▪ I. dog, n.1
(dɒg)
Forms: 1 docga, 3–7 dogge, (3, 6 doggue, 6 Sc. doig), 6–8 dogg, 3– dog.
[late OE. docga (once in a gloss); previous history and origin unknown. (The generic name in OE., as in the Teutonic langs. generally, was hund: see hound.) So far as the evidence goes, the word appears first in English, as the name of a powerful breed or race of dogs, with which the name was introduced into the continental languages, usually, in early instances, with the attribute ‘English’. Thus mod.Du. dog, late 16th c. dogge (‘een dogghe, vn gros matin d'Engleterre, canis anglicus’, Plantijn Thesaur. 1573), Ger. dogge, in 16–17th c. dock, docke, dogg (‘englische Dock’, Onomast. 1582, ‘eine englische Docke’, 1653), LG. dogge, Da. dogge, Sw. dogg; F. dogue (‘le genereux dogue anglais’, Du Bellay 15..), It., Sp., Pg. dogo, Pg. also dogue; in all the languages applied to some variety or race of dog.]
I. The simple word.
1. a. A quadruped of the genus Canis, of which wild species or forms are found in various parts of the world, and numerous races or breeds, varying greatly in size, shape, and colour, occur in a domesticated or semi-domesticated state in almost all countries. These are referred by zoologists to a species C. familiaris; but whether they have a common origin is a disputed question.
| c 1050 Prudentius Glosses (Recd. 148/1) [Gloss to] canum [gen. pl.] docgena. a 1225 Ancr. R. 288 His [the devil's] teð beoð attrie, ase of ane wode dogge. Dauid, ine sauter, cleopeð hine dogge. Ibid. 290 Þet tes dogge of helle kumeð. c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 307/281 A teie doggue. a 1300 Cursor M. 13658 (Cott. & G.) Þai scott him als a dog Right vte o þair synagog. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. x. 261 Thi dogge dar nat berke. 1460 J. Capgrave Chron. (1858) 281 Thei seide pleynly that it was no more trost to the Pope writing than to a dogge tail. 1568 Tilney Disc. Mariage D viij b, Dogs barke boldely at their owne maisters doore. 1586 B. Young Guazzo's Civ. Conv. iv. 179 Like the Sheepheards good Dog. 1601 Shakes. Twel. N. ii. iii. 154 If I thought that, Ide beate him like a dogge. 1686 A. Horneck Crucif. Jesus xxii. 682 The dog teaches thee fidelity. 1732 Pope Ess. Man i. 112 His faithful dog shall bear him company. 1869 W. P. Mackay Grace & Truth viii, The dog in the East is not as here domesticated, but..outside the cities, is more like a wolf prowling for prey. |
† b. Used
spec. as the name of some particular variety; see
quots. Obs.| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xviii. xxvi. (1495) 786 A gentyll hounde..hath lesse flesshe than a dogge and shorter heere and more thynne. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 125/1 Dogge, shyppe-herdys hownde, gregarius. 1530 Palsgr. 214/2 Dogge, a mischevous curre, dogue. |
c. esp. A dog used for hunting; a hound.
| a 1307 Pol. Songs (Camden) 239 A doseyn of doggen Ne myhte hyre drawe. 1398 Trevisa Barth. de P.R. xviii. ciii. (1495) 847 Brockes..ben huntyd and chassyd wyth hunters dogges. ? c 1475 Hunt. Hare 26 Ychon of hus hase a dogge or too; For grehowndes have thou no care. 1649 Bp. Reynolds Hosea iii. 38 The Dogge in hunting of the Deere. 1748 N. Salmon Comp. Univ. 14 Some gentlemen of the Town always keep a Pack of Dogs. |
d. fig.;
esp. in Shakespearian
phr. the dogs of war.
| a 1225 [see 1]. 1601 Shakes. Jul. C. iii. i. 273 Caesars Spirit ranging for Reuenge, With Ate by his side..Shall in these Confines..Cry hauocke, and let slip the Dogges of Warre. 1667 Milton P.L. x. 616 See with what heat these Dogs of Hell advance. 1842 S. Lover Handy Andy ii, Let loose the dogs of law on him. 1860 Trollope Framley P. xliii, The dogs of war would be unloosed. |
e. With qualifications denoting variety or use, as
bandog,
bull-dog n., cur-dog, etc.,
q.v. in their alphabetical places or under the first element. Also
buck-dog,
cattle-dog,
field-dog,
parlour-dog,
shore-dog,
toy-dog.
