Beware the distinction of being called a "dude"; the
origin of the word
dude is a
dubious one. Many people know that it started in the
Old West, however what many people don't know is that it was originally an
insult. A dude originally meant a
pimple on someone's
ass. These pimples would form from riding in the
saddle all day, having not been
trained to be used to it.
During the
classic old west time,
rich people from the
East coast would take "vacations" out to the west to lead the
romantic lifestyle of
horseback riding,
wrangling, and all of adventure we typically
associate with that time. Of course, while there, they would
solicit the
business of certain
working women in the area. These women (like many other people), would show
quiet contempt for people who are living their life because of some sense of
vacation. They would secretly insult these
men by calling them a "dude" in bed. ("You are such a dude", etc.) These men took their inflated
western egos back with them to the
East Coast.
The designation of dude finally outlasted the insult of a
posterior pimple, and came into the
colloquial use it enjoys today.
Dude ranches sprang up, as being started by the Easterners who heard the slang of such places that took out such people, and did not know what it meant. Instead of raising
cattle, these ranches raised "dudes".
Imagine the
suprise of one of those
women today, having unwittingly caused damage to our
language and
culture by insulting a few
naive rich Easterners.