riverboat meaning urban dictionary

24 slang words teens and Gen Zers are using in 2020, and what they really mean

• Teens and members of Gen Z are using a slew of new slang terms, many of which are confusing to older generations.
• If you've ever wondered what terms like "periodt," "snatched," or "big yikes" mean — then this guide is for you. 
• Here's a list of 24 popular Gen Z slang terms and the correct way to use each of them. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories .

In a world dominated by meme culture, ever-changing social media platforms, and the ability to cram your thoughts into a 280-character tweet, your grasp of basic slang can make or break your credibility as a functional and supposedly cool  human. 

Scroll through the comments of any Gen Z influencer's Instagram feed, and you may feel completely out of the loop on what the world is talking about. 

Though many of these terms have been around for decades , oftentimes derived from the language of Black and queer communities, online spaces have made the spread, appropriation , and evolution of language more rapid than ever before. 

Whether you're a millennial, Gen Xer, or baby boomer trying to stay up to date — or a Gen Zer in need of a refresher — here's a handy list of 24 popular slang terms and the correct way to use them all. 

Ally Spier contributed to an earlier version of this article.

Extra: To be "extra" is to be unnecessarily dramatic and over the top.

"She celebrated her birthday for an entire month. She's so extra." 

Source : Merriam-Webster

Periodt: "Periodt" is a word used at the end of a sentence, meant to add emphasis to a point that has been made. It is often regarded as a more extreme or intense version of "period." It is also often preceded by the words "and that's on" to add further emphasis.

A comma separates "periodt" from the rest of the sentence. It also sometimes seen as "periot."

Situation One: "I don't want to hear anything else about what I'm doing wrong until you find ways to get yourself right, periodt."

Situation Two:  "This is the best movie of all time, and that's on periodt."

Source:  Urban Dictionary

Snatched: The word "snatched" has two common definitions. The first refers to when someone is wearing something that is very fashionable, or has a look that looks really good. The second refers to the process of supporting an insult against someone who has lost an argument.

Situation One:  "That outfit is snatched, you look so good."

Situation Two:  "Then I said, 'by the way, everything you said and stand for is wrong, and I can't even believe people as ignorant as you exist'." "Oop, s natched ." 

Source: Urban Dictionary

Wig: "Wig" is a phrase used to refer to something that is amazing. It refers to the idea that what you saw was so amazing, and incited so much shock in you, that your wig flew off.

*Beyonce posts a photo*

Comments:  "Wig!" 

Big Yikes: "Big Yikes" is a more intense version of the word "yikes." It refers to something that is so very embarrassing that another, much larger "yikes" is needed.

"I thought I was posting it to my finsta but it went to my actual account."

"YIKES." 

"Even worse: Now she knows I was with her boyfriend last night."

"BIG YIKES."

Fit: Unlike the British version of the term "fit," which means attractive, in the United States, "fit" is just the shortened version of outfit.

"She had on a fire fit at the party." 

"Their fit was bold." 

Source : Buzzfeed , Urban Dictionary

Bet: "Bet" is a word that has many uses. It can be used in lieu of the word "OK" or "YES," but it can also be used as a response when someone challenges you, instead of saying "watch" or "we'll see."

Situation One: "Hey, I got your text message. See you at the club later." "Bet."

Situation Two: "You're not going to come to the party tonight. You never come to these types of events." "Alright, bet."

Fire: "Fire" is used to refer to something that is really cool and amazing.

"That outfit is fire."

"The movie was fire, you have to check it out."

Cap / No Cap: To "cap" is to lie about something, whereas "no cap" means to tell the truth.

"What you said is the biggest cap I've heard in a minute."

"All you do is cap, there's nothing real about you."

Shade: The word "shade" can be used as itself to refer to a situation where someone illustrated sneaky actions toward someone or something. On the other end, the person who has done the sneaky action has participated in the verb form of shade, which is to "throw shade."

"I see you over there throwing shade."

"She was out here throwing shade."

"You are being so shady right now, omg."

Flex: To "flex" (as a verb) is to knowingly flaunt and show off. As a noun, a "flex" is the thing being shown off itself.

Situation One: "He drove himself to school in a new car the day after he got his license. He's trying to flex."

Situation Two: "Big flex, I just got a job promotion last night." 

Source : Bustle

Go Off: "Go off" can be used to encourage a choice, or to support a rant or ridiculous behavior that's already occurred, usually meant humorously. Often, the phrase "I guess" follows it.

"You sat there for five minutes trying to tell me how to live my life, meanwhile I have yet to see you get yours together. But go off, I guess." 

Source : Urban Dictionary

Lewk: "Lewk" is a variation of "look," a signature physical trait, or a specially and carefully constructed outfit or appearance

"Their dress at prom was a lewk."

"Did you see Megan Thee Stallion's lewk in her newest video?" 

Source : The Cut

Lit: "Lit" is an adjective to describe when something's amazing, exciting, high-energy, or otherwise great. It can alternatively mean intoxicated or drunk.

Situation One:  "That party was lit."

Situation Two: "I was way too lit last night."

Source : Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Lowkey / Highkey: "Lowkey" means slightly, secretly, modestly, or discretely. It's the opposite of "highkey," for when you're sincerely or assertively into something.

"I lowkey can't wait for summer to be over."

"I highkey love snow."

Source : Business Insider

Salty: To be "salty" is to be annoyed, upset, or bitter, usually about something minor.

"You look really salty right now. What happened?"

"I'm mad salty right now though, lowkey." 

Slay: To "slay" is to do really well or succeed at something. The term first emerged during the 1970s and '80s in the midst of black drag and ballroom culture.

Situation One: "She slayed that fit" or "I slayed that test." 

Situation Two: "How do I look?" "Girl, you slay." 

Source : The Philadelphia Inquirer , PushBlack Now , Business Insider

Shook: If someone's "shook," they're affected by something, usually negatively and very emotionally. It can also mean shocked, surprised, or scared.

"Can't believe how that movie ended. I'm shook." 

Stan: "Stan" can be a noun for an overzealous and obsessive fan, and a verb meaning to be that kind of fan. It originated from an Eminem song of the same name. Someone can be a "stan" of a celebrity, or used as a verb, they can "stan" them. The word can also be used to express tame support of a person or a cause.

Situation One: "I stan pretty hard for Lizzo."

Situation Two:  "Don't say that to the 'Game of Thrones' stans."

Situation Three: "She is an incredible pop singer, unproblematic, who loves and supports equal rights. We have to stan." 

Source : Rolling Stone

Tea: "Tea" is gossip, and "spilling the tea" is the act of gossiping. We can also thank black drag culture for this iconic phrase. "Tea" is also used when one is agreeing with a point someone has just said.

Situation One: "Spill the tea, what did he say?"

Situation Two: "Last night was a mess. Here's the tea." 

Situation Three:  "And then I said, I can't support or be with someone who doesn't love and support me." "Tea." 

Source : Merriam-Webster , Urban Dictionary

Thirsty: Someone is "thirsty" if they're overly eager and desperate, usually for attention, approval, or compliments.

"He's posted, like, 10 selfies in the last hour. He's so thirsty."

Source : New York Times

Yeet: "Yeet" is a versatile word, mostly used either as a verb or to narrate the process of discarding things at high velocity.

Situation One: As someone throws something into the trashcan, that person may scream "YEET." 

Situation Two: "That car hit the fire hydrant and then quickly went away. It went YEET." 

