cowboy n.
1. (orig. US) a reckless man.
![[US]](/static/img/flags/us.png "United States") | It’s Up to You 63: If those cowboys ever grew wise to the fact that we were honeying they would immediately turn that train into a howling wilderness of noise. | |
| (con. 1917–18) War Bugs 120: Often, of course, these S.O.S. cowboys would bump into the wrong guys. | |
| Waiting for Lefty Act I: You got the committee here. This bunch of cowboys you elected. | |
| Monster Midway (1954) 3: Cowboy: an obstreperous lout. | |
| Felony Tank (1962) 56: You better keep your mouth shut, cowboy, or you’ll be right out here with him. | |
| Dear ‘Herm’ 11: Keep your eyes on this cowboy! A real hot Go-getter. Flies won’t grow on our ‘Herm’!! | |
| Goodfellas [film script] 76: He’s a good kid, but he’s crazy. He’s a cowboy. | |
| Rough Justice 275: He was one of those officers who had an unsettling vigilante streak—a cowboy. | |
![[Aus]](/static/img/flags/aus.png "Australia") | Paydirt [ebook] That’s when the bickering and dissension start [...] The cowboys want to take off and start spending their money. | |
![[Scot]](/static/img/flags/sco.png "Scotland") | Filth 153: A bit of a cowboy this cunt. Good. | |
| Night Gardener 5: He was not enamored of [...] any of the other mavericks, cowboys and other variety of living legends. | |
![[UK]](/static/img/flags/uk.png "United Kingdom") | Life 297: He had a bunch of sidekicks, this team of cowboys who we decided were safer on the payroll than off. | |
| ‘Carny Lingo’ in http://goodmagic.com 🌐 Cowboy — Hooligan who comes on the lot looking for ways to cause trouble. |
2. attrib. use of sense 1.
| Carlito’s Way 103: ‘[G]ood Italian blood being lost right here in Brooklyn in crazy cowboy shit’. | |
![[NZ]](/static/img/flags/nz.png "New Zealand") | Jake’s Long Shadow 237: Was that their son who got beaten up? The incident that later involved a bunch of cowboy vigilantes. | |
| Deuce’s Wild 53: ‘Now you make sure you don’t try any cowboy shit this time, ’cause we ready for you.’ The man thrust the pistol barrel harder in my back. | |
| The Force [ebook] ‘[N]o cowboy bullshit, no illegal wires, no booming, no dropping your own dime’. | |
| ‘The Last Ride’ in Broken 306: [T]he post commander tells him he won’t put up with any ‘cowboy shit’. |
3. (US) a man who appears to lack interest in women.
| Appleton Post-Crescent (WI) 29 Apr. 7/2: Flapper Dictionary cow boy – A young fellow who doesn’t pay much attention to girls. |
4. (US) a man, usu. a youth, who frequents drugstores for no other reason than to meet his friends, to gossip and to waste time.
| Judge (NY) 91 July-Dec. 31: Cowboy - Drug store loafer. | |
| (con. 1920s) Young Manhood in Studs Lonigan (1936) 287: Those two snotty drug-store cow-boys had taken his mind off his game. |
5. (orig. US) a reckless driver; also attrib.
| New Yorker 3 Nov. 94: Cowboy – A taxicab driver who makes speed through traffic and around fenders. | |
| Rev. of Reviews June 43: Cowboy – reckless driver [HDAS]. | |
| You Chirped a Chinful!! n.p.: Cowboy: Tank driver. | |
| N.Y. Times Mag. 16 Mar. 88: Cowboy – a motorist given to ‘moving violations’ – jumping lights, weaving, speeding, etc. | |
| M*A*S*H 84: Send some cowboys to Seoul for all the goddam blood they can get. | |
| Custom Car Nov. 5/3: No sane rodder would risk hundreds of pounds worth of paint and effort by driving when he was smashed, surely? Are we talking about the cowboy element again? [OED]. | |
| Spike Island (1981) 107: This cowboy came down in a big Yankee car [...] he’s actually paralytic. | |
| Aus. Transport News 8 Apr. 🌐 Respected journo Paul Barry will be following a cowboy truck driver. | |
![[SA]](/static/img/flags/sa.png "South Africa") | Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg) 20 Aug. 🌐 All the shysters, crooks and cowboy drivers. |
6. (US) a ruthless, unrestrained criminal; thuscowboyish adj.
