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Bottom feeder meaning slang10/13/2023 ![]() Sometimes a herd of cattle, perhaps on the Chisholm Trail, would come upon a meadow of fresh green grass and gorge themselves until their abdomens were dangerously distended. The term originated in the Old West cattle ranches. Grass-BelliedĪn unflattering insult, to call someone grass-bellied was to call them fat.īut there was a bit more to it than that. Instead, they wait for another fish to make a kill and they take a portion of the carcass that falls to the bottom. They seek to profit from the misfortunes of others and are quick to swoop in to take advantage of a tragic situation for their own personal gain. Then, as now, a bottom feeder is an opportunistic coward with few morals. This insult from the time of the Old West is still used today. Related read: 43 Western Boy Names that Pay Homage to the Wild West 4. So, when they encountered a person who was opinionated and pushy, or had a superiority complex, Southern folks likened him to a Union soldier and called him a “bluebelly.” They thought they were rude, pretentious, and condescending. That happened because Southerners hated the Union soldiers. Bluebelly was a slang word for a Union soldier, but it evolved into an insult for a cocky person during and after the war. Northern soldiers wore blue uniforms even before the outbreak of the American Civil War. Related read: Cowboy & Western Name Generator 3. They were as slow as molasses in January. A person who was slow moving or slow-witted was compared to this frustrating phenomenon. The molasses would eventually drip out, but it took forever. In the cold winter, however, the molasses got thicker and stiffer, making it challenging to pour it out of the jug. During the hot summer months, the molasses had a thinner, runnier consistency. Our grandparents and great-grandparents used molasses, the thick black byproduct left over when sugar is refined, much more than we do today.Īs a sweetener and flavoring, it was drizzled over pancakes, mixed into oatmeal, and baked into cakes. This is a saying you may have heard your grandparents utter. Slow as Molasses in January Photo: Shutterstock Related read: 10 Wild West Facts of Everyday Life on the Frontier 2. After all, he wasn’t quite as low as a snake. The expression was often used in jest to point out that the person wasn’t all bad. On the scale of vilified critters, this person is only slightly above snakes. Above Snakesįolks didn’t think too highly of someone if they referred to them as “ above snakes.” That was a polite way of calling someone a low life. Want to bring back some of the quaint and clever Old West insults and add them to your vocabulary? Here is a brief guide to Old West insults to help you get started. ![]() In fits of anger, frustration, or pain, however, people in the Old West could let loose a stream of colorful insults that would vent their wrath and sting their victim without making their own mothers blush. In fact, many were God-fearing churchgoers that shied away from profanity. Folks in the Old West may have been rough, dirty, and trigger-happy, but that doesn’t mean they were always vulgar and crude.
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