Rendezvous Glossary

Typical Terms of Rendezvous Expressions

See also:
Typical Terms of Rendezvous Equipment
Typical Terms of Rendezvous Clothing

To aid you in deciphering the mysteries of Rendezvous vocabulary, we have provided the following definition of commonly used terms:

A Twist: Rolled tobacco leaves that are twisted. This can be broken and put into his pipe or can be chewed by the mountain man.
As the crow flies: The shortest and straightest line between two points. This term was in use long before the invention of aircraft.
cache: To put or store something in a safe place.
chaff: To make fun of someone. To rub someone the wrong way.
chaffer:: To haggle over prices or trade goods.
Cold feet: To be a coward. Someone who seeks shelter when the going gets tough.
Counting coup: To show bravery and receive honor by touching an enemy, usually with a special stick used for that purpose only. The first to touch received more honor than the second or third. Oddly enough, killing the enemy did not count for coup. The first to touch took the honor, even he is killed in the battle. When used by the mountain man, the expression "I'll count coup on him" usually meant "I'll kill him", after which, the taking of the dead man's scalp was normal.
Dig up the tomahawk: Start a war. Often the word "hatchet" was substituted for "tomahawk".
Flash in the pan: A misfire. Also a man who spends a great deal of time bragging, but never seems to be around when it comes to proving himself.
Flint Knapping: The process of chipping away material from high silica stones like "flint" in a carefully controlled manner with special tools to produce a sharp edge.
Fort up: Get ready to fight a defensive battle
Go under: To die.
Gone beaver: Said of someone who has been dead some time. He's about to go under; but once dead, he's a gone beaver.
Grease and beans: An expression meaning "Food".
Grease hunger: An expression meaning "I am hungry for meat."
Green hand: A term used for early traders meaning an inexperienced man.
Green meat: Meat which still had the animal heat in it.
He has bark: Said of a courageous person.
He has hair of the bear: The greatest praise a mountain man can say of another.
Heft: A very old term meaning "to lift and feel the weight of".
Hello the camp: A traditional greeting given before entering any strange camp. Better given at a slight distance or the visitor may not leave in the same manner that he entered,
His lights went out: He died.
Holler calf rope: Give up, surrender. An expression used by river boatmen.
Horrors: Delirium Tremans. After the first night or two at the Rocky Mountain Rendezvous many a mountain man faced the horrors.
I'm Dry: I am thirsty, likely for something stronger than water.
Larrupt: To eat in a hasty and sloppy manner
Lave hoi:: Time to roll out of bed. This expression, usually given in a good, loud voice, was used to awaken a partner or a whole party.
Lock, stock, and barrel: In total; the whole thing. For examples "He sold his shop, lock, stock, and barrel". This expression comes from the 3 major parts needed to construct a muzzle loading rifle or pistol.
Loco: Crazy.
Made wolf meat: A dead man left where he fell, for the wolves to dine on. An act of contempt.
Make beaver: To get a move on, to travel in a hurry.
Make meat: To hunt for and lay in a good store of meat.
Make medicine: To hold a pow-wow or meeting. To pray for spiritual guidance. To hold a religious service. To actually look for and find herbs, etc. to be used as medicine.
Meat bag: The human stomach.
Mud hooks: Human feet. This expression is still often heard among country people.
Near side: Left side
Noon it: To stop for the mid-day meal and rest.
Off side: Right side.
Ol' Coon: A friendly nickname used between mountain men.
Old coot: An eccentric or crotchety person, especially an eccentric old man.
Pinch: As in Give me a pinch of tobacco used for chewing.
Up to green river: Anything of quality was said to be "up to Green River".