[A humble request: If you can, please donate to help me carry on tracing word histories. Thank you.]
Of American-English origin, the colloquial expression heifer-dust is chiefly used to designate nonsense, rubbish.
—Cf. also the Australian-English expression heifer-paddock.
The expression heifer-dust is probably a euphemistic variant of the noun bullshit.
According to the British lexicographer Jonathon Green (born 1948) in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, s.v. heifer-dust, this expression is a euphemism for the noun bullshit—with the noun dust used in the sense of rubbish, garbage.
This explanation is supported by the following from Democrats weaponizing flags to intimidate Alito is an embarrassment, by the U.S. columnist Kathleen Parker (born 1951?), published in West Hawaii Today (Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, USA) of Monday 3rd June 2024 [page 6A, column 3], reprinted from The Washington Post (Washington, District of Columbia, USA) of Sunday 2nd June 2024—although the expression heifer-dust (which dates back to the first decade of the 20th century) was not coined by the U.S. columnist Charley Reese (1937-2013):
Everything else is “heifer dust,” to borrow a term coined by the late Orlando Sentinel columnist Charley Reese. Charley was too old school to call it what it was: BS.
And the following is from The Australian Language (Sydney and London: Angus and Robertson Ltd., 1945), by Sidney John Baker (1912-1976) [chapter 6: The City, —Good and Bad, page 128]:
We have elaborated few U.S. expressions more than the vulgarism bullsh—t for nonsense or humbug. At least, it is to be presumed that this is an Americanism, although the vast number of variants we have evolved show that we have made it almost a native. Best known of the Australian versions is bullsh, but some of the following run it close: bull dust , bull fodder, bullock waggon, bull’s wool, cowsh, cowyard confetti, Flemington confetti, * heifer dust, meadow mayonnaise, bumfluff, bovril and alligator bull. Bovril is now almost obsolete, but bovrilize, to confuse, render stupid, has developed from it and is still current.
* Derived from the Flemington stockyards, Sydney. This expression was used over the Bathurst (N.S.W.) radio station 2BS in 1937 and caused a local stir.
These are, in chronological order, the earliest occurrences of the expression heifer-dust that I have found:
1-: From the El Paso Herald (El Paso, Texas, USA) of Monday 25th July 1904 [page 2, column 4]—here, the meaning of the expression heifer dust is obscure:
“Prince Allen” says that he is looking for a negro and if he catches him, woe and dire woe is in store for the culprit!
The “prince” says that an attempt was made to break up his camp the other night by a conjurer who sprinkled “heifer dust,” or “graveyard dust” about his headquarters.
2-: From An Ideal Election Day, published in the Moberly Evening Democrat (Moberly, Missouri, USA) of Tuesday 6th November 1906 [page 1, column 3]—here, the expression heifer dust seems to designate insincere words, empty promises, rather than nonsense:
On this particular occasion, if on no other, the colored boys were hailed as friends and brothers. They were given the glad hand, they were slapped on the backs in a friendly, familiar way, they were jollied and cajoled until they swelled up like “pizened [?] pups” with visions of some sort of the soft job in case “we win.” In fact the colored boys were the recipients of a larger assortment of “heifer dust” today than they will receive again until next exection [sic] day.
3-: From an account of the meeting of the Jacksonville City Council that was held on Thursday 7th March 1907, published in the Jacksonville Daily Journal (Jacksonville, Illinois, USA) of Friday 8th March 1907 [page 2, column 3]—here, the expression heifer dust seems to designate nonsense, rubbish:
Ald. Kennedy objected to the speed of the cars on North Main street and said he had served notice on the mayor that the speed ordinance of the city was being violated.
At the conclusion of the last remarks of Ald. Kennedy the mayor read the following:
“Hide your little hammer and try to speak well of others, no matter how small you may really know yourself to be. When a stranger drops in, jolly him. Tell him this is the greatest town on earth—and it is. Don’t discourage him by speaking ill of your neighbors. There’s no end of fun minding your own business. It makes other people like you. Nobody gets stuck on a Knocker.”
