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Cowtown
DCHP-2 (Jun 2016)
Spelling variants:cow-town, cow town, cowtown
n. — Slang, potentially derogatory
a nickname for Calgary, Alberta.
Type: 5. Frequency — Cow-town has been used in the US since the 1880s to refer to "a town forming a local centre in a stock-raising district; a small, isolated town" (OED-3, s.v. "cow (n.3, C1: cow-town"); DAE attests the term as early as 1888, with the defintion of
'a town situated in a cattle-raising district, esp. one from which large shipments of cattle are made'. Note that DARE does not list the term, so it may not have a regional character in the US). A semantic transfer and specialization of the name to Calgary, incorporated as a town in 1884, is the preferred scenario over theories of an independent re-creation of the term, given the widespread dissemination of the basic meaning. The nickname derives from Calgary's role as a major centre of the cattle and meat packing industries.
Note that COD-2 distinguishes between Cowtown, which is Calgary, and cowtown, which is any cattle-producing centre, though this orthographic distinction is not always borne out in the data. As can be seen in Chart 1, the term is, despite other locations and places so called, most frequent in Canada, especially so in the North American context. Chart 2 shows the prevalence of the term in Quebec, known for dairy farming, and where it also appears to be a nickname for Cowansville, QC. Use of the term is also frequent in Alberta and Saskatchewan. In the national and international contexts, Calgary is by far the most widely recognized cowtown.
Note that COD-2 distinguishes between Cowtown, which is Calgary, and cowtown, which is any cattle-producing centre, though this orthographic distinction is not always borne out in the data. As can be seen in Chart 1, the term is, despite other locations and places so called, most frequent in Canada, especially so in the North American context. Chart 2 shows the prevalence of the term in Quebec, known for dairy farming, and where it also appears to be a nickname for Cowansville, QC. Use of the term is also frequent in Alberta and Saskatchewan. In the national and international contexts, Calgary is by far the most widely recognized cowtown.
Depending on who uses the term, it may carry connotations from endearing to pejorative.
Quotations
1909
Fidler is just as much a Calgary man as ever but his residence in Edmonton has broadened his outlook in life. He realizes that the Cowtown is all right but there are others that can make it go a few.
1911
Down in Calgary, also, there are certain indications which point to the fact that everything is not running smoothly and several Cowtown hockey players will also be involved in the tangle.
1924
Led by Fire Chief James Smart, marshal of the parade, the procession even outshone that of 1923, which had heretofore held the palm for such spectacles in Calgary.
The entire city reverted once more to the old cow-town days, and cowboys and prancing horses were the chief attraction of the big parade.
1930
Through the author's eyes we see Calgary at three periods ten years apart. First "a cow-town, buoyant with the hilarity of cow-towns." A decade later, as he stepped from the train six men said: "Taxi?" and he heard electric hammers driving in the rivets of new buildings.
1945
[The second charge was that they had conspired to form a so-called University in their "cow town" of Calgary.]
1955
Calgary is still "Cowtown" . . . and the Stampede, the Ranchmen's Club and the palatial homes in the heart of the city are part of the imprint left by that unfettered era.
1968
This is a city of contrasts, as befits a former cow town that has become rich through the discovery of oil. [...] the southeast side still looks like cow-town. Strangely enough the old buildings continue to be occupied and the occupants continue to make money.
1979
It's [Calgary's] famous for its annual Stampede, its western warmth and rowdy Grey Cup fans, but few associate culture with Cowtown.
1987
The \'88 Winter Olympics will be held in an \"overgrown cowtown\" that - above all else - knows how to throw a quality party.
That\'s the word from Sports Illustrated, the U.S.-based weekly magazine which will produce the official program of the Calgary Olympics.
A feature article on the Games in this week\'s issue of Sports Illustrated - titled Countdown to the Cowtown Hoedown - bends over backwards to poke fun at Calgary\'s western heritage.
2000
Willy accepted an offer from CFCN Radio/TV in Calgary for what he remembers was the best five years of his life.
Cowtown was booming and CFCN (crewed by more than a few ex-Reginans) was doing well, too. Thus it was with considerable trepidation that after five years, Willy & family decided to return to Manitoba [...]
2008
Surely, there's a 12-step program to help Cowtown get over its obsession with building castles in the air.
References
- OED-3 • "cow"
- DARE
- COD-2
- DAE
Images
Chart 1: Internet Domain Search, 19 Apr. 2016
