![]() In the ole’ days, some might have called this cowgirl a “piece of calico.” Often used when carrying children on the back – piggyback. Picayune – Used to signify something small or frivolous. Petticoat Pensioner – A man who lives on a prostitute’s earnings. “I’m peskily sorry to hear of your loss.” Perk – Lively, brisk, holding up the head Pennyweighter – In the mining camps of the Old West, a pennyweighter was a person who stole very small quantities of gold from the mining operation for whom he worked. Later generations would call them pulp fiction. Penny Dreadful – A slang term for cheap, lurid fictional magazines that incorporated the same kind of literature as the dime novels. Formed by pounding the choice parts of the meat very small, dried over a slow fire or in the frost, and put into bags made of the skin of the slain animal, into which a portion of melted fat is then poured. Pemican – Easily carried food substance on the frontier. (Literally, to throw into the Pecos River.) Pecker Pole – What a logger called a small tree or sapling. Pay Dirt – When prospectors find valuable minerals they had hit “pay dirt.” Might be worn for the grand entry parade at a rodeo. Parade Chaps – A pair of chaps strictly for show. Pancake – A derogatory term for a small English saddle. Pair of Overalls – Two drinks of whiskey. Painting the Town Red – Going out on the town for a fun, sometimes wild, time. Zogbaum, in Harper’s Weekly, October 16, 1886. “Painting The Town Red” – A wood engraving by R.F.
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