Sksksksk: This phrase is also very versatile, but is mostly a filler expression of excitement, used when people do not know what else to say, or how to transition into a new phrase. It's popular among VSCO girls who use it to express their excitement.

"Are you going to the party tonight?"

"SKSKSKSK YES!"

Source: Business Insider

Simp: Basically the modern way of calling someone a schmoozer or a people pleaser, "simp" is mostly used to describe people (generally those who identify as male) who are willing to do anything to get somebody to fall in love with them.

While "simp" exploded in 2019 and 2020, the term and its current meaning actually originate from late 1980s and early '90s hip-hop, according to Dictionary.com.

"Yes, I bought her flowers, took her to dinner, gave her my Netflix password, and now we're planning to go to the park tomorrow to watch birds."

"Man, you're a simp."

Source: Urban Dictionary , Dictionary.com

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Meaning of riverboat in English

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• cabin cruiser
• dragon boat
• rubber dinghy

Examples of riverboat

Translations of riverboat.

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Word of the Day

something dangerous or serious, such as an accident, that happens suddenly or unexpectedly and needs fast action in order to avoid harmful results

Paying attention and listening intently: talking about concentration

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The Anatomy of the Urban Dictionary

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The Urban Dictionary is a crowdsourced website that records new words and their meanings. It began life in 1999 as a parody of Dictionary.com but has since become an important resource on the Web. Indeed, judges in the U.K. famously used the site in 2005 to help them understand slang used by two rappers involved in a dispute.

Part of Urban Dictionary’s appeal is its informal approach, which allows both definitions and descriptions of words. It even allows opinions, which can sometimes be offensive. It captures new words quickly and registers many of the variations that emerge over time. A voting system allows users to show admiration or disdain, revealing words’ popularity.

Today, many millions of users rely on the site to keep them up to date with slang, common usage, and popular culture.

Of course, Urban Dictionary has its shortcomings. In the absence of style guides, editors, and moderators, the content can be vague and inaccurate. Also, little is known about the people who post new words and whether the entries reflect real changes in the language or just those that affect a small subset of people.

So just how good is the Urban Dictionary at capturing new words, and how does it compare with more conventional approaches to producing online dictionaries?

Today, we get an answer of sorts thanks to the work of Dong Nguyen at the Alan Turing Institute in London and a few pals, who compare the Urban Dictionary and its content with Wiktionary, another crowdsourced dictionary. “To the best of our knowledge, this is the first systematic study of Urban Dictionary at this scale,” they say.

Wiktionary is an interesting comparison because it takes a much more formal approach to crowdsourcing. This is a sister site to Wikipedia, run by the same Wikimedia organization. It records only word definitions and employs guidelines about how these should be compiled. It also guides users as to what constitutes a definition. Moderators edit the content, control vandalism, and aim to generate high-quality results. Unsurprisingly, Wiktionary has also become an important online resource, one that researchers increasingly use for natural-language processing and so on. 

Nguyen and co begin by analyzing the Urban Dictionary content in the broadest terms. They say it records 2,661,625 definitions for 1,620,438 words and phrases. Most words have just one definition, but a few have upwards of 1,000.

The word with the highest number of definitions is emo , with 1,204.  And the top definition is this:

• A terribly misconstrued and misused word. In contemporary culture it is utilized as a broad term to describe a multitude of children and teenagers who straighten their hair, have their hair in their face, perhaps dye it black, and wear tight clothing. Unfortunately this is completely inaccurate. Actual “emo” music existed in the late 80’s and was a subgenre of hardcore punk rock, after all, “emo” is a shortening of “Emotional hardcore punk rock.” The people in early emo bands dressed like regular people, everyday guys/girls who just played music that they enjoyed. Sadly, since the formulation and ongoing existence of Hot Topic, the term emo has been incorrectly characterized for a little more than a decade. You have to wonder how the original bands feel about the slandering and mass misunderstanding and misuse of their originality with those of the unoriginal.

By contrast, Wiktionary lists five definitions for emo :

• A particular style of hardcore punk rock 2. An individual or group of people associated with that subculture and musical style. 3. Any form of guitar-driven alternative rock that is particularly or notably emotional 4. An individual or group of people associated with a fashion or stereotype of that style of rock. 5. A young person who is considered to be over-emotional or stereotypically emo.

The word with the next highest number of definitions on Urban Dictionary is love , with 1140. The other words in the top 10 by number of definitions are: god , urban dictionary , chode , C anada’s  history , sex , school , cunt, and scene .

In terms of popularity, upvotes slightly outnumber downvotes. But, say Nguyen and co, “there is a wide variation among the definitions, with some having more than ten times more up votes than down votes and some the other way around.” 

The team also compare the lexical coverage of Urban Dictionary and Wiktionary. It turns out that the overlap is surprisingly small—72 percent of the words on Urban Dictionary are not recorded on Wiktionary. 

However, the team note that many words on Urban Dictionary are relevant to only a small subset of users. Many are nicknames or proper names such as Dan Taylor , defined as “A very wonderful man that cooks the best beef stew in the whole wide world.” These usually have only one meaning.

So to study more common words, the team also compared only those words that have two or more definitions. In that case, the overlap is much larger: just 25 percent of the definitions appear only on Urban Dictionary. For example, the word phased  appears on both dictionaries as something being done bit by bit—in phases.

However, Urban Dictionary also describes several other meanings, such as “A word that is used when your asking if someone wants to fight” and “to be ‘buzzed.’ when you arent drunk, but arent sober.”

In this analysis, many more words appear only on Wiktionary, some 69 percent of them. Nguyen and co say that many of these are encyclopedic entries such as acacetins , dramaturge , and S hakespearean sonnets .

That leads the team to a clear conclusion. “In general, we can say that the overlap between the two dictionaries is small,” they say.

Urban Dictionary meanings also include opinions, unlike those on Wiktionary. One definition of beer is this: “Possibly the best thing ever to be invented ever. I MEAN IT.”

To work out what proportion of definitions these make up, the team had crowdworkers assess each to determine whether it was an opinion or a meaning and whether they were familiar with it.

They found that up to 50 percent of meanings for proper nouns were opinions and that the workers were unfamiliar with the majority of these uses. They also found definitions such as  coffee,  “a person who is coughed upon.”

In addition, crowdworkers found that much of the Urban Dictionary content was offensive, but that this cntent  tended to get lower votes.

“We also found that words with more definitions tended to be more familiar to crowdworkers, suggesting that Urban Dictionary content does reflect broader trends in language use to some extent,” say Nguyen and co.

The work provides a unique window into a website that has come to play an important role in popular culture. That should set the scene for other studies. In particular, an interesting question is whether online dictionaries not only record linguistic change but actually drive it, as some linguists suggest.

Perhaps something for a future research project.

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Definition of 'riverboat'

riverboat in British English

Riverboat in american english, examples of 'riverboat' in a sentence riverboat, trends of riverboat.

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riverboat noun

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What does the noun riverboat mean?

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun riverboat . See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.

How common is the noun riverboat ?

How is the noun riverboat pronounced, british english, u.s. english, where does the noun riverboat come from.

Earliest known use

The earliest known use of the noun riverboat is in the mid 1500s.

OED's earliest evidence for riverboat is from 1565, in the writing of Thomas Cooper, theologian and bishop of Winchester.

riverboat is formed within English, by compounding.

