In this blog post, we’ll explore common English idioms related to cowboys. These phrases are fun and colorful, often used in everyday conversation. Even kids can understand their meanings and learn how to use them in sentences!
Cowboy Idioms
Here are 20 cowboy idioms in English with meaning and example sentence for each.
1. Ride shotgun
Meaning: To sit in the front passenger seat.
Example: I always ride shotgun when we go on road trips.
2. Bite the dust
Meaning: To fall down or fail.
Example: He bit the dust during the race.
3. Kick up your heels
Meaning: To celebrate or relax.
Example: Let’s kick up our heels this weekend!
4. Hold your horses
Meaning: Wait a moment.
Example: Hold your horses, dinner’s not ready yet.
5. Straight from the horse’s mouth
Meaning: Directly from the source.
Example: I got the news straight from the horse’s mouth.
6. Wild goose chase
Meaning: A futile search.
Example: This clue led us on a wild goose chase.
7. Shoot the breeze
Meaning: Chat casually.
Example: They spent the afternoon shooting the breeze.
8. High noon
Meaning: A critical moment.
Example: It’s high noon for the negotiations.
9. Saddle up
Meaning: Get ready to go.
Example: It’s time to saddle up and hit the road.
10. Home on the range
Meaning: A place where one feels at peace.
Example: I feel like I’m home on the range here.
11. Hit the trail
Meaning: To start traveling.
Example: Let’s hit the trail early tomorrow.
12. Rough and tumble
Meaning: Disorderly and chaotic.
Example: It was a rough and tumble soccer match.
13. Paint the town red
Meaning: Go out and enjoy oneself flamboyantly.
Example: Tonight we’re going to paint the town red!
14. Barking up the wrong tree
Meaning: Misdirected or mistaken.
Example: He’s barking up the wrong tree with that argument.
15. All hat and no cattle
Meaning: All talk and no substance.
Example: He’s all hat and no cattle, unfortunately.
16. Get the drop on
Meaning: Gain an advantage over someone.
Example: She got the drop on her competitors.
17. Circle the wagons
Meaning: Prepare to defend oneself.
Example: It’s time to circle the wagons at work.
18. Back in the saddle
Meaning: Return to something familiar.
Example: He’s back in the saddle after his vacation.
19. Ride off into the sunset
Meaning: To conclude something positively.
Example: They rode off into the sunset together.
20. Lone ranger
Meaning: Someone who acts alone.
Example: He’s a lone ranger in his field.
