Buffalo Bill
Preserved but no longer current.
This was the name made famous by William Frederick Cody (1846- 1917), one of the world's greatest showmen. He was born in Iowa and when little more than a boy was a rider of the Pony Express (#.v.). In 1861 he became a scout and guide for the U.S. army, and fought in the Civil War. In 1867 he made a contract to supply the labourers constructing the Kansas Pacific railway with buffalo meat, hence his sobriquet.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Buffalo Bill” mean?
This was the name made famous by William Frederick Cody (1846- 1917), one of the world's greatest showmen. He was born in Iowa and when little more than a boy was a rider of the Pony Express (#.v.). In 1861 he became a scout and guide for the U.S. army, and fought in the Civil War. In 1867 he made a contract to supply the labourers constructing the Kansas Pacific railway with buffalo meat, hence his sobriquet.
Is “Buffalo Bill” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.