Etymons: river n. 1 , boat n. 1

Nearby entries

• riverbank, n. a1522–
• river basin, n. 1824–
• river bass, n. 1820–
• riverbed, n. 1781–
• river birch, n. 1846–
• river black-oak, n. 1886–98
• river-blanched, adj. 1788
• river blindness, n. 1952–
• river boar, n. 1601
• river board, n. 1823–
• riverboat, n. 1565–
• riverboat casino, n. 1958–
• riverboat gambler, n. 1920–
• riverboat gambling, n. 1953–
• river bottom, n. 1662–
• river-boy, n. 1791–
• River Brethren, n. 1849–
• river bull, n. 1639–1709
• river bullhead, n. 1763–
• river bus, n. 1929–
• river capture, n. 1890–

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Meaning & use

Pronunciation, compounds & derived words, entry history for riverboat, n..

Originally published as part of the entry for river, n.¹

riverboat, n. was revised in June 2010.

riverboat, n. was last modified in March 2024.

oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:

• further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
• new senses, phrases, and quotations.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into riverboat, n. in March 2024.

Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

OED First Edition (1909)

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• View river, n.¹ in OED Second Edition

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Definition of riverboat

Examples of riverboat in a sentence.

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'riverboat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

1565, in the meaning defined above

Dictionary Entries Near riverboat

riverboatman

Cite this Entry

“Riverboat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/riverboat. Accessed 26 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of riverboat, more from merriam-webster on riverboat.

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for riverboat

Britannica English: Translation of riverboat for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about riverboat

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Proud Mary by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Songfacts®:

• In the beginning, "Proud Mary" had nothing to do with a riverboat. Instead, John Fogerty envisioned it as the story of a woman who works as a maid for rich people. "She gets off the bus every morning and goes to work and holds their lives together," he explained. "Then she has to go home." It was Stu Cook who first introduced the riverboat aspect of the song. The idea came to him as the group watched the television show Maverick and Stu made the statement, "Hey riverboat, blow your bell." John agreed that the boat seemed to have something to do with the song that had been brewing in his mind for quite some time, waiting to take conscious shape. When he wrote the music, he made the first few chords evoke a riverboat paddlewheel going around. Thus, "Proud Mary" went from being a cleanup lady to a boat.
• Fogerty wrote the lyrics based on three song title ideas: "Proud Mary," "Riverboat," and "Rolling On A River." He carried around a notebook with titles that he thought would make good songs, and "Proud Mary" was at the top of the list.
• The song came together on the day that John Fogerty got his discharge papers from the US Army. Fogerty had been drafted in 1966 and was part of a Reserve unit, serving at Fort Bragg, Fort Knox, and Fort Lee. His discharge papers came in 1967. Fogerty recalls in Bad Moon Rising: The Unofficial History of Creedence Clearwater Revival by Hank Bordowitz: "The Army and Creedence overlapped, so I was 'that hippie with a record on the radio.' I'd been trying to get out of the Army, and on the steps of my apartment house sat a diploma-sized letter from the government. It sat there for a couple of days, right next to my door. One day, I saw the envelope and bent down to look at it, noticing it said 'John Fogerty.' I went into the house, opened the thing up, and saw that it was my honorable discharge from the Army. I was finally out! This was 1968 and people were still dying. I was so happy, I ran out into my little patch of lawn and turned cartwheels. Then I went into my house, picked up my guitar and started strumming. 'Left a good job in the city' and then several good lines came out of me immediately. I had the chord changes, the minor chord where it says, 'Big wheel keep on turnin'/Proud Mary keep on burnin'' (or 'boinin',' using my funky pronunciation I got from Howling' Wolf). By the time I hit 'Rolling, rolling, rolling on the river,' I knew I had written my best song. It vibrated inside me. When we rehearsed it, I felt like Cole Porter." So it was that an all-American classic was born from the pressure-cooker atmosphere of the late 1960s. Fogerty suspected right away that his "Tin Pan Alley" song was a radio-friendly hit, and he was right. The song hit #2 in the US, reached #8 in the UK, and #1 in Austria.
• This was the first of five singles by Creedence that went to #2 on the US chart; they have the most #2 songs without ever having a #1.
• Despite popular belief, John Fogerty was not writing from experience when he wrote this. Thanks to his military commitment, he hadn't ventured further east than Montana. After the song was recorded, he took a trip to Memphis so he could finally see the Mississippi River.
• The original CCR version peaked at #2 in March 1969. In June, Solomon Burke's rendition hit #45. His was the first to include a spoken into: I know a lot of you folks would like to know what the old Proud Mary is all about Well, I'd like to tell you about her She's nothing but a big old boat You see, my forefathers used to ride the bottoms of her as stokers, cooks, and waiters And I made a vow that when I grew up, I'd take a ride on the old Proud Mary And if you'd let me, I'd like to sing about it Burke then sings, " looking for a job in the city," as opposed to "left a good job in the city."
• This was a #4 hit in the US for Ike & Tina Turner in 1971, and a highlight of their live shows. Tina Turner recalled in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine in 1971 how they came to record this on their Workin' Together album: "When we cut the album, we were lacking a few tunes, so we said 'Well, let's just put in a few things that we're doing on stage. And that's how 'Proud Mary' came about. I had loved it when it first came out. We auditioned a girl and she had sung 'Proud Mary.' This is like eight months later, and Ike said, 'You know, I forgot all about that tune.' And I said let's do it, but let's change it. So in the car Ike plays the guitar, we just sort of jam. And we just sort of broke into the black version of it. It was never planned to say, 'Well, let's go to the record shop, and I'd like to record this tune by Aretha Franklin'... it's just that we get it for stage, because we give the people a little bit of us and a little bit of what they hear on the radio every day."
• "Proud Mary" attracted 35 covers in the year 1969 alone. Over 100 have been made since. These are the US charting versions: Creedence Clearwater Revival (#2, 1969) Solomon Burke (#45, 1969) Checkmates, Ltd. feat. Sonny Charles (#69, 1969) Ike & Tina Turner (#4, 1971) Glee Cast (#115, 2009)
• The line, "Pumped a lot of pain down in New Orleans" is actually "Pumped a lot of 'Pane," as in propane. He was pumping gas.
• The Checkmates, Ltd. did a horn-powered, gospel inflected version of this song that was produced by Phil Spector and featured Sonny Charles on lead vocals. Running 4:30, it's substantially longer than the 3:07 original, and went to #69 in November 1969. This arrangement was clearly an influence on the Ike & Tina Turner version, which they started performing soon after. There was speculation that Spector, who produced Ike & Tina on their 1966 single " River Deep - Mountain High ," brought this version to Ike Turner's attention.
• When CCR recorded this song, John Fogerty wasn't happy with the harmony vocals, so he recorded them himself and overdubbed them onto the track. This caused further tension in his already-tenuous relationship with his bandmates. The group split up in 1972.
• Fogerty came up with the famous chord riff on guitar when he was playing around with Beethoven's " 5th Symphony ." That one goes "dun dun dun duuunnnnn...," but Fogerty thought it would sound better with the emphasis on the first note, which is how he arrived at " do do do do." This part reminded him of the paddle wheel that impels a riverboat. "'Proud Mary' is not a side-wheeler, it's a stern-wheeler," he explained.
• Even though Creedence Clearwater Revival was from El Cerrito, California, many people thought they were from New Orleans or some other part of the South because of their swamp rock sound. They helped feed the rumor by naming their second album Bayou Country .
• Tina Turner recorded a solo version for her 1993 album What's Love Got To Do With It , which was the soundtrack to her biopic of the same name. In the film, it was lip-synced by Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne (who played Ike and Tina), but on the recording, Tina's sax player Tim Cappello did Ike's bass vocals. By recording her own version with no trace of Ike, it made sure he could not profit from its use in the film or soundtrack - an important distinction considering Tina's accusations of spousal abuse. When Tina performed the song live, she would usually do a variation on the spoken part, but without the male vocal.
• Ike & Tina Turner's version charted for the first time in the UK on the chart dated October 2, 2010 after it was performed on X-Factor by auditioneees Diva Fever. This version was credited to Tina Turner only.
• Ike and Tina performed their version on the Season 2 premiere of Soul Train in 1972, becoming the first big act to appear on the program. The show became very popular its first season because of the dancers, but they were able to book many famous guests in subsequent seasons.
• The first time Fogerty heard Ike and Tina's version he was in the car. He told Spinner : "When it ended, if they had a camera and came back to me it'd be like, when Shrek and the donkey go to Far, Far Away and they push the button for that little arcade machine and it tells the whole story of their town! And the Donkey's like [Eddie Murphy impression] 'Let's do that again!' That's how I felt when that ended. I loved it, and I was so honored. I was like, 'Wow, Ike and Tina!' I had actually been following their career for quite some time. Way back in the day, when Janis and Grace Slick started to get known by the kids who were my age, I'd be like, 'Man, Tina Turner, c'mon!' She finally got her due, but for a while there, she wasn't noticed. It was a really good version, and it was different. I mean, that's the key. Instead of the same thing, it was really exciting."
• On February 19, 1987, John Fogerty went to the Palomino Club in North Hollywood to see Taj Mahal, an artist Fogerty calls "an American treasure." As told in Fogerty's memoir, while trying to remain incognito and listen to Taj, he noticed that Bob Dylan was doing the exact same thing in the corner of the venue. Fogerty went to Dylan and learned that George Harrison had gone there, too. Someone let Taj know who was in the house, and Taj promptly called them all onstage. Dylan played one of his songs. Harrison played "Honey, Don't" and then they all did "Twist and Shout." At that point, Dylan called out that Fogerty had to do "Proud Mary." At that point in his life, Fogerty had sworn off all of his old CCR material, out of bitterness and spite against both his old band and his old label. So Fogerty said he didn't want to play the song, but Dylan responded, "If you don't do 'Proud Mary,' everybody's gonna think it's a Tina Turner song." With that, Fogerty ripped into the song and had a great time playing it. When he was done he said, "Eat your heart out, Tina." The occasion didn't inspire Fogerty to start regularly performing CCR songs again, but it did break it for that one evening as four legends of rock jammed together.
• According to the book Bad Moon Rising , Bob Dylan called "Proud Mary" his favorite song of 1969.
• A film about a hitwoman titled Proud Mary was released in January 2018. Not only does the action movie take its name from the song, but altered lyrics from the tune appear on the poster promoting it, with the tagline, "Killing for the Man every Night and Day." John Fogerty took to Twitter to complain: "I wrote the song 'Proud Mary' 50 years ago, and I was very excited to have written such a good song. In fact, it was my very first good song. My songs are special to me. Precious. So it irks me when people seek to capitalize on the popularity of my music and the good will it has earned with the public for their own financial gain. Over the years, I have often found myself directly opposed to these uses. This movie has nothing to do with me, or my song. They simply picked the title and wrote a completely fictitious story around it." He added: "No one ever asked me about using my song this way, or even about the meaning of Proud Mary." The film, as well as the trailer, features the Tina Turner version of the song. Fogerty lost the rights to his CCR songs in 1973, so there was nothing he could do about having a cover version of the song used in the film.
• Leonard Nimoy, who played "Mr. Spock" on Star Trek , recorded an infamous cover of this song. Near the end, he sings the chorus Elmer Fudd style - "Big wheel keep on toynin', Pwoud Mawy keep on boinin'..." It is included on a CD called Golden Throats .
• This song was used to disastrous effect to open the 1989 Academy Awards ceremony in a bit where host Rob Lowe sang it with an actress playing Snow White, with the lyrics changed to be about Hollywood: Klieg lights keep on burnin' Cameras keep on turnin' Rollin' Rollin' Keep the cameras rollin' It got a better treatment in 2024 when Fantasia Barrino sang it to honor Tina Turner.
• Tina Turner sang this song for nearly 40 years, performing it until she retired in 2009. Many of her hits were ballads, so "Proud Mary" was an opportunity to electrify the crowd with a high-energy number that let her show off her impressive dancing.
• More songs from Creedence Clearwater Revival
• More songs with girls' names in the title
• More songs that were hits for more than one artist
• More songs about commitment or respect
• More songs performed at Woodstock
• More songs covered by the Glee cast
• More songs that are also the names of movies
• More songs from 1969
• Lyrics to Proud Mary
• Creedence Clearwater Revival Artistfacts

