Wild West Vocabulary

Name:

Date:

Instructions: Saddle up and test your knowledge of frontier and cowboy language from the Old West

1.
In the Old West, what was a 'tenderfoot'?
A
Someone with sore feet
B
A dance step
C
A type of horse
D
A newcomer or inexperienced person
2.
What did 'vamoose' mean in Wild West slang?
A
To leave quickly
B
To hunt moose
C
To start a campfire
D
To eat heartily
3.
In frontier language, what was a 'calaboose'?
A
A cowboy's lasso
B
A type of cactus
C
A wild goose
D
A jail or prison
4.
What was a 'six-shooter' in the Old West?
A
A bartender who poured six drinks
B
A team of six horses
C
A revolver that held six bullets
D
A poker hand
5.
In Wild West parlance, what did 'to belly up to the bar' mean?
A
To approach the bar to order a drink
B
To pass out drunk
C
To crawl on the floor
D
To start a fight
6.
What was a 'bushwhacker' in the Old West?
A
A trail blazer
B
A type of rattlesnake
C
A bush trimmer
D
A guerrilla fighter or ambusher
7.
In frontier slang, what did 'bamboozle' mean?
A
To cheat or deceive someone
B
To ride a horse fast
C
To play music
D
To build a bamboo structure
8.
What was a 'claim jumper' in the Wild West?
A
A high jumper
B
Someone who illegally took over another's mining claim
C
An acrobat
D
A fence builder
9.
In Old West vocabulary, what was 'hardtack'?
A
A hard, dry biscuit or cracker
B
A difficult trail
C
A type of saddle
D
A wooden nail
10.
What did 'to ride shotgun' originally mean?
A
To sit next to the stagecoach driver armed with a shotgun
B
To ride a horse fast
C
To steal a stagecoach
D
To hunt from horseback
11.
In the Old West, what was a 'maverick'?
A
A desert flower
B
An unbranded calf or independent-minded person
C
A type of rifle
D
A female horse
12.
What did 'high-tail it' mean in frontier slang?
A
To run away quickly
B
To celebrate
C
To ride a tall horse
D
To climb a mountain
13.
In Wild West language, what was a 'sidewinder'?
A
A side road
B
A type of wagon wheel
C
A rattlesnake or a sneaky person
D
A left-handed person
14.
What was a 'sodbuster' in the Old West?
A
A farmer who plowed the prairie
B
A type of explosion
C
A gold miner
D
A horse breaker
15.
In frontier slang, what was a 'greenhorn'?
A
A green-colored bugle
B
An inexperienced newcomer
C
A type of cactus
D
A type of cattle

Answer Key

Question 1

D. A newcomer or inexperienced person

Question 2

A. To leave quickly

Question 3

D. A jail or prison

Question 4

C. A revolver that held six bullets

Question 5

A. To approach the bar to order a drink

Question 6

D. A guerrilla fighter or ambusher

Question 7

A. To cheat or deceive someone

Question 8

B. Someone who illegally took over another's mining claim

Question 9

A. A hard, dry biscuit or cracker

Question 10

A. To sit next to the stagecoach driver armed with a shotgun

Question 11

B. An unbranded calf or independent-minded person

Question 12

A. To run away quickly

Question 13

C. A rattlesnake or a sneaky person

Question 14

A. A farmer who plowed the prairie

Question 15

B. An inexperienced newcomer

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