| a 1225 Kur-dogge [see cur 1 c.]. 1633 T. James Voy. 93 Bucke Dogs, of a very good race. 1672 J. Josselyn New Eng. Rarities 15 The Indian Dog is a Creature begotten 'twixt a Wolf and a Fox. 1813 P. Hawker Diary (1893) I. 89 My Newfoundland dog..had decamped. 1870 B. Clayton Dog-Keeper's Guide 6 Field dogs are used for field purposes only. 1889 St. J. Tyrwhitt in Univ. Rev. 15 Feb. 253 Society kept him..painting toy dogs. 1893 Edith Carrington Dog vi. 52 Very famous cattle dogs. |
f. the dogs: a greyhound race meeting (see also 17 a).
colloq.| 1927 Daily Mail 28 July 7/4 ‘Going to the dogs’ has..lost..its old suggestion of a descent to dissipation and ruin. Since greyhound racing at the White City..came into existence the expression has suggested a good adventure. 1928 A. P. Herbert Trials of Topsy 52 (heading) Going to the Dogs. Well Trix darling at last I've been to these contagious greyhounds. 1936 W. Holtby South Riding i. v. 54 Pretty little painted sluts minced..off to the pictures or dogs. 1959 Economist 13 June 1016/3 He..failed his Bar examinations because he preferred horse-racing, the ‘dogs’ and dancing. |
2. In distinguishing sex, the male of this species; a male hound;
opp. to
bitch. Also, a male fox,
dog-fox.
| 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. iii. (1586) 154 b, The Dogge is thought better than the Bitche. 1768 G. Washington Writ. (1889) II. 248 Four puppys, that is 3 dogs and a bitch. 1882 Society 21 Oct. 19/2 If this is your fox, Jack, he's an unmistakable old dog. 1890 Sat. Rev. 1 Feb. 134/2 The man who knows and loves his hound only uses the word dog, as he does the word bitch, to denote sex. |
3. Applied to a person;
a. in reproach, abuse, or contempt: A worthless, despicable, surly, or cowardly fellow. (
Cf. cur 1 b.)
| c 1325 Coer de L. 4518 Jhon Doyly..slowgh hym..And sayde: ‘Dogge, ther thou ly!’ 1382 Wyclif 2 Sam. xvi. 9. c 1440 York Myst. xix. 106 A! dogges, þe deuell ȝou spede. 1591 Shakes. 1 Hen. VI, i. ii. 23. 1596 ― Merch. V. i. iii. 129 You spurn'd me such a day; another time You cald me dog. 1653 H. Cogan tr. Pinto's Trav. xx. 72 Such feeble slaves, as these Christian Dogs. 1712 Addison Spect. No. 530 ¶4 Had not my dog of a steward run away as he did, without making up his accounts. 1820 Scott Ivanhoe vii, Dog of an unbeliever..darest thou press upon a Christian? 1880 Tennyson Revenge ii, If I left them..To these Inquisition dogs and the devildoms of Spain. |
b. playfully (usually in humorous reproof, congratulation, or commiseration): A gay or jovial man, a gallant; a fellow, ‘chap’. Usually with
adj. such as
cunning,
jolly,
lucky,
sad,
sly, etc.
to be dog at: see
to be old dog at, 17 i.
| a 1618 Q. Anne Let. to Buckingham in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. i. III. 101 My kind Dog..You doe verie well in lugging the Sowes eare [Jas. I], and I..would have yow doe so still upon condition that yow continue a watchfull dog to him. 1711 Budgell Spect. No. 67 ¶9 An impudent young Dog bid the Fiddlers play a Dance called Mol. Patley. 1719 De Foe Crusoe i. vi, I was an unfortunate dog. 1814 L. Hunt Feast Poets 14 Poems (1832) 144 The dog had no industry. 1836 Dickens Sk. Boz 2nd Ser. 200 He had been a sad dog in his time. 1844 [see lucky a. 7]. 1847 Dickens Dombey xxvi. 266 Well! we are gay dogs, there's no denying. 1884 W. E. Norris Thirlby Hall ix, A sad dog. 1900, 1910 [see gay a. 2 a]. |
c. = bull-dog n. 2.
| 1847 Tennyson Princ. Prol. 113 He had climb'd across the spikes..he had breath'd the Proctor's dogs. |
d. = watch-dog b. (
Schoolboys' slang.)
| 1870 Chambers's Jrnl. Oct. 676/1 The boys withdrew..to read the forbidden prints, three taking their turn at a time, whilst three more ‘played dog’—that is, stood ready to bark a warning should a pion be seen approaching. 1959 I. & P. Opie Lore & Lang. Schoolch. xvii. 373 In Kirkaldy watch-dog [i.e., a boy keeping lookout] becomes either ‘watchie’ or ‘dog’. |
e. An informer; a traitor;
esp. one who betrays fellow criminals.