| Criminalese. | |
| Und. and Prison Sl. 30: cowboy, n. A gunman who is fond of displaying his weapons. | |
| et al. DAUL 51/1: Cowboy, n. A thief who operates in Wild West tradition; a reckless thief; a thief who flourishes weapons or assaults victims unnecessarily. | |
| Flesh Peddlers (1964) 20: Oh, the cowboy? He’s doing five-to-seven at Q. | |
| Carlito’s Way 21: I was still a cowboy for years yet. | |
| Fort Apache, The Bronx 10: The three were known ‘cowboys’, small time heist guys who stick up four or five places a night. | |
| in That Was Business, This Is Personal 16: Small jewellers, terrorise the staff, grab everything in the showcases and leg it out to a stolen car. Very cowboyish. | |
| Killing Pool 96: The necessary authorization for us to join forces with our sheep-shagging comrades on the wild west isle of Anglesey and nick these cowboys. | |
| Shore Leave 153: ‘You fucken cowboys [...] rippin me...’. |
7. (US) a western sandwich or omelette.
| Star (Marion, OH) 19 Sept. 6/5: For years restaurant counter men and waiters have used their own language in relaying orders to busy chefs. [...] Among the favorites and best known are: [...] ‘cowboy’, western sandwich. | |
| Newark (OH) Advocate 21 May 3/3–4: cowboy – western omelet. |
8. a bow-legged man.
| DSUE (8th edn) 261/2: since ca. 1950. |
9. (US) in poker, a king.
| ‘Vocab of Poker’ AS XXVI:2 98/1: cowboys. Kings. | |
| , | | DAS 126/1: cowboy n. A king in a deck of playing cards. |
| Another Day in Paradise 257: George [...] bets on a king, saying, ‘Two on the cowboy.’. |
10. a man; the inference is derog.; also attrib.
| Grant’s Tomb 9: ‘Do the Palms really pay their cowboys two hundred bucks a week?’. | |
| (con. 1940s) Dark Sea Running 175: Maybe the war was over for them swivel-chair cowboys in the Pentagon. | |
| Cannibals 27: What about that cowboy star you forced me to give twentyfive per cent of my show to? | |
| Billy Rags [ebook] He’d once seen Terry do his pieces on an old billiard hall cowboy called Harold Pearson. | |
| Gardens of Stone (1985) 177: Whadaya mean yup, you ignorant cowboy? | |
| ‘The Granton Star Cause’ in Acid House 125: Get this cowboy doon tae the cells. | |
| Guardian G2 2 June 3: Some cowboy trying to peddle a clapped out old crock. |
11. a police officer.
| Absolute Beginners 69: The Swift part [...] comes from his rapid disappearance at the approach of any cowboys. | |
| It Was An Accident 174: None looked like cowboys out of Walthamstow. | |
| Cherry Pie [ebook] The damn cowboys in the cop car were veering over. |
12. see cowboy killer
13. an average, run-of-the-mill criminal.
| Prison Community (1940) 331/1: cowboy, n. A young inexperienced gangster. | |
| You Flash Bastard 153: The draughtsman being connected with someone safe who was connected in some way with Rosi, who was probably legitimately connected with someone [...] The only people ever nicked were the cowboys actually doing the blagging. | |
| Deathdeal [ebook] ‘A pair of cowboys. You were hired to rob me?’. | |
| Outlaws (ms.) 37: Which cunt is backing this cowboy up? |
14. a general term of address.
| Going After Cacciato (1980) 23: Don’t forget, cowboy, you got your own health to think about. | |
| Soul Circus 204: I don’t know what you dream about up here, cowboy, but it doesn’t get anything solved. | |
| Rough Riders 161: Easy does it, cowboy. What the hell happened? |
15. (US black) an aggressive, tough black man; a thug.
