Sometimes, the pig just likes to wrastle

I have been wanting to do a weekly post highlighting the oilfield word/saying of the week. For those of you on the outside, the oilfield has its own language. Much like there are many different dialects and forms of English, so it is with the oilfield. The terms used to describe normal activities in the oilfield are far from normal or acceptable in crowds with younger ears. For instance, a common procedure when working on a well for safety reasons is ‘nippling up the BOP (blow-out-preventer)’. Now, I’m not saying, but I’m just saying. Another example would be the term used to describe a certain retaining vessel on a drilling rig – a possum belly. These are but two small examples.

The oilfield reminds me of one of my favorite Aggie sayings. From the outside looking in you can’t understand it, and from the inside looking out you can’t explain it. You cannot fully understand it until you have lived in it for a long time, but I want to try to give you a small glimpse into my world for the time being.

This week’s glimpse is a short story told to me by one of our field guys on our way back from lunch. We’ll call him John. In truth, this has nothing to do with the oilfield, but I found it strikingly funny and it was told to me in the oilfield, so it counts.

John was interested in buying a certain type of ATV to ride through the sand hills. He found a rancher that was selling one for $1500. John made a drive to the fella’s ranch with $1500 in his pocket, as he thought that was a fair price. However, John made an offer of $1100 to the rancher. The rancher threw down his hat, cussed and spit a lot, then came back and asked for $1400. John again undercut him and offered $1150. The rancher was infuriated and went about his shenanigans again. This went on for a while and the two finally settled on a price. The rancher then went on to tell John about his pig wrestling days. He told John, “Wrastling pigs ain’t that bad, really. But sometimes, the pig likes to wrastle.”

That was the story that John told me in the truck, and then he busted out laughing like crazy. I laughed hard as well, not because it was funny, but because I wanted to use that phrase in everyday life. ‘Well you know, sometimes the pig just likes to wrastle.’ Look for the opportunity, and let me know if you can use it in everyday language without laughing.