What are the origins of the word Dogie the cowboy slang for a motherless calf?

Asked by: Sara Walker

A dogey is cowboy parlance for a motherless calf. It came into use in the 1880s. Nobody knows exactly where it came from, but there are a few ideas. According to “Western Words” by Ramon Adams, a series of unusually hard winters left a lot of orphan calves.

Where did the word Dogie come from?

The other: the word originated during a severe winter in the late 1880s when a large number of mother cows died off, leaving a bunch of skinny orphans. With their bellies resembling a batch of sourdough stored in a sack, cowboys called them “dough-guts,” and it was later shortened to dogie.

What is an orphaned calf called?

A calf that has lost its mother is an orphan calf, also known as a poddy or poddy-calf in British. Bobby calves are young calves which are to be slaughtered for human consumption.

What does heifer mean in cowboy?

young female cow

Heifer: young female cow, raised to replace the older cows in a herd or to provide meat. Leppy: An orphaned calf. Usually easily recognized by their pot bellies. Sometimes also used referring to a young cowboy who is inept in cowboy ways.

What is a cutter in cowboy terms?

Definition of trail cutter
: a cowboy who breaks through a moving herd of cattle to search for strays.

What is Dogie slang for?

Dogie definition
(west) A stray or motherless calf. noun. (cowboy slang, colloquial) A motherless calf in a range herd of cattle; a calf separated from its cow. noun.

What does Dogey mean?

a motherless calf

or dogy or dogey (ˈdəʊɡɪ ) nounWord forms: plural -gies or -geys. Western US and Canadian. a motherless calf.

What is a bobby calf?

A Bobby calf is aged 5-30 days old and not accompanied by its mother. They are commonly a dairy or dairy cross animal. Bobby calves are often sold through property to property sales and occasionally through livestock markets.

What does it mean when a cow bobs its head?

Going to find a place to lie down. Watching you with an expression of mild to somewhat-intent interest. Raising and bobbing their heads to smell you, if you’ve got their attention. The bull “courting” the cows (sniffing and licking the genital area, attempting to mount, etc.)

What is a leppy calf?

Definition of leppy
chiefly West. : a motherless calf : dogie.

What is a female cowboy called?

A cowgirl is the female equivalent of a cowboy.

What does Frog Walker mean?

Sometimes a bucking bronco who is no longer trying hard to buck a cowboy off will only crow hop. A crow hop can also happen when a horse is trying to stop forward motion and the rider is handling the rains incorrectly. Also known as Frog walking.

What did cowboys call a meal?

Cowboys in the United States relished similar “chuck” (also called grub or chow).

What toilet paper did cowboys use?

Mullein aka “cowboy toilet paper”
If the cowboys used the large velvety leaves of the mullein (Verbascum thapsus) plant while out on the range, then you can too! Mullein is a biennial plant available for use in almost every bioregion.

Why did they call it a chuck wagon?

Often, cowboys showed up for work with little more than the clothes on their backs, so there was also space for bedrolls, blankets, and slickers. Since the cowboys referred to their meals as “chuck,” an English term that referred to good, hearty food, this new invention became known as the chuck wagon.