Hunters & Healers: Folklore Types & Topics Page: 47
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tion in meaning, of the cowboy, the farmer, the sailor, the railroader,
and of minority or racial groups find a place in the speech of truck
drivers. It should be called to the reader's attention that the reasons
for borrowing certain words are not always discernible.
The sailor's influence on trucking vocabulary is indicated in such
words as scow, meaning a truck with capacity for large loads; slave
ship, a truck with solid tires; and swamper, a non-driving helper. To
throw out the anchor, is to put on the brakes; to have been round
the Horn is to have a truck with high mileage on the speedometer.
There is evidence of the farmer's contribution in mule, a small
tractor for moving warehouse freight; corn binder, an Internation-
al Harvester truck; and flatlander or hayshaker, one who is unable
to cope with mountainous or crooked roads. A holstein refers to
the black and white markings on a patrol car; to put it on with a
pitchfork is to load carelessly.
Terms such as pour on the coal, bearing down on the acceler-
ator; flagged him down, to stop another truck; balling, fast driv-
ing; and engineer, a euphemism for road man, attest to the in-
fluence of railroad terminology.
Mankind's affinity for applying terms referring to a minority,
racial, or geographical group is apparent in the vocabulary of
truck drivers. A gypsy is an independent, non-company driver,
while a reb refers to a Southern driver or company. A load for the
Pope is a load carried free; sold out to the Yankees refers to a
driver who has disabled his truck. To coast downhill with the truck
in neutral is to drive in Jew gear or Mexican overdrive. A Jim Crow
load pertains to the logging practice of carrying two small logs on
the outside bottom with a big log on top. If a driver is training to be
an Eskimo, he continually rides with an open window in cold
weather.
It is from the cowboy that the truck driver most frequently bor-
rows words and phrases. Cowboy itself is applied disparagingly to
designate a reckless driver or a new, unskilled driver. A rough-riding
truck, like a bronc, may be a kidney buster; widow-maker refers, not
to a killer horse, but to a sleeping berth added to a tractor and con-
structed so that in case of an accident a sleeper would have littleDIESEL SMOKE AND DANGEROUS CURVES
47
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Hunters & Healers: Folklore Types & Topics (Book)
Volume of Texan and Mexican folklore, including stories about hunting, folk medicine, ballads, religion and other folklore. The index begins on page 169.
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Texas Folklore Society. Hunters & Healers: Folklore Types & Topics, book, 1971; Austin, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc38857/m1/63/: accessed April 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Press.