Rawhide : Why is Mushy Called A Cook's Louse?

Just wondering what the term louse means in the context of the subject heading. is it because Mushy sticks to Wishbone like a parasite sticks to its host or is there another meaning to the word that I'm not aware of? Have trawled through the Net for a definite answer but couldn't find a feasible explanation. Any elucidation on the subject much appreciated, thanks.

I'm sure you already did this, but I googled "cook's louse" and, of course, came up with definitions for louse. The most common being a blood sucking parasite. The second being a mean spirited person; a jerk.

Near as I can tell a cook's louse does all the menial chores on a drive to help the cook, from pealing potatoes, to going out and finding dry cow pies for fuel. He's usually the butt of cowboys jokes and probably does other menial chores for the cowboys while on a drive.

I did find this excerpt for a book. Here's the link: http://books.google.com/books?id=ATsmv5s8UUYC&pg=PA59&lpg=PA59 &dq=what+is+a+%22cook's+louse%22?&source=bl&ots=hZF4dpvybz &sig=5WQM6yeeXZWZ7IxuGWyYZlZHG4U&hl=en&sa=X&ei=vz1PU7m eLc_eyQGN74CYBw&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAg

I think louse must have been an accepted term for trail cook's helper, as in more than one episode Gil Favor refer's to Mushy as his cook's louseso presumably it was a name that others were familiar with. If the writer's used it as a recognizable term I would think it would have some historical basisbut it's odd that we cant find anything that proves it.

Yeah, it's obviously a common term used to describe a trail cook's helper. But I agree, it's puzzling we can't find a clear definition or origin for the term on the internet.

I suppose we could do this 'old school' and go to the library and dig around for an answer.

I searched 'old west jargon cook's louse' and got all of eight hits so this topic ain't burning up the internet; one definition, basically the cook's assistant.

The most authoritative link seemed to be "Western words: a dictionary of the range, cow camp and trail."

https://archive.org/stream/westernwordsdict00adam/westernwordsdict00ad am_djvu.txt

There was a slew of sarcastic names for the cook though:

bean-master, belly cheater, biscuit roller, biscuit shooter, cocinero, cookie,
cook's louse, coosie, dinero, dough-belly, dough-boxer, dough-puncher, dough-
roller, dough-wrangler, flunky, greasy belly, grub spoiler, grub worm, gut-
robber, old woman, pothooks, pot rustler, Sallie, sheffi, sop an' 'taters, sour-
dough, swamper

Next time you're watching Rawhide, listen for those gems tossed at poor ol' Wishbone. Droversdontcha just luv 'em?

Very true and if someone was stupid enough to call one of those names to Wishbone, he was ready to fight. They may have ribbed him affectionately but it was clear that except when the whole crew had to fight off an enemy that Wishbone was not a fighter but they all would step in for him if someone tried to attack him. He was held in as high respect as Favor and Rowdy. His bark may have been worse than his bite but he did not let anyone walk on him.

The cook's assistant was often called Little Mary ("little", presumably because he was a boy). This is shown in Culpepper Cattle Company.

Cooks didn't seem to get much respect. Their profession was apparently considered an effeminate (and possibly feminizing) activity. I can't re-locate the reference, but they were sometimes called women's names and forced to wear women's clothes. (Yes, I know how utterly unlikely that seems.)

Any experts out there who could shed more light on this?

I just saw an episode with Mushy. His nickname apparently stands for "mush-for-brains".

Cowhands were not stupid people. In real life, no one as slow as Mushy would be allowed on a cattle drive. He probably wouldn't have been able to find a job on a ranch, for that matter.

Mushy's name is Harkness Mushgrove III. This came out in one or two episodes. So Mushy is short for Mushgrove.

From the wiki article on cattle drives in the U.S.:

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The crew also included a cook, who drove a chuck wagon, usually pulled by oxen, and a horse wrangler to take charge of the remuda, or spare horses. The wrangler on a cattle drive was often a very young cowboy or one of lower social status, but the cook was a particularly well-respected member of the crew, as not only was he in charge of the food, he also was in charge of medical supplies and had a working knowledge of practical medicine.

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Who knows how accurate this really is as it was taken out of a book written in 1971. Interesting though the Wishbone character, from Rawhide, is generally well-respected and does have some medical knowledge.

I liked the Mushy character, but I also doubt that he could really find a place on a cattle drive in the 1870's.