Comments: 66

• Mephilis Eric, it's not tane, you barbarian. The word you are thinking of is Tang. Poontang.
• Annabelle from Eugene, Or I clearly hear, "Pumped a lot of pane". Want some proof? https://youtu.be/kKC3SexQ01k
• Eric from The Virginia Swamp Not “pumped a lot of Pane”. It’s “pumped a lot of Tane” So the double meaning of Octane or Poo-tane, can carry forward. Rolling Proud Mary… that’s Mary Jane, The green stuff. Devils weed.
• Barry from Sauquoit, Ny On this day in 1969 {December 13th} Andy Williams performed "Proud Mary" on his NBC-TV musical variety program, 'The Andy Williams Show'... In the calendar year of 1969 three versions of "Proud Mary" made Billboard's Top 100 chart, CCR's original version peaked at #2 {for 3 weeks} in March, Solomon Burke's covered version reached #45 {for 1 week} in June, and the Checkmates' covered version peaked at #69 {for 1 week} in October... Between 1956 and 2007 the Wall Lake, Iowa native had forty-six records on Billboard's Top 100 chart, eight made the Top 10 with one reaching #1, "Butterfly", for three weeks on March 14th, 1957... He just missed having a second #1 record when his "Can't Get Used to Losing You" peaked at #2 for 4 weeks in 1963, during it's first two weeks at #2, "He's So Fine" by the Chiffons was at #1, and for it's 3rd and 4th week at #2, "I Will Follow Him" by Little Peggy March occupied the top spot... Howard Andrew 'Andy' Williams passed away at the age of 84 on September 25th, 2012... May he R.I.P.
• Yuk from Usa Pumped a lot of propane in New Orleans in the sixties? More likely it was 'tane (octane, in gasoline)
• Kawa from Tokyo, Japan Hi Music lovers, I think that the idea of the lyrics if the song 'Proud Mary' came from the theme song of TV series 'Rawhide' in 50s to 60s. 'Rawhide' was an American Western TV series aired from 1959 to 1966. It was a very popular TV series and it was aired in Japan, too. I think the songwriter of the song,'Proud Mary', John Fogerty, must have been watching this TV series at that time. Because the lyrics of the song has including a very impressive phrase 'Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river'. It reminds me of the theme of 'Rawhide'. REALLY! I think that John as a kid thought the theme of 'Rawhide' was very cool and that he wanted to write a song like this someday in the future. And he did in 1969 as writing the song 'Proud Mary'. By the way, I think that the intro of 'Proud Mary' came from the intro from the song 'Sunshine Of Your Love' written and played by the British rock band called 'Cream' in 1967. So let's take a look at both 'The theme of Rawhide and 'Sunshin Of Love' compairing the song 'Proud Mary' AND sing!
• Jennifur Sun from Ramona LOVE this song because I LOVE LOVE LOVE old paddlewheeleers. Have rode the two in Tahoe and didn't want to get off. Am not crazy about the Tina version either but that's ok. Thanks John for such a great tune.
• Sam from Nyc hmmm, aren't these the same guys who wanna know if you ever seen the rain? lol uhhh yea, this song is about smoking a joint. if anyone ever seen a pot rolling machine, you'll know what they mean by "big wheel keeps on turning". If you haven't seen a pot rolling machine, you can just drop in on any smoke shop and ask to see a Zig Zag.. cost you around 10 bux lol. then you too will find yourself "rollin, rollin rollin" and understand why your "proud mary keeps on burning" lol. Have a good day.
• Barry from Sauquoit, Ny On January 16th 1969, Creedence Clearwater Revival was one of the acts* to appear at the Fillmore West in San Francisco, California... Three days later on January 19th CCR's "Proud Mary" would enter Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #62, a little over six weeks later on March 2nd it would peak at #2 for three weeks... {See 11th post below}... * Other acts on the bill were Fleetwood Mac and Albert Collins.
• Johnny from Boston, Ma I love this song as I do all John Fogerty songs and I think the guitar solo is one of the best of all time--short and sweet.
• Garett from Il Alas, it is sir Walter Scott as author of the poem. My apologies sir W.
• Garett from Il Proud Maisie, by Longfellow, preceded the riverboat. Maisie, as a name, dropped from history, mostly, for practical reasons. I can hear the children taunting: Don't see Maisie She is crazy Mind is hazy Will is lazy If you fancy Go see Nancy Soon you'll learn to Do her pants - eee! Still in the oral tradition, our culture replaced the name with Mary, and it is a short poem. In the poem, Mary is so proud, too proud, that she learns her only marriage bed will be her grave, and the shovel is mentioned that digs it. A steamboat broiler looks like hell itself, the overwhelming fire and heat. Mean work for any man. What deserves to be shoveled into hell itself? Someone with an intractable sin, like Proud Mary. Hey let's name the boat that. She should keep on burnin after all, right?
• Bob Wallace from California "Proud Mary" is apparently riverboat slang for dried horse manure which was sometimes used as fuel on steamboats. It burns hot and clean (think buffalo chips for the pioneers and dried cattle manure commonly used South Asia). http://www.steamboats.org/forum/steamboats-history/2273-steamboat-terminology-slang.html In an interview on American Roots with a riverboat captain the captain says that there were a number of things burned under boilers in order to get the temperature up quickly. Pine knots, hams and Proud Mary were some. Big wheel keep on turnin' Proud Mary keep on burnin'
• Markantney from Biloxe May 2015 Susan, I'm from the Deeep South (MS) and I'm amazed that CCR doesn't have a Southern Background? How their songs can sound as Southern as Lynyrd Skynyrd is freakin amazing to me:):) And to the folks harping on the "Drugs", say the song IS about Drugs, now what?
• Barry from Sauquoit, Ny On March 9th 1969, Creedence Clearwater Revival performed "Proud Mary" on the CBS-TV program "The Ed Sullivan Show"... At the time the song was in its second of three weeks at #2 on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart, that would also be its peak position on the chart... {See fourth post below}.
• Barry from Sauquoit, Ny On January 16th 1971, a video of Ike & Tina Turner performing "Proud Mary" was aired on the ABC-TV program 'American Bandstand'... Eight days later on January 24th, 1971 the duo's covered version entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #99 {See posts below for more chart info}.
• Susan from Atlanta, Ga Luke from Manchester, I think I love you! It annoys me no end that on virtually every song covered in this site, some proud soul showing off his or her new lobotomy declares the song to be about drugs. I love CCR, and John Fogerty is one of three concerts left on my bucket list. I remember being shocked to find that they were originally from California and not, as they alluded in various ways, the bayou area or somewhere along the Mississippi River. Thanks to whoever explained that faux "Cajun" accent John was trying to affect with "toinin'" and "boinin'" in this song.
• Markantney from Biloxi, Ms June, 2014: 1. I don't care if it's about Drugs, Dishes, Gasoline, Typewriters, or even Pet Rocks,..it's a great song, both CCRs and Ike and Tina's Versions. 2. I like to listen to CCRs and see Ike and Tina's performed. 3. Back to #1, based on the issues of the day (back then); it's hard to believe it's not about drugs but again, I could care less if it is or isn't.
