Notch in your tally-gun

Posted by ESC on August 30, 2004

In Reply to: "Notch in your gun" posted by Lexi on August 30, 2004

: : I am a reference librarian and was asked to help someone find the origin of the phrase, "Put another notch in your belt". I can't find anything on it in dictionaries, encyclopedias, or on the Internet.

: : Any ideas?

: : Thanks!

: Notch in your belt sounds like something you would suggest to a successful dieter. Notch in your gun is more like it ... talks about the practice in the old west of putting a notch with your bowie knife in the stock of your gun for every man you killed.
: Very successful lotharios have been known to put a notch on the bedpost for every conquest, as well.

I've looked high and low in most of my references including a cowboy phrase book. I found nothing for: notch, another notch in your belt, another notch in your gun, another notch in your gun belt.

But I did find this online at what looks to be a Scouting site. Simon Kenton and Daniel Boone, as you probably know, were frontiersmen/Indian fighters.

Tally Gun Honors
By Dan Beard
www.inquiry.net/advancement/tally_gun.htm Accessed August 30, 2004.

Fig. 33:
Tally-gun
The tally-gun is a wooden-gun or any unloaded musket, rifle, or shot-gun which can be procured. This gun hangs upon the wall of the meeting-room, or "Fort," and is only taken down by Simon Kenton during meetings, and always saluted by the boys rising to their feet and giving the Daniel Boone cheer, after which it is again replaced upon its hooks on the wall. Whenever an official notch is won by the Fort, Simon Kenton, in the presence of the whole Fort, takes the gun from its rack, and when Daniel Boone gives the word Simon cuts a notch in the stock of the tally-gun with solemn ceremonies. Then it is again replaced upon the wall.

The diagram, Fig. 33, shows you a pattern from which you can draw a tally-gun on a piece of paper about two feet long. This is to hang upon the wall of your club-room or Fort Whenever a member of your Fort or the Fort itself wins a notch, paste a seal made of red paper on the gun paper, as shown in Fig. 33. Put one ribbon to the seal for a notch, two ribbons to the seal for a top-notch, and three ribbons to the seal of the honor top-notches, a description of which will follow.

You boys all know that it was the custom among the old pioneers whenever they took a scalp to cut a notch in the stock of their gun to commemorate the deed. In these days, however, we do not celebrate the taking of life or other acts of savagery. We will, however, keep the custom of cutting the notches, but our notches all stand for commendable deeds. Any boy who does an expert deed in woodcraft, athletics, natural history, forestry, or receives special commendation at school, may be voted a nick by his Fort or club. Ten of these nicks will make a notch and ten notches will make a top-notch.

(More about Simon Kenton at frontierfolk.org/ kenton.htm )

• Notch in your tally-gun DGW 31/August/04
  • Does it tally? Lewis 31/August/04
    • A preference ACME 31/August/04
      • Location, location, location Lewis 31/August/04