| Runnin’ Down Some Lines 119: Now d’ cowboy, he make a lotta noise, get foul wi’ chu. Turn out a party – get to throwin’ things, start a fight. Act crazy. Call attention to hisself. Jus’ a varmint, a rowdy. But he ain’t gonna waste you! | |
| (con. 1970) 13th Valley (1983) 275: The cowboys. All these young bucks who ain’t been drafted yet. They like a gang back on the block cept worse. [...] Four wise-ass cowboys take half of what I give’m. They rough him up. | |
| Deadmeat 259: They loved to play at being cowboys and thought nothing of putting a bullet through your head. |
16. a tradesman (esp. of the building and allied trades), who ignores the basic ethics and business standards of his peers and aims only for money; thus cowboy builder, cowboy plumber etc.
| ‘Jobs for the Boys’ in Boys from the Blackstuff (1985) [TV script] 38: Y’mean when me and Kevin got the sack because of you cowboys. | |
| ‘The Yellow Peril’ Only Fools and Horses [TV script] What do you think I am, a cowboy or something? | |
| Crosskill [ebook] ‘There’ll always be blokes who swipe cars, always be chop-shop cowboys who flog or use the parts off them’. | |
![[Ire]](/static/img/flags/ire.png "Ireland") | Salesman 329: Shower of useless cowboys, shagged off without finishin’ the job. | |
| Experience 302: We are reduced to looking in the Yellow Pages – for the jobbers and cowboys. |
17. (US prison) an inmate who has no affiliation with any prison gang or group.
| (con. 1998–2000) You Got Nothing Coming 215: ‘Went J-Cat down in Folsom — think’s he’s a fucking cowboy now.’ ‘A cowboy?’ [...] ‘Yeh, the J-Cat don’t run with nobody’. |
18. (US prison) a novice officer.
| Other Side of the Wall: Prisoner’s Dict. July 🌐 Cowboy: New officer. Spelled backwards, its ‘yobwoc’. |
In phrases
(US) to dispense with rules.
| Border [ebook] [H]e’d risk breaking into Eddie’s place and setting the wire [...] Hell, they went cowboy on the tracking device, what’s the difference? |
SE in slang uses
In compounds
(US, Western) a pack of cigarette papers.
| Arizona Highways Feb. 8: Roll-your-own cigarettes were so popular that the little books of papers were called ‘cowboy bibles.’ [DARE]. |
(US, Southwest) any form of open-topped vehicle, e.g. a pick-up truck.
| Orlando Sentinel (FL) 6 Feb. 16/2: The [film] [...] has to do with the cowboy-cadillac set in Arizona. | |
| Evergreen Rev. 6 70: The man in hat has his cowboy Cadillac out front — a convertible with a dog in it. | |
| CB Hbk 126: Cowboy Cadillac — An El Camino or Ford ranchero (open-backed cars) [HDAS]. | |
| Blue Highways 115: A parking lot full of pickups, Cadillacs, and El Caminos (‘cowboy cadillacs’). | |
| ‘Cowboy Cadillac’ 🎵 It’s a cowboy cadillac, mud grips, gun rack. / Factory four-on-the-floor. | |
| (con. 1959) Michael Bedwell Cowboy Cadillac Ch. 1: We took the freshly-painted and spit-shined Chevy on its maiden voyage. [...] To further confirm his identity as a cattleman he had replaced the factory hood ornament with a little bronze steer and attached a sticker which said ‘Cowboy Cadillac’ to the rear bumper. | |
| Meeting the Medicine Men 139: I realised he was actually saying ‘Cowboy Cadillac’ [...] Cowboy Cadillac being a slang term for the kind of big Ford pickup truck he drove. | |
| Mother Warned You 8: The big dude had driven off in a 'Cowboy Cadillac' that looked new. Besides duel tires, it had more bells and whistles than the Pentagon's latest toy. |
(Aus./WA/US) (baked) beans.
