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trail boss

American  

noun

  1. (in Western U.S.) a person responsible for driving a herd of cattle.


Etymology

Origin of trail boss

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Even Sam Elliott, a veteran of dozens of TV and movie westerns, flatly described the process of filming his role as the grief-stricken trail boss Shea Brennan as “difficult.”

From New York Times • Dec. 16, 2021

One of Eastwood's earliest roles came in the form of Rowdy Yates, an assistant to a cattle drive trail boss Gil Favor.

From Fox News • May 31, 2020

During spring break, I was the trail boss for an environmental cleanup crew.

From The Guardian • Sep. 6, 2018

By the late '40s, he had graduated to fatherhood: topkick Marine to a platoon of shavetails or trail boss to a bunch of saddle tramps.

From Time Magazine Archive

"If it's convenient, let's keep an eye on those boys the next few years," said the trail boss, catching sight of his remuda.

From Wells Brothers The Young Cattle Kings by Adams, Andy

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