AtD excerpt - "punkinroller'd" (cite)

[jbor at bigpond.com]

Someone who wrote a thesis about pumpkins notes:
"Pumpkins also had historic connotations when it came to social class.  
Poor farmers ate the cheap and easy-too-grow pumpkin, Ott said. The  
terms "pumpkin-roller" and "pumpkin-head" were insults that meant the  
recipient was poor, dim-witted or brutish, she said."
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2005/11/01/news/local/znews03.txt

best

On 08/08/2006, at 9:20 AM, jbor at bigpond.com wrote:

> A typo, OK. So "pumpkin roller" is an idiom term. Google brings up:
>
> "farmer"
> http://langverse.blogspot.com/2005/11/pumpkin-pie-in-sky.html
>
> "Texas ranchers knew otherwise and often galloped north to graze their  
> herds on the Panhandle's grasses—big and little bluestem, skunk brush,  
> prairie ragwort, Indian grass, buffalo grass. The Texans referred to  
> the sod-busting Panhandlers as "pumpkin rollers." It was not a term of  
> endearment."
> http://www.caranddriver.com/features/9295/pumpkin-rollers-in-no-mans- 
> land.html
>
> "a green farmboy with no knowledge of ranching"
> The Pumpkin Rollers RC 43160
> by Elmer Kelton
> http://www.loc.gov/nls/tbt/1997/1997-6-tbtaf.html
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812543998/102-0232504-5720170? 
> v=glance&n=283155
>
> Someone who wrote a thesis about pumpkins notes:
> "Pumpkins also had historic connotations when it came to social class.  
> Poor farmers ate the cheap and easy-too-grow pumpkin, Ott said. The  
> terms "pumpkin-roller" and "pumpkin-head" were insults that meant the  
> recipient was poor, dim-witted or brutish, she said."
>
> Here though it's used to refer to a gun:
> "I still love the old blaster alomg with my pumpkin roller a 45-70  
> Remington rolling-block."
> http://forums.dailyrotten.com/389/00021326/
>
> So, Jimmy's insulting Willis as a greenhorn, primarily w/r/t how he  
> looks and comes across but also, possibly, to the gun he carries.
>
> best
>
> On 08/08/2006:
>
>> I've gotten a faxed copy of the catalog pages. They're not perfectly  
>> clear,
>> but barring a major transmission/printing problem, they're clear  
>> enough to
>> show that the line is:
>>
>> "Beg your pardon, what in hell business of any got-damn  
>> punkinroller'd this
>> be, again?"
>>
>> punkin roller
>> disparaging term referring to a hokey rodeo
>> http://www.westyellowstonenews.com/articles/2003/06/26/news/ 
>> local_headlines/
>> anews01.prt
>>
>> punkin' rollers
>> "Little shows," said Tom. "Local shows where the local boys act like  
>> they're
>> big time."
>> http://libweb.sfasu.edu/real/vol28-2/punkinroller.htm
>>
>> So authentic Western gunslinger Jimmy Drop characterizes young Willis  
>> as
>> something of a faker trying to act big time...and not being at all
>> convincing.
>>
>> d.
>>
>
>