The Wordsworth Dictionary of the American West

by Win Blevins

Did you ever need to spell "dogie" (as in, get-along-little) or need to know what a "sakey" is? This is the book that can tell you how to spell, pronounce, and define over 5,000 terms relative to the American West.

Want to know what a "breachy" cow is? Turn to page 43 to learn that it's an adjective used to describe a cow that has a tendency to find her way through fences where she isn't supposed to be. Describes some teenagers we know!

Spend hours perusing the dictionary at random, or read straight through to get a flavor of the West from its beginnings to contemporary days. Laced with photographs and maps, the Dictionary of the American West will make you sound like an expert on all things western, even if you don't know a dingus from a dinner plate.

Compiled of words brought into English from Native Americans, emigrants, Mormons, Hispanics, migrant workers, loggers, and fur trappers, the dictionary opens up history and culture in an enchanting way. From "Aarigaa!" to "zopilote," the Dictionary of the American West is a "valuable book, a treasure for any literate American's library."--Tony Hillerman

Genres: History, Reference, Nonfiction

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Winfred Blevins

Reviews

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dictionary of the American West: Over 5,000 Terms and Expressions from Aarigaa! to Zopilote by Win Blevins is a fun and informative book. I highlighted but it didn't save, :(. A lot of these saying my grandmother and grandfather said. I grew up eating 'frog eye puddin', which is tapioca pudding. She had a 'fraide hole' which is a place to hide from storms. So many things I knew in the book from her. They were country folks for sure. It had a lot of history in it and not just the terms. Great book!

[Owen Townend · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am much obliged to the Dictionary of the American West. It is exactly what the title suggests, a directory of lesser-known Westernisms for uninitiated greenhorns like myself. I have been dipping in and out for words, images and functions to bring my own Western novella collection to life.

While I can only assume Blevins is authentic in his round-up, I was delighted to learn all kinds of definitions from adobe ('a brick made of earth or clay and straw and dried in the sun...') to yamping ('stealing; theft'). I have even marked down some wonderful words and phrases for future use (e.g. 'bandbox', 'deadwood', 'leaned against a bullet going past', 'up to trap').

If it wasn't for this book I would never have discovered the philosophy of the mountain man or the criminal creativity involved in cattle branding. I wouldn't know the Cherokee from the Spokane tribe. While visiting the American West would undoubtedly be more immersive, reading this Dictionary has surely illuminated the landscape in my head.

But enough of my dime novel yarning. It's becoming clear that the subject is above my bend and there's certainly no more beans left in this wheel. I recommend Dictionary of the American West to fellow dudes and remittance men who want to learn a little something about life in the Old West.

[Kai · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have enjoyed reading through this dictionary, but I have found it to have some errors and omissions. For instance, the entry for "Hell's half acre" does not mention that this term was applied to the red-light district of Fort Worth, TX. It also mentions that the term "gun" was not applied to handguns, but only to cannon. There are instances in the literature of the period to disprove this. Overall, the dictionary is a fun read and a good way to introduce oneself to the terminology of the American West, both new and old, but as with anything else, one must do one's own research to verify the accuracy of the information found within it.

[Peg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very entertaining reading through this dictionary. I've been reading through some old periodicals and correspondence and this has provided me with more insight. I think as always it's interesting to see how the meaning of words have changed with the times, and with this book it definitely didn't disappoint.

[Andy Hickman · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Dictionary of the American West" by Win Blevins

5000 definitions
e.g.
Mother lode = The principal part of an ore vein. By extension, the real thing, the big hit, the grand stuff of fantasy. (p152)

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Informative but definitely to be taken with a grain of salt. A lot of the definitions are absolutely questionable and it's clear that it's decently outdated compared to current times

[Wyomingmy307 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource of language of the West and Southwest. As with most dictionaries it's an alphabetical listing of terms. It also goes into some detail on historical background of some of the terms. I used this book in preparation for a podcast episode on Words of Wyoming, featuring an interview of Grant Barrett from NPR's A Way With Words.

[Chris Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

All right. I know I am probably the only person to read a dictionary, but this was my idle time go to for over a year. It was informative, funny, and in some case fascinating look at the language of the west and how much of it lingers on in larger society. This is especially true of many of the words that originated in Spanish. I would not call it 'must' read, but if you are a fan of Louis L'Amour, Zane Grey or western history, I might have a copy handy.