, but only in that past participle form. “He’s gone under.”
GREENRIVER: A skinning knife and the most popular one for most mountain men. From the name of the manufacturer, not the name of the river. To shove it in to the Green River meant to shove the knife in to the hilt, where the trademark of the manufacturer was engraved on the blade.
HA'R OF THE B'AR: Was a supreme form of praise. “He has the ha’r of the b’ar, he shorely does.”
HAWKEN: A muzzle-loading rifle. This rifle was made by the Hawken brothers and was a prized weapon.
HENYWAYS YE LAY YER SIGHTS: Means any way you look at it the situation is obvious.
HUMPRIBS: The small ribs that support the hump of the buffalo (on his back).
LEVÉ, LECHÉ LEGO: To wake up, turn out, get up.
MANGEUR DE LARD: Literally, eater of pork in French. An inexperienced mountain man. Always a negative term. Often used in relationship with the people back east.
OLD EPHRAIM: A grizzly bear, or sometimes called “Ole Grizz.”
OLD HOSS: See nigger, coon or other pronouns above
PLEW, PEW: This is a beaver pelt or skin. It is a corruption of the French word plus.
POOL BULL, FAT COW: In general terms it meant poor eating, living, or times (fat cow), as opposed to good eating, living or times (poor bull).
POSSIBLES BAG, POSSIBLE SACK: A buckskin (usually) container for carrying equipment in.
REES: The Arikara Tribe of Indians.
RONNYVOO, RONDYVOO, rendezvous: The annual summer get-together (hoedown) when the trappers came down out of the high mountains to trade their furs, swap gossip, and generally have a good time with their friends and to find out who had “gone under.”
SKELP LOCKED ON TIGHT: A term meaning to keep your hair, keep it locked on tight so not to lose it.
SHINE (TO): To be suitable or good or even the best.
SHOT IN THE LIGHTS (TO BE): To be shot in the vitals (guts).
SOME: Remarkable, admirable, unusual or different.
TAOS LIGHTNING: A potent liquor usually home-made.
VIDE-POCHE: Literally, empty-pocket. Generally the equivalent of worthless or no-good.
VOYAGEUR: Boatman, usually French-Canadian.
WAGH, WAUGH: An exclamation of surprise or admiration. Sounded like a grunt and often used.
THE WAY THE STICK FLOATS: Its meaning was extended to suggest knowing the ways of the mountain or to be knowledgeable.
Mountain Man Links
Photo Copyright © 2005 J.C. Rankin Senior
