Chap or
be chapped
by Julie Carter
The
language of the cowboy is full of words that serve as both noun and verb. The
cowboy phrase that says “rodeo is a verb and try is not” exemplifies that.
Another quite common, mispronounced and misunderstood word and its variations
is “chap.”
A pair
of chaps is a covering of leather for the legs worn over jeans for protection
from brush and the elements of severe weather.
The word is rooted in the Mexican term “chaparejos” or “chaparreras”
both ultimately derived from the Spanish “chaparro.” Since at least the end of
the 19th century, the term became simply “chaps” which is pronounced
as “shaps”, not the phonetic “ch” sound as it is spelled.
Because
the word is mispronounced repeatedly decade after decade, some cowboys just
give up and call them “leggin’s” whether they are a leggin’ style of chaps or
not. Chaps come in many styles, usually dictated by the geographical location
of the cowboy, ranging from the “woolies” of the northern cold country, to the
chinks (short chaps) of hotter regions.
The
word “chap” is the verb form of the word and chaps is a noun. To chap someone
or be chapped (still using the “sh” pronunciation) is the action taken by
cowboys in a number of instances that I’ll explain. “We gave that greenhorn a
good chapping,” you’ll hear the cowboy crew say.
Chapping
is method of in-house cowboy punishment for an etiquette infraction committed
by a cowboy. If a cowboy blunders in his work such as riding ahead of the boss,
riding into a herd uninvited or many other such possibilities, his shortcomings
will be pointed out by a chapping.
As per
usual, boys will be boys and this requires restraining the cowboy that stepped
out of line which involves a tackling tussling moment by his fellow cowboy
crew.
He’ll
be pinned to the ground face down and the “administrator” will hold a pair of
chaps by the waist and bring them down on the perpetrator’s posterior like a
big leather paddle. This can be a little tricky since there are usually a
handful of cowboys holding down the receiver of such punishment, and staying
out of the way of the heavy leather is a feat.
This
isn’t a heathen or savage event. These are usually young cowboys, full of
themselves and only paying back some of the lessons they learned in their
“freshman” year with a crew. Cowboys are big on cowboy etiquette but not all of
them come to the ranch knowing what it is. Every cowboy that participates in a
chapping needs to keep in mind he at one time may be on the receiving end of
one. That’s just how it works.
Because
this event is as much a joking threat of some fun as it is a real punishment,
it also takes place at weddings and birthdays. Keeping in mind this might
involve some good clothes you don’t want to tear up and the purpose isn’t to
humiliate, only to have some fun. And nothing entertains the buddies of a groom
more than to see the new bride whipping her husband into shape at the end of
the reception.
The
“victim” will usually fight back a little, but who wouldn’t? However, the fun
for the cowboys is really in the wrestling match. As long as the first rule of
the plan is to not let it get out of hand, it’s an age-old tradition that
gleefully carries into each young generation. I might add that the practice
seems to be somewhat geographically dictated as there are a bunch of cowboys
that have worked in a lot of places that have never heard of such a thing.
Hope
this hasn’t chapped your view of chaps and the men who wear them. Julie has never
chapped or been chapped, but can be reached
for comment at jcarternm@gmail.com
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