Gun Slinger (1920)

Fri Jan 5 00:13:02 UTC 2007

Boise State used the "Statue of Liberty" play to defeat Oklahoma in
overtime. I didn't pay any attention to the name of the Bowl.

-Wilson

On 1/3/07, Bapopik at aol.com <Bapopik at aol.com> wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Bapopik at AOL.COM
> Subject:      Gun Slinger (1920)
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>
> Here's an earlier "gun slinger." It appears to come from the movies--a =20
> William Farnum western.
> ...
> HDAS has 1928 (citing "W10"), then 1931 from "Whispering Range." An idiot =20
> Wikipedian lists the HDAS cite as 1928 "Whispering Range"...I would correct=20=
> =20
> everything and add my 1920 cite, but that's self-promotion and scholars just=
>  =20
> aren't allowed that. Showing my "gunslinger" work here means that it's =20
> peer-reviewed by slang scholars, but that's just not good enough for  Wikipe=
> dia.
> ...
> OT: Yesterday, my website had its most hits ever in a single day--over =20
> 20,000, with over 7,500 visits. About 1,500 people came over from a Wikipedi=
> a  link=20
> on "Statue of Liberty Play." Was this used in a bowl game this week?...For =20
> all that, I made $10.
> ...
> ...
> ...
> _http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/gunslinger_or_gun_slinger/_=
> =20
> (http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/gunslinger_or_gun_slinger/)=
> =20
> ...
> =20
> Gunslinger (or Gun Slinger)
> =20
> The =E2=80=9Cgunslinger=E2=80=9D (or =E2=80=9Cgun slinger") is the legendary=
>  figure of the film =20
> western. The =E2=80=9Cgunslinger=E2=80=9D term was not used in the 1800s, ho=
> wever; =E2=80=9Cgunman=E2=80=9D (or=20
>  =E2=80=9Cgun man") is a term more of the period. It appears that the =E2=
> =80=9Cgun slinger=E2=80=9D=20
> term  first appeared with William Farnum=E2=80=99s western Drag Harlan in 19=
> 20. =20
>
>
> _Wikipedia:  Gunslinger_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunslinger) =20
> Gunslinger, also gunfighter, is a name given to  men in the American Old Wes=
> t=20
> who had gained a reputation as being dangerous with  a gun.=20
> Origin of the term=20
> According to the Random House  Historical Dictionary of American Slang the=20
> word was first used in the 1928  novel Whispering Range by Haycox. [This=20
> confuses the 1928 and 1931  cites=E2=80=94ed.] It was soon adopted by other=20=
> western writers=20
> such as Zane Grey and  became common usage. In his introduction to The Shoot=
> ist=20
> author Glendon  Swarthout says that gunslinger and gunfighter are modern=20
> terms and that the more  authentic terms for the period would have been gunm=
> an,=20
> pistoleer, or shootist.  While Swarthout seems to have been correct about=20
> gunslinger we know that Bat  Masterson used the term gunfighter in the newsp=
> aper=20
> articles he wrote about the  lawmen and outlaws he had known.=20
>
> (Historical Dictionary of American  Slang)=20
> gunslinger a western gunfighter; gunman. Now Standard English. =20
> 1928 (cited in Webster=E2=80=99s 10th) 1931 Haycox Whispering Range  160: Yo=
> u=E2=80=99re one=20
> of Redmain=E2=80=99s imported gunslingers.=20
>
> _Old West  Glossary_=20
> (http://www.geocities.com/faskew/Colonial/Glossary/West.htm) =20
> gunslinger A made-up word from Western fiction [1928] =20
>
> (Oxford English Dictionary)=20
> gun-slinger =3D GUN-MAN=20
> 1953 in  Wentworth & Flexner Dict. Amer. Slang (1960) 236/1 The *gun-slinger=
>  =20
> will spend..his life behind bars.=20
>
> 28 November 1920, Indianapolis  Star, pg. 8, col. 4:=20
> William Farnum will be the attraction at the  Keystone this week in =E2=80=
> =9CDrag=20
> Harlan,=E2=80=9D filmed from the story by Charles Alden  Seltzer. Farnum is=20=
> seen as =E2=80=9Cthe=20
> two-gun man from Pardo,=E2=80=9D a feared and notorious  gunfighter. That hi=
> s title=20
> as an outlaw is undeserved, but that his skill as a  =E2=80=9Cgun slinger=
> =E2=80=9D is by no=20
> means overrated, is developed in the story.=20
>
> 25  January 1921, Wyoming State Tribune (Cheyenne, WY), pg. 2, col. 1: =20
> LAST DAY FOR WILLIAM=20
> FARNUM=E2=80=99S NEW PICTURE=20
>
> Exciting  pistol duels between famous =E2=80=9Cgun slingers=E2=80=9D of the=20=
> West is one of=20
> the big  elements that holds the spectator=E2=80=99s interest in a vise-like=
>  grip while=20
> watching  =E2=80=9CDrag Harlan,=E2=80=9D the latest of the William Farnum st=
> ar series=20
> showing at the Atlas  for the last times today. Farnum will play the part of=
>  =E2=80=9CDrag,=E2=80=9D
>  the famous Pardo  two-gun man, who rids an entire community of its outlaws.=
> =20
> A charming romance  runs parallel with the element of adventure.=20
>
> 23 March 1925, Olean (NY)  Evening Herald, =E2=80=9CThe Hawk=E2=80=9D by Dan=
> a Coolidge, pg.=20
> 2, col. 1:=20
> =E2=80=9CGit  down, you pore fool. or he=E2=80=99ll beef you in your tracks.=
>  That=E2=80=99s one of=20
> them Texas  gun slingers.=E2=80=9D=20
>
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-Sam'l Clemens

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