Some of these words were entered from the old house and were not commonly used, but they were They were used by pioneers in some localities. Others were inappropriate forms or pronunciations of others lyrics but were common enough to warrant inclusion here. Still others are new words It arose from the necessities of entrepreneurial life and fell out of use with the introduction of new surroundings. There is no attempt to make a complete list of words for pioneer life, but giving Only a few of the words and phrases they used are now practically out of use.
- ash hopper, A kind of hopper made by placing slabs of clap about three feet long into a trough of three or four feet, leaving the upper end of the slabs extending about thirty degrees from perpendicular until the two sides meet in a trough, forming an angle of about sixty degrees. The ends are built up with other planks. Then the hopper was filled with wood ash and kept dry until they wanted to use it. The leading lady poured water over it to make lye, which was used to make soap.
- log backCut a log of a foot or more in diameter to place in the back of a hearth for a fire.
- Jack the boatA piece of plank eighteen inches or two feet long with a hole in one end for the heel of a shoe. It was used to remove shoes.
- duck propTwo dead ducks tied together to make it easier to carry.
- Buck leather breechespants made of jilbab leather, worn hairy side inside during cold weather and vice versa during summer.
- Mold bulletA small iron tool used by pioneers to cast bullets for their rifles.
- The Planewhich is a small log house created by building logs together like a pen and covered with clap boards.
- candle mouldsmolds made of tin into which tallow was poured to make candles.
- Candle clippingsa scissor-like tool for trimming the charred ends of a candle’s wick.
- clap wavethin and wide logs made by cutting logs into pieces two to five feet long
- Then divide them. The blocks were divided into eighths and then the points were divided and divided
- combed. This was called the bolt and the parts were called bolts. The bolts were then chipped or split into headboards. It was a good art to make good paintings.
- cards, a pair of wire brushes about six by nine inches, used for turning wool into yarn. This was called a sweep.
- ringingor blocks or splinters of wood used to fill cracks in the walls of the cabin.
- civilized meatan expression used to distinguish pork and beef from venison or other wild animal meat.
- Cradle of civilization, which is a tool made for chopping wheat. It had a sneed or handle about four feet long, properly curved, a blade and four fingers, each about three feet long, held at right angles to the handle with the fingers positioned in such a position as to catch the grains as they fell from the blade. A strong man could chop and clear about three acres a day.
- Crane, Place hooks in the place of the fire to hang pots and kettles over the fire. Sometimes they hung meat on it for roasting.
- creature. Pioneers often referred to their horses as critters. The word is a distortion of the word, O creatures.
- dinner centurywhich is a horn used to summon farmers from the field.
- Iron dog, another name for andiron or fireog. They were used to prevent the wood from falling
- from the place of the fire.
- curtain Incorrect pronunciation of a drop, eg, I just swept to see you a minute, or kids scooped corn.
- Pumpkin drink, a percussion with a part grown like a plunger’s handle and one side of it cut off to make it like a plunger. One is usually kept in the well. Hold one to three pints and they’ll last a long time.
- Fence worm, the first rail of each rail fence panel. They are built in a zigzag shape to enable them to have cross bars at the ends. Placing a fence worm was not an easy task.
- Fifth quarter, beef skins and tallow. It was sometimes given to an expert rifleman in a shooting match in order to appease him for excluding him from the game.
- the fireplaceA large opening in a chimney in which a fire could be lit.
- flint lock, A gun arranged so that a piece of steel strikes fire from a piece of flint and thus ignites the powder.
- Frou (fro), a machine with a blade about sixteen inches long and with a handle of about the same length, held at right angles. It was used to tear clap boards.
- gWord to the horse telling him to turn right. The opposite is true.
- Gallussuspenders.
- grease lamp, in use for more than two thousand years. It consisted of a dish of some sort containing tallow and cotton string for the wick. The end of the wick attached to the side of the bowl was shot. By capillary tugging, the grease is drawn out and burned, giving off a fairly good light.
- Garage (grater), a common article made by piercing a piece of tin and taping it to a sheet, making a piece of cylinder with the rough side of the tin out. It was used to grate corn.
- hand spike, a winch five or six feet long with both ends smooth, used for carrying logs, a man hoisted at each end of the hand spike, with the log in the centre. In wooden rolls, two or three under the same log were used. It was quite a feat to drag everyone down with a fist.
