cow pie
A flat round pile of cow dung in the pasture.
Also called cowpie, cow patty, meadow muffin.
Updated September 21, 2026
cow pie pronunciation
/KOW pye/
Meaning
Farmyard plain talk for a cow patty: that flat brown disc waiting in the grass to ruin a good boot. Kids dare each other to step in them. Adults just cuss when they do. Same idea as a cow pie, cowpat, or meadow muffin, depending on who is talking and how polite they feel.
How folks use it
- “Watch your step out there. Field's full of fresh cow pies.”
- “Dog rolled in a cow pie and now he ain't riding in the truck.”
Origin and etymology
American rural nickname that treats a cow's droppings like a pie shape: round, flat, and nobody wants a slice. Dictionaries list it as North American informal for cow dung, with British English preferring cowpat. The joke name stuck on farms and in country talk long before anybody put it in a comic book.
Frequently asked questions
Is a cow pie something you eat?
Not in this sense. On the farm it means manure. Any food joke with the same name is a different animal.