If you’re looking to string a greener,
try offering one a glass of beef tea. Better yet, get ’em roostered
on leopard sweat. Chances are, enough of either will send them
running outside to air the paunch. Confused? A quick perusal of Win
Blevins’ revised edition of the Dictionary of the American
West will set you straight.
Jam-packed with
the lingos of the many cultures that helped shape the American
West, Blevins’ dictionary spells out the histories and meanings of
words and sayings that are uniquely Western. While many of the
entries are primarily good for peppering your conversation at
cocktail parties, the dictionary also offers valuable insights into
the Native American Ghost Dance and boogie boarding, as well as
Earth First!ers and other Western subcultures. Whether you’re a
“greener” or a wizened “sourdough,” the Dictionary of the
American West will amaze you with the scope of the West’s
linguistic history.
And if you are the butt of
an old-timer’s joke, pass up the glass of beef-befouled tea, and
only drink leopard sweat – potent Mormon homemade whiskey – if you
think you can keep it down.
Dictionary of the American
West, by Win Blevins. Sasquatch Books (800/775-0817),
Seattle, Wash., 2001. Paperback: $19.95. 430 pages.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Dictionary of the American West.
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