bronco, n. (and a.)
(ˈbrɒŋkəʊ)
Also broncho.
[ad. Sp. bronco rough, rude; as applied to a horse, adopted on the Mexican frontier of U.S.]
A. n. a. An untamed or half-tamed horse, or a cross between the horse and mustang; a native horse of California or New Mexico. Also gen., any horse.
| 1869 S. Bowles Our New West v. 101 A well-broken Indian pony or a ‘broncho’ (a California half-breed horse). 1878 J. H. Beadle Western Wilds 454 Our bronchos carried us with ease and safety. 1884 Pall Mall G. 22 Aug. 10/1 [He] was captured..stripped of every bit of clothing, and bound on the back of a wild bronco, which was started off by vigorous lashing. 1924 R. Campbell Flaming Terrapin i. 18 Bellerophon, the primal cowboy..slewed his white-winged broncho out to sea. |
b. attrib. and
Comb., as
bronco-horse,
bronco-mule,
bronco-pony,
bronco-team;
bronco-buster colloq. (
orig. U.S.), a breaker-in of broncos; so
bronco-busting vbl. n. and
ppl. a.
| 1887 Century Mag. in Farmer Americanisms (1888) 89/2 An Eastern or English horse-breaker and Western *broncho-buster have so little in common with each other. 1888 T. Roosevelt in Century Mag. Feb. 507 The flash riders, or horse-breakers, always called ‘bronco busters’. 1913 R. Brooke Let. in Coll. Poems (1918) p. lxxix, A bold, bad, bearded broncho-buster. |
| 1889 Regina (Sask.) Jrnl. 18 July 1/6 *Broncho ‘busting’ and base-ball are the sports most indulged in [in] these times. 1931 L. Steffens Autobiogr. i. i. 9 A gun-playing, broncho-busting vaquero. 1963 Times 7 June 5/7 Attend a bronco-bustin' rodeo. |
| 1883 Harper's Mag. Feb. 428/1 There came rushing over the ridge-top..a ragged, tough *broncho horse. 1963 W. E. Harney To Ayers Rock & Beyond v. 48 It was a simple matter to draft the animals they required into an adjacent yard, brand them on the bronco-panel where the motor displaced the bronco-horse. |
| 1895 Outing (U.S.) XXVII. 244/2 Their pack train composed of hardy little *broncho-mules. |
| 1869 S. Bowles Our New West v. 101 The mule and the Indian and ‘*broncho’ ponies will live on the rich grasses of the country. 1892 Gunter Miss Dividends 163 You can drive down in a day with a good tough *broncho-team. |
B. Hence as
adj. Wild, uncontrollable, rough.
U.S. colloq.| 1866 Weekly New American 21 July 1/4 The Territory did not keep fast horses and other things, and go to bronco bailes and play whiskey poker. 1887 F. Francis Saddle & Mocassin 146 Sam's too broncho: he gets all-fired mean sometimes when he's full. 1947 Westerners' Brand Book 75 A man who made a false step wasn't necessarily all bad or ‘broncho’ as he expressed it. |