mudeo

English

Etymology

Blend of mud +‎ rodeo.

Noun

mudeo (plural not attested)

1. (university slang, dated) An event involving various types of wrestling or tug of war in the mud.
   • 1938 December 5, Life, volume 5, number 23, New York, N.Y.: Time Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 83:

     Johnnie Barber was hero of Cal Tech's annual freshman-sophomore "Mudeo" at Pasadena on Nov. 10. Chief event of the "Mudeo" is a tire derby in which rival classmen battle to carry tires across others' goal line. Sophomore Barber bore four.

   • 1952 October 26, “Annual Mudeo at Caltech Set for Tuesday”, in Los Angeles Times, volume LXXI, Los Angeles, C.A.: Times-Mirror Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 25, column 3:

     The Mudeo will be held at 2:30 p.m. at the south end of Caltech athletic field, formerly Tournament Park.

   • 1955 May 7, “Students Stage 'Mudeo' Frolic”, in The Lincoln Star, →OCLC, page 2:

     University of Colorado students opened a two-day spring fun festival with a "Mudeo." The point of the contest was vague to spectators but a score of jeans-clad coeds and students, representing two teams, covered each other with the stuff. A few unwary spectators were dragged into the mire, too.

   • 1985, Richard P[hillips] Feynman, edited by Edward Hutchings, "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character, New York, N.Y., London: W. W. Norton & Company, published 1997, →ISBN, pages 32–33:

     On the following day there was going to be a schoolwide freshman versus sophomore mudeo (various forms of wrestling and tug of wars that take place in the mud). Late in the evening, into our fraternity comes a whole bunch of sophomores—some from our fraternity and some from outside—and they kidnap us: they want us to be tired the next day so they can win.