mossback

[ maws-bak, mos- ]

/ ˈmɔsˌbæk, ˈmɒs- /

Informal.

an old turtle.

Angling. a large and old fish, as a bass.

a wild bull or cow.

Origin of mossback

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75; moss + back¹

There is the "old" farmer, there is the "new" farmer, and there is the "mossback."

Chapters in Rural Progress |Kenyon L. Butterfield
The mossback cannot win, because he prefers a flintlock to a Mauser.

Chapters in Rural Progress |Kenyon L. Butterfield
The mossback was wide awake now, and he muttered something about "another of those pesky porkies."

Forest Neighbors |William Davenport Hulbert
Fig. 239 shows a mossback's house or cabin in the lake lands of Canada.

Shelters, Shacks and Shanties |D.C. Beard

I also have sympathy for the mossback particularly because he is the man that needs attention.

Chapters in Rural Progress |Kenyon L. Butterfield

mossback

/ (ˈmɒsˌbæk) /

an old turtle, shellfish, etc, that has a growth of algae on its back

informal a provincial or conservative person

mossbacked, adjective