Dictionary definition of “windshield cowboy”

windshield cowboy

n. a cattle rancher who works while driving a pickup truck instead of riding a horse; generally, a mildly deprecating term for an aspiring rancher who is considered a pretender. Subjects: English, Agriculture, Automobiles & Transportation, Slang

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Citations: 1971 Danny Lammert @ Haskell Abilene Reporter-News (Texas) (Feb. 18) “Cowboys Push Herd To Market” p. 9-D: Instead of the customary chuck wagon, the participating cowboys and a number of “windshield cowboy” spectators ate their barbecue dinner at the auction after the herd was penned. 1981 David F. Salisbury @ Denver, Colorado Christian Science Monitor (Boston, Massachusetts) (May 21) “Cowboys—the real kind—are a vanishing breed” p. 2: These weekend ranchers are also called “windshield cowboys” because they use sack feed instead of graze and have trained their cattle to come at the sound of an auto horn. 1984 Murray Olderman The News (Frederick, Maryland) (Feb. 18) “At 69, DiMag is riding high” p. B-3: Spahnie, who teamed with Johnny Sain to lead the old Boston Braves to a 1948 National League pennant, now calls himself a “windshield cowboy.” A bad knee keeps him from riding the range horseback to round up his Herefords. 1993 Rick Sylvain Austin American-Statesman (Texas) (June 20) “Bee-ill (and his election) puts state on map” p. E13: Meanwhile, Cornwell, 87, keeps 182 head of cattle not far from the banks of the Arkansas River. “I call myself the windshield cowboy. I drive around in my pickup, and if anything’s wrong I get someone to fix it.” 2007 Julie Mason @ Crawford Houston Chronicle (Texas) (Aug. 23) “Bush has brush with an old Texas foe: pesky cedar”: “We don’t ride horses at our ranch,” first lady Laura Bush told CNN. “My husband is what’s called ‘the windshield cowboy.’ That means we ride a pickup.”

Posted 24 Aug 07 | Permalink | Tell a Friend