- horse power, now a unit of energy. Then it meant a machine to which horses were tied to go around in a circle and provide power to milling mills, saw mills, etc.
- Indian summer, a period of mild weather in late fall or early winter, usually characterized by clear skies and a hazy, smoke-like horizon. Its origin is uncertain, but tradition says it was time for the Indians to burn the leaves and gather the nuts.
- Johnny BoardA smooth board to put the dough on before the fire to bake the bread. may have been Trip board corruption, a name given to them because they used them when they were hitchhiking.
- Johnny CakeBaking cake made on a johnny board.
- latch chain A thread runs from the door latch up and out through the hole like this in such a way as to allow the latch to be lifted with it while it is suspended. If the latch chain hangs, visitors will be welcomed to enter, hence the phrase “latch chain hanging,” when we mean to say you’re welcome.
- driving, the horse on the left is in a team of two. It is sometimes called the “close” horse. The other is “outside” the horse.
- hymn line. Songbooks were scarce, so a preacher would read a line from a song, then sing it, then read another and so on through the song. This was called ‘I Padded Hymn’. “
- looming A large machine, usually home-made, used for weaving cloth, carpets, etc.
- Lynsey Woolseya kind of woolen garment, home-made.
- lizarda piece of wood cut from the thorn of a tree and made into a kind of sled, used for hauling logs.
- mutual concessions. In the winter the farmers cleared the land, that is, they cut down the wood, and in the spring the neighbors met and rolled and piled the logs to be burned. This meeting was called the Rolling Record.
- mast, The harvest of nuts, acorns, etc., which fell from forest trees in autumn. The pigs were allowed to run free and were fattened.
- Mourners seatthe front seat of the church where those who repented of their sins were urged to come to pray for them.
- crowd todayIt is a day for all men to gather together and practice military exercises. (See History of Waller in Illinois.)
- billion, a kind of saddle or pad for a lady, is placed on a horse behind a gentleman’s saddle. It was customary for a young man to take his best girl on a horse.
- pleatWhole animal skin.
- rayIt is a rope used to guide a horse while plowing.
- pounder, which is a weight used to grind grain. It varied in weight from one pound to several pounds. Sometimes it was a large round pebble but it was usually made of wood.
- puncheona piece of wood six or eight feet long, open, the round side notched and the other smooth, used for making floors, &c.
- powder hornwhich is the horn of a cow in which the powder was carried while hunting.
- Feather penA writing pen made of goose feathers. It was a great point for the teacher to be able to make a good pen.
- early, A tool used to prepare yarn for knitting.
- Venison saddle Two uncut venison.
- Pumpkin saltA gourd in which salt is preserved. It usually has a hole at the top on one side and is suspended by the stem.
- Shave the horseBench with vise arranged for working from the feet. It was used to hold a piece of wood while it was being shaved or cut with a pullknife.
- Raccoon shine. This meant getting to such a position that the raccoon that the dogs had “flat” (found in a tree) would be exactly between the hunter and the moon. A good archer can shoot for the moon and get a raccoon.
- Gazelle shine. This meant setting fire to the forest at night and waiting for the deer to appear so that the bright light could be seen in the eyes of the deer. The deer were shy and kept aloof, but a good bowler could get them.
- beguilea tool for turning to move the loom.
- bag shota leather bag slung around the shoulders, used to carry bullets while hunting.
- spinning wheela wheel driving a spindle that women used to spin yarn after it was “combed”, i.e. turned into loose threads with cards.
- trenchesa wooden plate, a very common thing.
- Moving BedLow bed on wheels. He would run under another bed during the day and out at night. It was for the children.
- turn of milling. After the mills were established, the pioneers took the wheat and corn to the mill to grind “bread”. It may have been three bushels of wheat and three bushels of corn, but no definite authority on the matter can be found. Some say it means only half that amount.
- Deer meatdeer in the meat.
- warping barsa frame with a large number of bobbins, used to obtain “warps” or threads of equal length before weaving them into a carpet or piece of cloth.
- Well sweepa pole with a heavy end suspended across the top of an upright fork in such a position that the weight of the heavy end lifted a bucket of water from the well with the light end.
- whipIt is a saw used by the pioneers of sawmilling. The log was placed on a frame so that one man could pull the saw straight down. Then another man pulls her off. And so the process continued somewhat after the cross-saw method.