Here’s a fun website in the spirit of our magazine’s “Drawl” column in the Know How section: Acowboydictionary.com
The amount of words and expressions in the English language (or should we say American) that come from cowboys and the ranching profession is absolutely staggering—not the least of which is “dude.” Ubiquitous and universally misused, “dude” is not a flattering term to anyone who knows their way around a horse, yet it has worked its way into modern slang as a term of endearment. Go figure.
Random Thought for the Day: That Sam Elliott ever agreed to play The Cowboy in the Coen brother’s “The Big Lebowski” shows what a great sense of humor he has. Jeff Bridges’ character The Dude is about as anti-cowboy as a person can be, yet Elliot’s cowboy somehow admires him and serves as his conscience. How Bridges will ever pull off the role of Rooster Cogburn in the Coen brother’s upcoming remake of True Grit remains to be seen. John Wayne’s Oscar-winning portrayal of Rooster will be tough to match.