Ald. Kennedy asked the mayor where he got all that “heifer dust.”
4-: From The Mines, published in The Daily News-Advertiser (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) of Thursday 10th October 1907 [page 9, column 1]—here, the meaning of the expression heifer dust is obscure:
At the head of Portland Canal the claim owners are enthusiastic as to the prospects of the country. It is hoped that the completion of the bridge over Bear River will enable development work to be continued through the Winter. Mr. Stewart and Mr. Matheson with their respective partners report ore to the richness of which heifer dust is a feeble comparison.
5-: From the Ellinwood Leader (Ellinwood, Kansas, USA) of Thursday 7th November 1907 [page 1, column 5]—here, the expression heifer dust designates nonsense, rubbish:
A number of silly stories, starting from unknown sources, have been circulating around the past week, anent the financial stringency. One yarn was to the effect that a man went into a bank at Kinsley, asked for his money and when the cashier refused to give it to him, he shot the cashier dead. Another held up the bankers at Holyrood and Raymond and compelled them to disgorge at the point of a gun. These tales seem to be put into circulation to cause discontent, and when run down are found to consist simply of heifer dust. There is nothing the matter with the banks of Kansas, and not the slightest cause for uneasiness on the part of depositors.
6-: From the Conway Springs Star (Conway Springs, Kansas, USA) of Thursday 14th November 1907 [page 4, column 1]—here, the reference seems to be the above-quoted passage from the Ellinwood Leader:
While it may be as old as time, here is a new one to us. Joe Cooke of the Ellinwood Leader pronounces some kind of a fake report that started out there as nothing but “heifer dust.” Now what kind of dust is that, Joe?
7-: From Hadley is at it Again, published in the Worth County Times (Grant City, Missouri, USA) of Thursday 21st November 1907 [page 1, column 2]—here, the expression heifer dust seems to designate nonsense, rubbish:
Attorney-General Hadley is at it again. […] He is now […] about to start on a campaign to oust the International Harvester Company from Missouri. Evidently Hadley has been aroused to activity by the fact that recently a number of petitions have been filed asking him to become a cadidate [sic] for the gubernatorial nomination on the Republican ticket. Hadley has been a very busy man in nearly eyery [sic] Republican newspaper in the state, but somehow he has failed in visible results. […] And now he’s after the International Harvester Combine [sic] with an ouster gun loaded with hot air. If we are not mistaken, it was a democrat who introduced a resolution at the last session of the legislature calling the attention of the Attorney General to the Harvester Trust, and now Mr. Hadley is carrying out the intent of that resolution. Who said heifer dust?
8-: From Wanted—A Solicitor, by H. H. Garver, published in the Worth County Times (Grant City, Missouri, USA) of Thursday 9th January 1908 [page 1, column 2]—here, the expression heifer dust may designate nonsense, rubbish:
Some time last fall the writer thought that it would be a proper thing to put a man on the road to represent the Times. About that time the Albany Capital had a man on the road who signed his name as Foley, but whose name is Harwood, Major Harwood—but where he acquired the title of “Major” is not stated, although he is still living in the times of “63.” Accordingly I wrote the above named gentleman without the knowledge or consent of the senior editor, E. S. Garver. I had been reading the “heifer dust” that he was writing for the Capital and wondered how much a week a man like that would be worth.
9-: From the Moberly Weekly Democrat (Moberly, Missouri, USA) of Tuesday 31st March 1908 [page 6, column 5]—here, the expression heifer dust designates rubbish, nonsense:
B. F. Beazell of this city will be a candidate for the Republican nomination for congress from the Second district. […]
Two years ago Mr Beazell made the race for congress in the Second district, and notwithstanding the colossal odds which confronted the Republican party, and that it was an off year in politics, he made a most creditable race.—Chillicothe Tribune.
Creditable race, indeed! He didn’t get enough votes to wad a shotgun. Beazell formerly edited the Tribune and it is perfectly natural that it should sprinkle the “heifer dust” liberally in his behalf. Fact is Beazell couldn’t be elected dog-catcher in his own town.
word histories 