List of lumberjack jargon
Stewart Holbrook was a lumberjack-turned-writer whose first book was Holy Old Mackinaw: A Natural History of the American Lumberjack (ISBN 1112559892). That book, first published in 1938, includes a Loggers Dictionary which defines some of the jargon of the lumberjack. The following list is excerpted from that and other sources:Barber chair: a tree which splits upward along the grain during falling.Batteau: a type of boat used on river drives in the eastern United StatesBirling: the game of logrollingBranding ax: a tool used for marking ownership of a logBuck: to cut a tree into lengths after it has been felledBucker: one who saws trees into logsBullcook (also known derogatorily as the crumb boss): a boy who performs chores around camp, such as sweeping up the bunkhouse, cutting wood for fuel, filling wood boxes, and feeding the livestockCayuse: a horse or pony (a Chinook term)Conks: fruiting bodies of fungus in rotting woodCorks: short, sharp spikes set in the soles of shoesCrotch line: a device for loading logs onto railroad carsCrown fire: a forest fire that reaches into the tops of treesDeacon seat: a bench, made from a large log split lengthwise, running the length of a bunkhouseDehorn: a term for an alcoholic beverage, particularly moonshine, borrowed from the jargon of the WobbliesDonkey: a stationary multiple drum machine, powered by steam until the prevalence of the internal combustion engineDrag day: the point in the work month when a man can get an advance on his wagesDriving pitch: high water suitable from driving logs down a riverDuplex: a stationary engine that both assembles (yards) and loads logsGandy dancer: a pick-and-shovel manGin pole: a short spar, used for loading and unloading logsGyppo: contract work (or worker), measured by the inch or bushel for example, or by the mile in the case of a truck driverHardtack outfit: a company running a logging camp which provides substandard food (derived from the cheap and long-lasting cracker or bread of the same name)Hayburner: a horseHighball: to hurryHiyu: plenty, large, enoughHomeguard: a long-time employee of a companyHoot-nanny: a small device used to hold a crosscut saw while sawing a log from the bottom upInk slinger: a logging camp timekeeperIron burner: the camp blacksmithJagger: a sliver of wireJerk wire: a line attached to the whistle on a yarding donkey, by which a young man (a punk) blows starting and stopping signalsKing snipe: the boss of a track-laying crewKlooch: a woman (Chinook)Long logger: a logger working in the fir and redwood country of the Western U.S., where logs were often cut in lengths up to 40 feetMacaroni: sawdustMemaloose: dead, or death (Chinook)Mulligan car: a railroad car where lunch is servedNosebag: a lunch bucketNosebag show: a camp where the midday meal is taken to the woods in lunch bucketsPacking a balloon: carrying one's blanketsPacking a card: to be a member of a union, such as the WobbliesPeavey (also known as cant dog): a tool with a sharp point and a movable hook on it, used on a river to create leaverage when moving floating logsPecker pole: a small tree, often found in the understory of old growthPotlatch: a social gathering (a Chinook term)Pulaski: a thick-handled tool with oval eye used as a combination axe and hoe, named after its inventorSchoolmarm: a log or tree that is forked, stable in river driving because it does not roll easilyShort staker (or boomer): a worker who quits after earning a small sumSkidroad: formerly the path over which oxen pulled logs; it came to mean the part of a city where loggers congregateSkookum: strong, stout, brave (Chinook)Snoose: damp snuff or chewing tobaccoSnubber: a device for braking sleighs as they descend steep hillsSougan: a heavy woolen blanketSwedish fiddle: a crosscut sawTillicum: a Chinook term used also by loggers to mean a man, ordinarily a friendTin pants: waterproof clothing worn by loggers in the rainy Pacific NorthwestTyee logger: from the Chinook term meaning a chief, hence the head of a logging operation
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