| Aus. Word Map 🌐 cowboy caviar baked beans: ‘Ah’, said the checkout person at a Kalgoorlie supermarket to a blokey customer who had just plonked a tin of baked beans on the counter ‘I see you're having cowboy caviar for tea’. | |
| Claimed by a Cowboy 176: Tess plunked a tortilla chip into the spicy black-bean-based ‘cowboy caviar’. |
(US) straight whisky.
| Chicago Trib. 12 Dec. Magazine n.p.: ‘Cowboy cocktail’: One shot and you’re headed for the last roundup. | |
| Western Words (2nd edn) 91/1: Cowboy cocktail Straight whiskey because that is the way the cowboy wanted it. |
(US) black coffee.
 | Los Angeles Evening Citizen News (CA) 19 Oct. 5/2: [T]he recipe for cowboy coffee has been closely guarded. Jack gives it to a palpitant world. Throw four pounds of the coffee as harshly as possible into a gallon of cold water [etc]. | |
| Corvallis Gaz.-Times (OR) 21 Apr. 6/6: [S]our dough biscuits, hotcakes and real cowboy coffee. | |
| ‘Professor Sea Gull’ in Joe Gould’s Secret (1996) 4: Cowboy coffee, he says, is strong coffee drunk black without sugar. | |
| McSorley’s Wonderful Saloon (2001) 52: Cowboy coffee [...] is strong coffee drunk black without sugar. | |
| Backpacker Aug. 34/2: Before coffee in general became a finicky craze, most camp-coffee disputes focused on the proper method of making ‘cowboy coffee’ — you simply dumped the grounds right into the water. |
(US, also cowboy) a Marlboro cigarette; any cigarette.
| Current Sl. IV:2. | |
| Hartford Courtant (CT) 16 June A26/5: Hanley [...] did not think he would be able to write a story without what he called his ‘cowboy killers,’ or Marlboro cigarettes. | |
| Newsday (Melville, NY) 15 Dec. (Suffolk edn) 8/3: The art would look like a Marlboro hard pack and that words Cowboy Killers’ would be printed in type like that on the cigarette pack. | |
| Campus Sl. Spring 2: cancer stick – cigarette. Also [...] cowboy killer. | |
| Times (Munster, IN) 31 Jan. A3/1: I don’t want to come in your home and snatch your cowboy killer from your lips as you [...] light up. | |
| Hattiesburg American (MS) 14 Mar. A7/1: [T]he four previous holders of the title [Marlboro Man] died of respiratory diseases, earning cigarettes the sobriquet of ‘Cowboy Killers’. | |
| (Owensboro, KY) A1/3: He smoked ‘cowboy killers’ for 40 years and developed lung cancer. |
(US campus) a dare.
| Campus Sl. Mar. 2: cowboy question – a dare; a question of honor. | |
| Sl. and Sociability 96: Cowboy question takes its meaning from the implicit command ‘assume the character of a cowboy and act like one’. It is a challenge to someone’s bravery or honor. |
In phrases
(US) to control one’s emotions, to put on a brave, tough face.
| ‘Huskers HQ’ Indep. 6 Oct. 🌐 He and middle linebacker Carlos Polk, who suffered an ankle sprain, ‘were talking on the sideline about “cowboying up” or something like that,’ Kaiser said. [...] The term ‘cowboy up’ comes from the 1994 movie ‘8 Seconds,’ which was based on the life of rodeo bull-rider Lane Frost, and implies being tough in the face of adversity. Nebraska’s defense needs to ‘cowboy up,’ following a less-than-impressive performance against Missouri. | |
| CBSNews 28 Dec. 🌐 ‘There’s a saying called “Cowboying up,”’ he said. ‘When the odds are against you, you put it all in the back of your head and you nod with your heart.’. | |
| Bangs 85: Bangs dared one of the motorcycle cops [...] to ride naked along the Day Boulevard parade route [...] The cop cowboyed up: ‘I’ll do it, but not completely naked—I never ride without my helmet and boots’. |