• Barry from Sauquoit, Ny On March 2nd 1969, "Proud Mary" by CCR peaked at #2 (for 3 weeks) on Billboard's Hot Top chart... (See post below)... Was the quartet's first in a string of nine straight records to make the Top 10; after 'Mary' came "Bad Moon Rising (#2 for 1 week), "Green River" (#2 for 1 week), "Down On The Corner" (#3), "Travlin' Band" (#2 for 2 weeks), "Up Round The Bend" (#4), "Lookin' Out My Back Door" (#2 for 1 week), "Have You Ever Seen The Rain" (#8), and finally "Sweet Hitch Hiker" (#6)... On June 4th, 1972 "Someday Never Comes" peaked at #25 (for 2 weeks); and that broke their streak of Top 10 records... And four years later in 1976 their covered version of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" was their last Top 100 record, it reached #43.
• Barry from Sauquoit, Ny On January 19th 1969, "Proud Mary" by Creedence Clearwater Revival entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; and on March 2nd it peaked at #2 (for 3 weeks) and spent 14 weeks on the Top 100 (and 7 of those 14 weeks were on the Top 10)... In its first week at #2, the #1 record was "Everyday People" by Sly and the Family Stone and for its 2nd & 3rd week, "Dizzy" by Tommy Roe was in the top spot... Was their first of five #2s on the Top 100... "Proud Mary" was track three of side two on the group's second studio album, 'Bayou Country', the album reached #7 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart... Tom Fogerty passed away on September 6th, 1990 at the young age of 48... May he R.I.P.
• Barry from Sauquoit, Ny On January 11th 1970 Ike and Tina Turner performed "Proud Mary" on the CBS-TV program 'The Ed Sullivan Show'... One year later on January 24th, 1971 it entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; and on March 21st, 1971 it peaked at #4 (for 1 week) and spent 13 weeks on the Top 100... CCR's original version peaked at #2 (for 3 weeks) two years earlier on March 2nd, 1969... And also in 1969 two covered versions made the Top 100; Solomon Burke (#45) and Checkmates, Ltd. (#69).
• Luke from Manchester, United Kingdom Stop attaining songs to drugs unless they ARE about drugs. It's embarrassing for people with brains.
• Karl from Seattle, Wa I think this song very clearly draws connections to living an alternative lifestyle and doing drugs. It's about being a nomad, moving about a lot, experiencing the "high" life with drugs instead of the conventional finish highschcool maybe get a degree get a job get married, kids dogs and a house to live for the rest of your life in. It's about not fitting in the "system". And people who don't fit in are a lot more likely to smoke weed. "Proud mary keep on burning"? People who smoke weed are often very affectionate of it. There's a million songs out there who personalize marijuana as an object or a person i.e.e Mary janes last dance from tom petty. "Rolling, rolling, rolling"? Hard to believe a guy who probably smoked all day and was probably rolling a joint as he wrote the song didn't write this intentionally, right after proud mary keep on burning. Pumped a lot of painpane might just be a play on words. Heroin initially gives a high but i bet it can be painful for someone without resources to try to deal with the addiction when they are all out of money and need another dose, maybe living in the street. Maybe pain wasn't the ideal word to describe itbut he needed to make it ambiguous with pane. Now what really closes the deal " If you come down to the river, Bet you gonna find some people who live. You dont have to worry cause you have no money, People on the river are happy to give." meaning - If you decide to give the hippie community (general umbrella term for people who believe in alternative lifestyles, not specific people anywhere) a chance i bet you would leave with a good impression. I bet you are gonna find some people who live good lives despite not following the norm of society that is equating money with the ability to achieve happiness. River = river of life, the flow of the universe and everyday life, a river is constantly changing and every second its flow and format is different, thought sometimes it might seem slow and at other times fast. Like life. Now, i like other interpretations of the song too, and im not trying to put them down. Songs can have multiple meanings. But to think that the author didn't intentionally reference drugs in this song is like being in a room with an elephant and deciding to close yours eyes and say theres no elephant. It is there. Also, it doesnt matter what the band said or didnt say. There could be a million reasons why he would rather give an answer in an interview rather than another, and Rob, Novi, MI - Did you write this straight from the DEA's headquarters? On your lunch break maybe? "Stop thinking and just hear", oh dear.
• Meocyber from Alma, Co I've allways interpreted this as a blue collar working river man's song. He kind of spoke to the lonelines, along with romance of river life. For a Nocal guy Fogerty had to have a past life in the deep South. Has great empathy!
• Ernie from Bronx, Ny, Ny New York City --song had went to #1 for 1 week on radio station WMCA - which played rock & roll with more of local sound- --WABC --song went to #2 -which played National hit songs- this took wedding bands by storm-- when a band was asked to play a rock & roll song- they would always play "PROUD MARY"
• Barry from Sauquoit, Ny "Proud Mary" started the string of three consecutive records that peaked at #2; "Proud Mary" for three weeks, then "Bad Moon Rising" for a week, and finally "Green River" for one week!!!
• Rick from Belfast, Me this song should of been #1 for the year....at worst, definitely #2 for the year 1969
• Jeff from Panama City , Fl the intro doesnt instill the paddlewheel for me...its the lead riff in the middle...and the fills are phenomenal...very soulful...the single reason for me learning the guitar at an early age...the big one that put creedence on the map...forever indebted to stu, doug, tom, and of course john for giving me the inspiration to follow a music career...advocation
• Luke from Saint Augustine, Fl do you know that i always thought this song was about a semi truck driver, for example rolling down the river, proud mary keep on burnin' which i thought he ment truck wheels keep on burnin down the road, even though everyone says proud mary was a boat i still like to think its a truck :)
• Garrett from Phenix City, Al Hello Jose from Barcelona, How can I find the Conway Twitty album "I Love You More Today? Is it still In Print? If you have an answer, let me know por favor.
• Garrett from Phenix City, Al Marta, I tried going to the direct YouTube address that you have sent. I could pull up the song itself, but I couldn't find Conway's version When I tried typing it in the youtube search box it just gave me all of his other songs. If you know what page number in the listings it would be on, or anywhere else that has it for sure, or if there is anyone else that knows the about this please let me know I appreciate it. God Bless!!!
• Marta from Szczecin, Poland http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z4lmF8PNGc :)))
• Garrett from Phenix City, Al Does Anybody know where I can find Conway Twitty's version of proud Mary? If you do, please tell me. I have looked on the web and can not find it anywhere. Thanks, Garrett Miles
• Garrett from Phenix City, Al First of all, I'd like to say the lyrics to the second verse are as follows; "Cleaned a lot of plates in Memphis, pumped a lot of 'pane or 'pain down in New Orleans." I used to think it was "Pumped a lot of tank down in New Orleans." Later, I heard a friend of mine's son singing the CCR version, and he said it was 'pane. Then I listened closely to Creedence Clearwater Revival's version, and it was clear that Fogerty was saying "'Paine" or "'pain," and not "tank as i thought it was, or even "'tane" as Ike & Tina Turner sang. So I asked several people what they thought it was and they all said it was "'pane" as a contracted form of propane. I have listened to the lyrical content of the song and clearly do not think it is about smoking dope. I have never heard heroine called "Pain." The song is about a riverboat going down the Mississippi. Now that i got that point clear, Yesterday I was reading some of the comments on this site, and I heard someone mension that Conway Twitty sang the song. I had heard that a long time ago, but had forgotten about it. I was wondering if you knew how or where i could find it, because I have looked all over the internet and I can't find it If you read this, and you have an answer, please let me know.
