You gotta know the Lingo…
My Grandpa J. R. Crites and his buddy in their “Sunday Go To Meetin’ Clothes”.
He always said you never should feel bad when an old guy cashes in his chips, kicks the bucket or doesn’t show up at the feed trough.. He said you should be glad not sad the old boy is out of his misery.
My sister reminded me the other day about Dad when he couldn’t make a funeral he would say I don’t feel too bad about not going as the old boy isn’t gonna come to mine.
The Railroad has its own lingo too..
- Hoghead is the engineer
- Gandy Dancer is a section laborer
- Yard Bull is the Railroad Police
- The Crummy was the Caboose
- Being on the High Steel means all of the train was out of the siding on the Main Line
- When the Ghost Walks or when the Eagle poops was pay day
- Brakie was the Brakeman
- Corn was the Conductor
- The Old Rails, older than me, always talked about Tight Shoe Night which was Saturday Night and you wore the shoes you never wore except on Saturday Night for dancing…
- Many names for the upper echelon management, but all of them can’t be typed here account we are G rated.
My Uncle Don S. always had his own way of expressing himself.. One of my favorites was when you had money you were “Flush”. Money itself he referred to it as “Getus”.
A lot of other little things I’m forgetting and will add them when I think of them.. Any of you that have any feel free to add them. Thanks for spending a little time with me.
26 Comments
Leave a Reply
Get Your Copies Today!
My newest book, The Dread, has just been published! Click the book cover below to read more.
The Long Awakening is now available in Paperback and eBook formats. Click the book cover below to purchase!
My Grandpa Abe S. always used the word “Loblolly” which meant one muddy mess..
I remember Bill always saying “It’s a barn burner” when it was a hot day. I think he always added the same name of a person, but cannot right now remember what it was.
He also said it’s “Hotter than the Hubs of Hell” when it was really hot. I can’t remember the rest of the barn burner name yet either, maybe will come to me. Thanks Arla.
When it rained a lot It was “A Root soaker and a Gulley Washer”
Whenever my Dad was talking about someone who had a fancy house on the hill they were the “E”lite.. The E was a very long “E” pronounced Long E and the word light… NOT elete. He would say he would go rub elbows with the “E”lite when he got flush{got a lot of getus/money}
Couple of George’s favorites: Hotter than a cat on a tin roof.
or slicker than snot on a brass doorknob. Eeeew!
Thanks Mary. Good ones.
Pretty sure they were planted in the old boneyard. I am not sure if that is “Montana Speak” or “The Lexicon of Bill”. 🙂
A couple of the yardies had some good ones. My favorite was Rosie’s term for Mr. Geiger, always called him a “ground monkey”! And let me tell ya Jerry would bounce up and down every time Rosie called him that on the radio! Thanks for the memories Russ! Hugs!
Nikki I had forgotten that one. Elena I’ve heard that one also Ground Pounder…The foreman of the switch crew was called the “Push” by some too.
Do you remember who used to say
“It’s darker than the inside of a mule out there.”
Yes I do Chen. Thanks for jogging my memory. Yes it was dark a lot of Nights on the old RailRoad.
George said all the old hogheads ran their engines by the seat of their pants, learning from the older guys instead of going to school.
Yes Mary I remember not only George saying that but alot of the older hogheads. Yes they were the best teachers, learned more from the older engineers than school for sure.
When you disagreed with someone you “Had a Bone to Pick” with them.. On the Railroad when you talked to the dispatcher you went to “Make Medicine” with them.
my husband was a gandy dancer for a season. my mother-in-law said her husband came home from work “hungrier than the east end of a west bound mule.” There were many other common says but, I can’t remember them…getting too old, I guess.
Thank you June, being a railroader the term Gandy Dancer is very familiar and I haven’t heard the hungrier one in a long, long time. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing! These are great. .I enjoyed each and every one !
These are great! Thanks for sharing! I’ve enjoyed each and every one!
Michelle I got a kick out of writing this one and a kick out of every comment.. Have a Great Day and thanks for your time..
How about “a come to Jesus meetin’ “
Mary I haven’t heard that one in ages.. Thank you..
I enjoyed this every bit as much as the first time I read it! Another one for you – “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse, and gallop after the rider!”
Thanks Michelle, good to hear from you.. That is a Good one.
I’ll be there “come hell or high water.” That i if “the good Lord willin’ and the creek don’t rise.”
Thank you Mary, yes 2 good ones, glad you jogged my memory.. Thanks for comin by.