Some fun Colorado and Rocky Mountain terms, sayings, and activities (Denver: maintenance, trip)

[jazzlover]

OK, to put things on a lighter note, here are some random local and regional terms, sayings, and activities that may be new to those not native to Colorado or the Rocky Mountain West. Admittedly, many of these didn't originate here, but have become part of the local lexicon and are still regularly used. You probably won't hear them in yuppie-infested fern bars, but who knows?

All hat and and no cattle. A "phony." Usually used to describe a person who's talk is bigger than action; used to describe a braggart.

Mosey. Originally, to walk slowly without a firm direction. Now, a general statement describing going somewhere in no particular hurry or urgency. "I think I'll mosey over to the bank and hit the ATM."

Oiled-up. Drunk. "Old Joe got all oiled-up last night and wrecked his pickup."

New Mexico pinstriping. The paint scratches you get when you drive your vehicle down a brush-choked trail. 4-wheel drive vehicles and SUV's in Colorado that are actually used for their designed purpose usually have this.

Stomp. An area where cattle gather--around a "salt-lick" (salt block) or watering hole. Also used as a derogatory term to refer to a cowboy (usually young) with a penchant for starting fights.

Packers. Not a Wisconsin football team. Used to describe lace-up Western work boots with a riding heel.

Rocky Mountain Oysters. Considered by many (including me) to be a dining delicacy. Politely stated, the difference between a bull and a steer.

Cowboy coffee. Traditional coffee made in an iron coffee pot (best done on a coal or wood cookstove, or over a campfire). The coffee grounds are put directly in the water and boiled for several minutes. Often, eggshells are thrown in the pot as this is said to help settle the grounds. Best drunk with clenched teeth in order to strain out any unsettled grounds. Often sweetened with whiskey rather than sugar or Sweet 'n' Low. Not served at Starbucks.

Rank. Not a rating. Wild, undisciplined--as in a "rank" horse. Often used to describe a disorderly or unmannered person--also used to describe a troublemaker.

Tick inspection. The process of stripping naked and checking oneself for burrowed-in or crawling ticks after a trip to the hills during tick season. Often considered a pleasant recreational activity when conducted cooperatively by members of the opposite sex.

Heifer. An unbred female cow. Often used to refer to a attractive woman. "Dang, she's a cute little heifer, ain't she?"

Hog-leg. Pistol or revolver. Commonly carried under the seat in many a Rocky Mountain vehicle.

The "domain." An old, but still used term for Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or US Forest Service lands. Taken from when public lands were known as the Public Domain. Pronounced "DOUGH-main" by most natives. "I've got to take my cattle up to the domain this week."

Powder monkey. A mining term referring to someone who handles explosives. Virtually every highway crew and railroad maintenance crew in the state has one of these. Powder monkeys are often used to set explosives to break up large rocks that fall on rights-of-way--the job called "popping." "Call into town and get a powder monkey to come out here and pop this rock."

Well, that's just a few. Maybe more later. If anybody has some good Colorado local terms, throw 'em out here. No soccer Mom stuff, though.

[McGowdog]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

...Heifer. An unbred female cow. Often used to refer to a attractive woman. "Dang, she's a cute little heifer, ain't she?"

Easy there Jazz. You been up in Wyomin' a bit too long.

Originally Posted by jazzlover

New Mexico pinstriping. The paint scratches you get when you drive your vehicle down a brush-choked trail. 4-wheel drive vehicles and SUV's in Colorado that are actually used for their designed purpose usually have this.

Yeah, back in my younger days, we used the terms tequila scratches and whiskey bumps too.

So Jazz, how's yer Aspen?

[jazzlover]

A few more:

Sheepherder's jack. A long jack (Hi-Lift is a brand name) commonly found in the back of just about every 4WD or pickup that actually gets used for what it was intended. A sheepherder's jack can also be used as a makeshift come-along winch or fence-stretcher (to stretch barbed wire tight when repairing or building fence). Originally named because they were carried on sheepherder's wagons, where they were used to jack the corner of the wagon up, so rocks could be thrown under a wheel to level the wagon.

Irrigating boots. Knee-high rubber boots used to keep dry when "setting" water from an irrigating ditch to a field.

Irrigating shovel. A small-bladed shovel used to open or close spots at each furrow fed from the ditch at the top of a field. Occasionally used as a weapon when "disagreements" arise over water rights. Every county sheriff in rural Colorado has had to break up a fight between a couple of people using irrigating shovels as weapons. Every "real" Coloradan worth his salt has used irrigating boots or an irrigating shovel at one time or another.

Dupont lure. A stick of dynamite. A sure-fire--and very illegal--way to catch your limit or more of fish in a hurry. Thrown in the water, the concussion from the exploding dynamite stuns or kills all of the fish in a sizable area--the fish then float to the surface. Do not try this--anywhere.

Spandex commando. A bicycle rider--especially in the mountains.

Muck, mucking, muck out. "Muck" was originally used as a term for waste rock generated during mining. Miners that moved the muck out of the mine were known as "muckers." Later, mucking machines came along to do some of the work. Used commonly today as a term for clutter or as a verb to describe cleaning out clutter and debris. "I think I'll go muck out my office today."

[Sockeye]

There are some off color jokes about those rubber boots and sheepherders we can't get into here.
And yes, I love those oysters, too. I was crushed when Bruce Ruth died, and his idiot son ran Bruce's Bar into the ground. Fortunately our butcher stocks them- breaded, frozen, and ready for the frier.

ORVIS HATCH: Yuppie poseur fly fishermen with the latest gear, nearly elbow to elbow on the South Platte.

[sterlinggirl]

Speedo Man - If you've seen him riding his bike, you'll never forget it....

Irrigatin' boots also come in handy when Jazz tells stories about the old days

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by Sockeye

There are some off color jokes about those rubber boots and sheepherders we can't get into here.
And yes, I love those oysters, too. I was crushed when Bruce Ruth died, and his idiot son ran Bruce's Bar into the ground. Fortunately our butcher stocks them- breaded, frozen, and ready for the frier.

No kidding. Bruce's in Severance was an institution.

As to the first statement, as we always said in Wyoming: "Wyoming--where men were men, women were few, and the sheep were nervous . . . "

[DOUBLE H]

I love it! I worked with a lot of ironworkers, fitters, etc, who worked the coal plants up there. To a man all of them agreed on that saying; that it should be the state slogan!

[Sockeye]

Completely agree! Heard same when up near Green River doing const. labor for a year on a new trona mine.
There was also this one: "Wyoming-where there's a pretty girl under every tree"

[jazzlover]

Oh, yeah, one I forgot:

Buckle-bunny. A woman with a strong attraction to cowboys, especially rodeo cowboys. Commonly seen around the National Western Stock Show in Denver, and Cheyenne Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Sort of a rodeo "groupie." Reported to get more attractive depending on the lateness of the evening and on how much alcohol the cowboy has consumed--generally, all of them are gorgeous by 2 AM.

[Sockeye]

Like its said, "Nothing good ever happens after midnight".