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cowboy

 - 4 dictionary results

cow⋅boy

[kou-boi]
–noun
1. a man who herds and tends cattle on a ranch, esp. in the western U.S., and who traditionally goes about most of his work on horseback.
2. a man who exhibits the skills attributed to such cowboys, esp. in rodeos.
3. Chiefly Northeastern U.S. a reckless or speedy automobile driver.
4. Informal. a reckless or irresponsible person, esp. a show-off or one who undertakes a dangerous or sensitive task heedlessly: They put foreign policy in the hands of cowboys.
5. (during the American Revolution) a member of a pro-British guerrilla band that operated between the American and British lines near New York City.
–verb (used without object)
6. to work as a cowboy.

Origin:
1715–25; cow 1 + boy
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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cow·boy   (kou'boi')   
n.  
  1. A hired man, especially in the western United States, who tends cattle and performs many of his duties on horseback. Also called cowman, cowpoke, cowpuncher; also called regionally buckaroo, vaquero, waddy2. See Regional Note at vaquero.

  2. An adventurous hero.

  3. Slang A reckless person, such as a driver, pilot, or manager, who ignores potential risks.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
cowboy

  1. n.
    a reckless and independent man; a reckless driver. (Also a term of address.) : Come on, cowboy, finish your coffee and get moving.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Computing Dictionary

cowboy
[Sun, from William Gibson's cyberpunk SF] Synonym for hacker. It is reported that at Sun this word is often said with reverence.
[The Jargon File]

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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