• Harry from Myrtle Beach, Sc To the person who made the comment about hating Tina's version - that's fine if you don't like it - Don't listen to it - But your excuse for a joke about Ike hitting her is apalling. Grow up a little!
• Marion from Houston, Texas, Tx OOPS! That should be JOHN Fogerty.
• Marion from Houston, Texas, Tx I am probably much older than any of you who posted comments and believe I can safely say have known Jim Fogerty and his music much longer than you have. Do not presume to second guess this great artist. He says what he means and means what he says. Instead of arguing about the words of any song, why not just buy the sheet music?
• Kevin from Chicago, Il I'm surprised most people don't draw the connection this song makes to marijuana. "Proud Mary keep on burnin?" I would say that is a pretty obvious reference to smoking some "Mary Jane"
• Kris from Wichita, Ks I hate Tina Turner's version of this song. It's prolly the reason Ike beat her,"Damn Tina you messed that song up *Smack* Don't do it again!"
• Marge from Blue Grass, Ia I'm doing Memorial Tribute's in memory of an uncle who passed away that who used to work on the river as a deckhand years ago. My husband John has worked on the river for 31 years. He's a Captain on a lineboat. He thought this song "Proud Mary" would be the perfect song to put on the Memorial. We always loved this song. It's a good song and I don't know why people have to talk trash about such a great song! Marge,BG,IA.
• David from Wilson, Ny i used to think it was about the boat queen mary when i was younger.
• Gare from St. Paul, Mn I am disappointed to realize that I have had the lyrics wrong all these years - I thought the song said "pumped a lot of tang' down in New Orleans" as in poontang. Damn! I'm still gonna sing it that way, it's much more interesting that-a-way! A great song sung by anyone is still a great song!!!
• Mark from Byrdstown, Tn It kills me when someone posts 'so and so did an awesome cover of this song'.I mean why would you want to hear anyone cover this song when you can hear CCR doing it? I mean hell, Fogerty himself is still playing in a traveling band and doing this song.Even Tina Turner sounded like crap trying to do this song.
• David from Baden-baden, Germany John always had a book with him in which he wrote down feelings or experiences he made on journeys or something. He wrote lyrics with the help of this book.
• Street Strategist from Hong Kong, Hong Kong "Proud Mary" is number 8 in the list called "Sounds at the Speed of Music: 50 Rock Anthems at 100 kph"
• Ken from Louisville, Ky On an NPR interview, Fogerty was asked to pronounce the words "turning" and "burning". Fogerty was amused when the host was shocked that John didn't pronounce them "toinin'" and "boinin'". He said he sang the song in a cajun accent, which, being fron Northern California, he had to fake.
• Linda from Omaha, Ne I read that John Fogerty wrote "Proud Mary" because he was happy about having been rejected for service in Vietnam. Can't believe everything you read though.
• Teresa from Mechelen, Belgium Ike and Tina Turner didn't ruin the song, it's just different but very good also.
• Paul from Warren, Mi This is a great song. It tells of a riverboat sailing down the Mississippi River with the paddlewheels going full force. Ike&Tina Turner ruined the song by speeding up the beat and now every musician follows the Turner way instead of doing it the way John Fogerty wrote it, the way the son was meant to be.
• Caitlin from Upper Township, Nj Cool song. nice rhythmn. i danced to this song in my jazz class last year.
• Teresa from Mechelen, Belgium I loved this song when it came out and still love it now, the version of Ike and Tina Turner is also very good. I can't say which one I prefer because they are so different.
• Jeff from Staten Island, Ny Heroin is called Boy & Coke is called girl because heroin or Dope = (D) & Coke = (C) (its code/slang) because a boy has a 'D' a girl has a 'C' (think of private parts) the word "Man" doesn't fit the equation
• Joe from Charlotte, Nc I saw Fogerty in Chrlotte, NC. He's still doin' it. The "Man" in this song is heroin. "Workin for the man every night and day." If you want proof, watch the movie 'Ray' with Jamie Fox. They refer to coke as the lady, and heroin as boy. The river is referred to in thousands of rock songs. If you listen to any classic rock song and replace any word relating to water with heroin, they all make sense.
• Mitchell from Melbourne, Australia Yeah I saw him in Melbourne too. Terrific sing/songwriter and an excellent performer. Every there loved the entire show and was going crazy. I'm 14
• Jolene from Melbourne, Australia Just saw Fogerty two nights ago in Melbourne and when he did this song the crowd was jumping around and acting real crazy which is a surprise cause the crowd was made up of people from 15 to 75! Mind you we were going crazy to just about every song, incredible concert. If you get a chance to see him live, take it.
• Diane from Nyc, Ny It's a big person who can admit when they are wrong. I am (was) wrong. Straight from the horse's mouth: "Sometimes I write words to songs because they sound cool to sing. Sometimes the listener doesn't understand what I'm singing because I'm dedicated to singing the vowel, having fun with the word sounds coming out of my mouth. 'Cleaned a lot of plates in Memphis, pumped a lot of pain down in New Orleans,' is a good example. I think Tina Turner sang 'tane' instead of 'pain,' as in a contracted form of octane. But I knew what she meant," Fogerty said.
• Diane from Nyc, Ny the lyric is pumped a lot of 'pane (propane) gasoline. it's funny how people project themselves on to perfectly harmless and obvious song lyrics.
• Jose from Barcelona, Spain there is an outstanding version of Proud Mary (country style) by Conway Twitty from LP "I Love You More Today". I do have it in MP3 Benitez
• Ross from Independence, Mo This is #155 on Rolling Stone's list of 500 greatest songs.
• Ken from Louisville, Ky One reason people thought CCR was from Louisiana was the song on the flip side of this single, "Born On The Bayou". In fact, CCR had orginally intended that song to be the A-side, but U.S. disc jockeys kept playing "Proud Mary" so often that the record company made it a "double A side" 45, as was sometimes done in the 1960's.
• Rob from Novi, Mi Good job, Cody. It seems to some people that every single song has some hidden meaning. Just listen to the music.
• Kelly from Burbank, Ca Best CCR song. Hands down. Well in my opinion at least. My dad is a really big Credence fan and listens to them a lot, so I got to know them well too. But I always though this was the best one.
• Michael from Toronto, United States I always associated "pumped a lot of pain" with cranking heroin. I think it's great that the good songwriters' lyrics are open to interpretation.
• Johnny from Hilo, Hi i believe the lyric goes "pumped a lot of 'tain', down in new orleans", as opposed to "pumped a lot of 'pain', down in new orleans". it would make more sense that one could pump "tain" ( slang for octane, or gasolene ) at a low paying job, that would be compared to washing dishes. that, i can see being pumped, "pain" on the other hand, not so much.
• Cody from San Antonio, Tx Why does everyone want songs to be about marijuana? Sometimes its not about pot guys. Come on.
• Jude from Db, Ca Trenyce sang this song very well on "American Idol."

