Ameliorated words of offensive origin

[James A. Landau]

cowboy

"The Neutral Ground was one of the bloodiest battlegrounds in the Revolution,
matched in atrocity and violence ony by the Mohawk Valley.  On its northern
boundary were the American lines, once commanded by Aaron Burr, and on the
south in New York, the British.  Both sides patrolled the area but the
ravaged land was usually left to the "Cowboys", who worked with the British
Dragoons, or the "Skinners," who rode with the Americans.  BOth bands lived
off the land by stealing horses or cattle and engaging in murderous forays."

from James D. Horan and Paul Sann, _Pictorial History of the Wild West_ New
York: Crown Publishers, 1954, page.12

Also check out the origin of "cowpoke" and "cowpuncher",now used as synonyms
for "cowboy".  I believe they originally referred to unskilled laborers who
were hired to ride cattle cars and poke at the cattle inside with long poles
so the cattle would move around and get some exercise (or something like
that).  However, enough true cowboys from Texas hired on as cowpokes so as to
get a trip to the big city (generally Chicago) that the terms came to be
synonyms for "cowboy".

              - Jim Landau