badger dirt n [Appar because it is seen chiefly where it is brought to the surface by badgers and contrasts with the surface soil; see quot 2014] chiefly Plains States
Pale buff loess subsoil.
1895 U.S. Geol. Surv. Bulletin 131.120 nwKS, Strata passed through: Soil, 3½ feet; creamy “badger dirt,” 36½ feet; sand and gravel, 72 feet; blue clay (shale?) at bottom. 1931 KS State Geol. Surv. Bulletin 18.179 cwKS, The loess of Wallace county, which is locally called “yellow dirt,” “badger dirt,” etc., covers not less than nine-tenths of the county, being found both on the divides and on the slopes and bottoms of the valleys. 2001 DARE File neCO, I have been meaning to send you a phrase from Yuma County, Colorado. . . “. . [Y]our . . good topsoil is . . is fairly deep, you know, like goes from two foot to four. And then the dirt underneath is yellow dirt, and they call it badger dirt.” . . [I]n May I gave a talk . . , mentioned badger dirt, and had it confirmed by a woman, who was raised about 30 miles from the interview site. 2010 DARE File—Internet TX, They used dirt from a pit north of town [=Corpus Christi] and it is what we in the oilfield call badger dirt. [I]t does not compact, therefore rain and heavy weight makes them week [sic] and thus the potholes. 2014 Ibid NE, The subsoil is more of a clay, we call it “badger dirt” because its [sic] the lighter colored stuff that badgers bring up, I guess it is the same thing as caliche that Texans talk about.