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any shallow-draft boat used on rivers .

Origin of riverboat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use riverboat in a sentence

Let his fancy see the riverboats and then he, himself, inspect one of them.

• A Rafter's Guide to Whitewater Lingo

Whitewater Rafting Lingo 

When you embark on a rafting trip, it often feels as if you’re in a separate world. And you are! Swept away from the asphalt tributaries, the comforts of home and the cacophony of sounds resonating from urban living, you're instead riding life’s greatest highway: the river.

Complete with this whole new world you’re navigating is a new set of vocab. To help, we've created this rafter's guide to whitewater lingo. Now you'll not only be able to talk the talk with your friendly ROW guides and guests, but you'll feel at home on the river yourself. 

We can't wait to talk boofs, dumptrucks and haystacks with you! 

Get to Know Some Common Whitewater Lingo 

Aced It: When someone does something really well, as in “You aced the move at Pin Ball today.”

Alluvial: As in an “alluvial bar”. Refers to material carried by running water and deposited by the river.  When a side creek to a river does this it often creates a great camping area.

Around the Bend:   When a guide uses this term it usually means s/he doesn’t actually know when you’ll arrive at camp, or a particular rapid, etc.  “How far till camp?” “Should be just around the bend.”

Babble Eddy:   See “eddy” below.  When a conversation is going in circles.

Bar: “Let’s lunch at the bar above China Creek.”  Refers to a geologic formation along the bank of a river comprised of sand or gravel.

Big Water: A large volume of water that has large features.  Rivers with “big water” include the Snake in Hells Canyon , the Lochsa , the Colorado through the Grand Canyon, Cataract Canyon, Ecuador’s Upano, the Zambezi, etc.

Boil: Caused by water flowing over a deeply submerged rock or by construction, this is seen where water on the surface swells and looks as if it is actually boiling.  Hence the “coffee pot” on the Rogue River . 

Boof: When a raft bumps purposefully into a rock, or a kayaker uses the water’s cushion next to a rock to do a “boof move.” 

Booties: Neoprene boots worn for warmth.

Breaking Wave: Unlike ocean waves that are waves of motion, river waves remain in the same place.  A breaking wave falls back on itself with a constant or intermittent white froth. 

Canoe:  A traditional craft operated with paddles and ideal on lakes or smoother rivers.  

Capsize: Describes when a raft has been flipped over upside down.

Carabiner: An oval or “D”-shaped clip used in climbing gear and found on river trips as an easy tool to clip things to the boat.

Cartwheeling: When a collision with a rock is inevitable, this technique turns the raft to spin around the rock rather than crashing into it.

CFS: Acronym for cubic feet per second.  Knowing the CFS of a river tells you how big or small the volume is.  500-3000 cfs for example is a smaller river, while 50,000 cfs or more is huge.  The Moyie and St. Joe are examples of small-volume rivers, while the Lochsa and Middle Fork are mid-range and the Snake in Hells Canyon is very big.

Channel:   The part of the river that is deepest or most free of obstacles.

Chute: Where the river flows between obstacles like rocks, or a rock and a cliff.  Usually narrow and sometimes fast.

Classification System: The river rating (from I-VI) of a series of rapids or even the river as a whole, which indicates how difficult the section is. Learn more about the Whitewater Classification System. 

