Slang Glossary
Maybe I can make it sticky somehow.
Doing some back-checking I found that Google thinks this is the #1 bird dog slang repository. I guess I'd better get more bird dog slang here.
| Alaknak | - |
This isn't slang, it's a big tent from Cabela's. I use the word like folks say "Kleenex" to mean tissue. |
| The Ass | - |
"The Ass" doesn't seem to have anything to do with your butt. It refers to the angry, stressful feeling folks get during unsuccessful hunting. When someone's got the Ass, he usually either hunts harder or packs it in and goes home. |
| "See" Birds | - |
I'm not talking about the dog looking out the window and spotting a tweety bird. Seeing birds means the dog experiences birds with his nose primarily. "That dog needs to see some birds prior to hunting season" means you need to plant some birds for training. |
| The Bird | - |
Usually I'm talking about a satellite, frequently my Sirius radio, or the GPS array. If I ask "What's the bird?" I want to know what time it is. That's a reference to a coo-coo clock. Flipping the bird means expressing your self with your middle finger. |
| Biddable | - | Biddable refers to a dog's willingness to learn or eagerness to please. It's trainability, really. |
| Birdy | - | The dog's attitude changes when it senses game is near. The tail usually wags quickly and the dog normally starts working the scent cone. |
| Boat Ass | - |
"Boat Ass" is the itchy sensation that comes from sitting in damp clothes. There's nothing quite like sitting in moist shorts on an aluminum boat seat. The fabric seams to press into the skin and the itching is maddening. |
| Buzzard's Luck | - | Continuously rotten luck. I'm starting to believe sufferers bring Buzzard's Luck on themselves. |
| Check Cord | - | A long dog leash. Often ten to fifty feet long. You use it to either make it easier to catch your dog, or to keep it in the specified length. |
| Counter Surfing | - | This is your dog helping himself to food on the counter, licking dirty dishes in the sink, or grabbing the Thanksgiving Turkey. Most GSP owners go to great lengths to keep their dogs from getting food. |
| Country Strong |
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It's the kind of physical strength that is a combination of genetics and hard physical labor. |
| Dumpster Diving | - | Dogs eating garbage. Most GSP owners have to keep their trash secured. We put our garbage pail inside a dog food container to prevent dumpster diving. |
| Flatlander |
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This is a pretty serious insult Mainers use for folks from other states who do stupid things in this one. |
| From Away | - | This is a description of year-around flatlanders that have become acceptable to Mainers. |
| Ganky, Gank | - |
Primordial nastiness. Ganky areas are swampy or full of thorns. Deer like to hide in ganky places and sometimes you have to crawl in to get them out. Your body can also be ganky, particularly after a week without a shower, as can your clothes, boots, sleeping bag and truck. Your house isn't likely to be ganky, but a humid basement could be. |
| Green Book | - | The Training and Care of the Versatile Hunting Dog |
| Hold Point | - | Most folks are talking about steadiness. |
| Make Game | - | When a dog smells a game animal. |
| Monkey Butt |
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Although my wife uses "swamp ass" as a synonym, I think this is closer to boat ass. One doesn't need to be as filthy to get Monkey Butt as Swamp Ass. Monkey Butt is a heat rash combined with sweat and caused by sitting on a saddle or motorcycle seat for long periods of time. Anti-Monkey Butt Powder is good for clearing up all of these conditions. |
| Mung | - |
Anything disgusting, particularly random bits of tissue inside an animal. The indistinguishable stuff you remove during field dressing. Also can be dirt on your body, particularly after a week without bathing while hunting. As in "I can't wait to go home to wash the mung out of my 'arm pits'." Remarkably, veterinarians refer to nasty fat and tissue they encounter during surgery as mung as well. Might have actual medical foundation. |
| Long Nose | - | A bird dog with a long nose doesn't mean his face is like Pinnocio. A long nose means it "makes" bird scent at a longer than average distance. |
| Pig Iron Under Water | - |
A "sure thing." It's a fire insurance term. The safest thing to insure against catching on fire is Pig Iron Under Water. |
| Point | - | A point is when a dog instinctively stops, virtually motionless because it senses it is close to game. The point ends when the dog become aware of the handler. |
| Scent Cone | - | As air drifts across a motionless bird, it's scent tends to form an invisible cone shape. The scent is stronger and more focused the closer to the bird. You can actually witness the edges of the cone by watching a dog work it. |
| Snake bit | - |
Continuously rotten luck. |
| Steadiness | - | The dog remains in the pointing position after it becomes aware of the hunter. |
| Steady to Flush | - | The dog remains in the pointing position until the bird begins to fly. |
| Steady to Wing | - | The dog remains in the pointing position until the gun is fired. |
| Steady to Shot | - | The dog remains in the pointing position until the bird hits the ground. |
| Steady to Fall | - | The dog remains in the pointing position until released or sent for a retrieve. This is the ideal. |
| Stove In or Up | - | Beaten or crushed. Destroyed. One's fender can be stove in. One's shotgun might be stoved up after dropping it. One's head may also be stove in during a fight. |
| Sugar Shack | - |
The shed where maple sap is boiled into maple syrup. The alliteration makes it almost dirty. |
| Swamp Ass |
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"Swamp Ass" results from sweat and moisture collecting in your underpants. You can develop swamp ass in one day, but it's more likely to occur over time, say a week-long hunting trip without showers. It's a wonderful breeding ground for bacteria and fungus, and quite aromatic. See "Ganky" and "Mung." |
| Thongs | - |
Flip-flop shoes. I'm not kidding. I'm from Ohio, and thongs are sandals. |
| Up on Blocks | - |
Out of service. "I might as well stay at camp. My wife is up on blocks for four more days." |
Let's not forget that Swamp Ass also refers to what happens to you when you wear deerskin full seat breeches in August in New England. Monkey Butt powder to the rescue!
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