Clean:   The route through a rapid free of obstacles or turbulence. As in: “You aced that run and ran it clean.”

Confluence: The area where two or more rivers meet.

Current: Moving water.

Deadhead:   When rafts are taken downstream without guests, piloted only by a guide.  We deadhead on the Middle Fork of the Salmon when the water is too low to carry guests and heavy gear from the farthest upstream put-in.

Dig: “Dig in team” shouts the guide!  This means to bury your paddle deep in the current for a stronger stroke.  Often heard from paddle raft guides on the Lochsa, St. Joe and Clark Fork!

Downstream: The direction the water in a river is flowing due to gravity.

Dry Bag: A bag which keep water out, and if closed correctly, keeps the contents within dry.

Duckie: An alternative name for an inflatable kayak.

Dumptruck: When a raft turns on its side and dumps everyone out, but then rights itself without flipping over.

Eddy: An area in the river where the shape of the river’s edge and contour of the bottom cause the current to turn around and go upstream.

Eddy Fence: The area between the downstream river current and upstream eddy current that often has water raised above the surrounding surface area.  Found on large volume rivers like the Snake in Hells Canyon .

Falls: Short for waterfall, a drop in a river with vertical properties. Some we run include Velvet and Tappan Falls on the Middle Fork of the Salmon ; Lochsa Falls on the Lochsa ; Owyhee Falls on the East Fork Owyhee ; Tumbledown Falls on the  St. Joe ; etc.

Ferry: Moving across a river.  An “upstream ferry” is used to cross a river  while losing as little downstream distance as possible.  “That was a great ferry angle.”

Flip: When a boat turns upside down. 

Flood Plain: An area adjacent to a river that sometimes floods when the river’s banks overflow due to high water from snowmelt or rain.

Ghost Boat: At difficult rapids guides will sometimes send a boat down without anyone piloting it.  This is a ghost boat.

Gradient: A measurement of the vertical drop in the river.  Fast-flowing rivers like the Lochsa and Middle Fork of the Salmon drop 20-40 feet per mile. Rivers like the Salmon River Canyons drops about 15’ a mile, making for “pool and drop” conditions.  The Snake River in Hells Canyon has long lazy sections between rapids and a drop of 12’ or so per mile.

Groover: The latrine on a multi-day river trip. Name derives from the time when such devices were re-purposed ammunition cans that left a distinctive groove on one’s posterior. Find out more, read about the fascinating history of the Groover on American rivers. 

Gnarly: An intimidating feature in a river such as a “gnarly hole” or “gnarly rapid.”

Hairy: Similar to gnarly, implies a challenging feature in a river, or a move that requires extra attention and skill.  “Wow, that was a hairy move.” 

Haystack: A wave that is caused by fast water running into slower current due to a drop in gradient.  Usually makes for big, fun waves with no obstacles.

Hole: Also known as a hydraulic or reversal, a place where water drops over a rock and curls back on itself creating aerated, frothy water.

Lateral: A large wave that breaks at a strong angle relative to the main downstream current. 

Recliner Position: When having an “out of boat” experience floating in a river, position yourself as if in a recliner chair, feet first and relatively flat.

Lead Boat: The first boat in a flotilla.

Ledge: Wider than a “falls” a ledge is usually formed of very hard, non-erosive rock that spans part or all of a river and makes for a dramatic drop.

Life Jacket: Old term for what are now called “PFDs” - personal flotation devices.

Line: “The best line in this rapid is left of that boulder.” The route through a rapid to avoid obstacles.

Low Water: When the water in a river is well below the normal level.

Good Looking Rubber: A compliment about the quality of a raft.

Oar: Not to be confused with a “paddle”, oars are used in tandem and are made of a long shaft and wider blade attached at the end.

Oar Raft: A raft that is controlled by a  person who sits on a rowing frame that is in the center of the craft.

Outfitter:  A person with a passion for running outdoor trips who has invested large amounts of capital and energy to do so.  Their passion often outweighs business sense.  Not to be confused with a gear or clothing outfitter.

Paddle: Unlike an oar, a paddle is shorter and held in the hand.  A raft or canoe paddle are essentially the same with a single blade, while a kayak paddle has a blade at each end of the shaft.

Paddle Raft: A raft propelled by a group of people with paddles. 

Paddle Captain: The guide for a paddle raft.

Pool: Found between rapids, this is a deep and quiet stretch of slow-moving river.

Pool & Drop: Refers to the character of a river that has calm stretches (pools)  punctuated by rapids (the drop).  Classic pool and drop rivers include the Salmon River Canyons , Snake River in Hells Canyon , Lower Owyhee and Clark Fork.

Portage:   Some difficult rapids require that all gear is carried around or portaged to the bottom of the drop.  Trips on the Upper and Middle Owyhee  require portages.

Raft:  A floating boat propelled by human power, or wind, made from a variety of materials.  Whitewater rafting got its start in the U.S. because of the availability of inexpensive army surplus rubber rafts after WWII.

Rapid: Usually a highlight of a river trip!  A formation in a river caused by gradient and either constriction or obstacles (such as rocks), or both.

Reversal: See “hole.”

River Rating: A measure of the difficulty of a rapid or river. The International Scale goes from I-VI with I as the easiest and VI considered “runnable with serious risk to life and limb.”  Most guided river trips are in class II-IV rivers.  

Rooster Tail: A somewhat rare, beautiful feature where currents meld to create a standing triangle of water in motion.

Run: “That’s a nice run” means a river that has a great section for boating, whether by kayak, raft or other craft.

Safety Talk: The talk given prior to starting a trip on a river that covers the techniques and things you need to know to help yourself should something go amiss.

Scout: To take a look at a rapid from land in order to find the best route through. “We eddied out to scout that gnarly rapid and find the best line.  In the end, we decided to sneak it to the left.”

Sleeper: A rock that sits just under the water and is hard to detect. 

Sneak:   Sometimes a difficult rapid will have a “sneak route” where a more difficult route can be avoided.

Staircase: River water that pours over a series of ledges or rocks which resemble a staircase.

Standing Wave: When fast-moving water collides with slow-moving water a static and usually large wave appears. 

Swimmer: When you fall out of a raft you become a swimmer.

Tail Waves: The final standing waves found at the bottom of a rapid, usually free of obstacles.

Take-Out: A river access, where the river trip ends.  Often people are sad when they reach the take-out and the trip is ending.

Technical: Rapids with lots of rocks or other obstacles are considered “technical” and require a greater amount of skill for maneuvering than a non-technical run.

Throw bag: A bag filled with floating rope or line that is one of the key elements of river gear.  

Trip leader: A God-like creature who shoulders the responsibility of making the magic happen.

Undercut: Mostly found on rivers with softer rock (limestone, sandstone), this refers to the place where current flows under a rock, overhang, or ledge. Best to avoid.

Upstream: Literally above you, this is the opposite direction of the current.

Voyageur Canoe: A large 20-35’ canoe that replicates those used by early fur traders in North America. 

Whitewater: Often actually white in color, but on a muddy river can be brown, this is the churning, bubbly, water found in rapids.

Wrapped: When a raft collides sideways against a rock or ledge and gets stuck.  Really embarrassing.

A Remote River Odyssey - Rafting the Owyhee or Bruneau

Why should I go rafting on the Owyhee or Bruneau Rivers you might ask?

What Class Rapids are on the Snake River through Hells Canyon

The Magic of Travel by Gulet

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