U.S. and
Austral. slang.| 1846 Nat. Police Gaz. (U.S.) 21 Feb. 210/2 Dick White has been playing the ‘dog’, and he and the ‘coppers’ are now within ten minutes of the house. 1888 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Robbery under Arms I. v. 69 Are you going to turn dog, now you know the way in? 1901 E. Dyson Gold Stealers xix. 231 ‘Tell me how you come to be in the Stream drive that night.’ Dick..answered nothing. ‘Come on, old man, I won't turn dog.’ 1969 Telegraph (Brisbane) 11 Oct. 1/1 A ‘dog’ is the term applied by prisoners to fellow-prisoners who turn informer. |
f. Something poor or mediocre; a failure.
U.S. slang.| 1936 Metronome Feb. 21/4 Dog, something [i.e. a song] that's kicked around. 1952 N.Y. Times Bk. Rev. 10 Aug. 8/3 ‘[The book will have] a record-breaking sale.’ ‘Yes, unless of course the book turns out to be a dog.’ 1968 L. O'Donnell Face of Crime ix. 118 I'd be a fool not to take advantage. I had a real dog on my hands. 1970 New Yorker 15 Aug. 65/1 Audiences are in a mess... They don't know what they want... So many movies are dogs. |
g. A horse that is slow, difficult to handle, etc.
slang.| 1944 P. Kendall Service Slang 5/2 Dog, affectionate term for cavalryman's horse, also called a job. 1945 Baker Austral. Lang. ix. 175 A dog is a horse difficult to handle. 1955 T. Rattigan Separate Tables: Table by Window iii, Is it going to be dry at Newbury?.. Walled Garden's a dog on heavy going. 1958 J. Hislop Start to Finish xii. 132 A ‘dog’ means a horse who cannot be relied upon to do his best..a horse may be a ‘dog’ because there is something wrong with him. |
4. Astron. a. The name of two constellations, the
Great dog and
Little Dog (
Canis Major and
Minor) situated near Orion; also applied to their principal stars Sirius and Procyon: see
dog-star.
b. the Hunting Dogs, a northern constellation (
Canes Venatici) near the Great Bear.
| 1551 Recorde Cast. Knowl. (1556) 268 Northe almost from this Dogge is ther a constellation of 2 only starres named Canicula, the lesser Dogge. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. i. (1586) 210 b, The greate heate of the Sunne..is most extreame at the rysyng of the lesser Dogge. 1611 Beaum. & Fl. Maid's Trag. iv. i, The burnt air, when the Dog reigns. 1718 Rowe tr. Lucan 428 'Till the hot Dog inflames the Summer Skies. 1890 C. A. Young Uranogr. §41 Canes Venatici (The Hunting Dogs). These are the dogs with which Bootes is pursuing the Great Bear. |
5. Applied, usually with distinctive prefix, to various animals allied to, or in some respect resembling, the dog:
e.g. burrowing-dog, the
coyote or prairie-wolf,
Canis latrans;
hunting-dog, a kind of hyena (see hunting-dog);
pouched dog, a dasyurine marsupial of Tasmania,
Thylacinus cynocephalus, also called
zebra-wolf;
prairie-dog (also
colloq. called simply
dog in Western
U.S.), a North American rodent (see
prairie-dog).
6. Short for dogfish.
| 1674 Ray Words, (Sea) Fishes 98 Picked Dogs, Catulus spinax. 1848 C. A. Johns Week at Lizard 241, I..fished in five or six different spots..there were ‘dogs’, as they are called, everywhere..but nothing else. 1860 Wood Reptiles, Fishes, Insects 71 The destructive..fish..known by the names of.. Penny Dog, or Miller's Dog. 1861 Couch Brit. Fishes I. 49 The Picked Dog is the smallest but far the most abundant of the British Sharks. |
7. A name given to various mechanical devices, usually having or consisting of a tooth or claw, used for gripping or holding. Among these are:
a. A clamp for supporting something (
e.g. part of a building), or fastening or holding it in place.
† b. An instrument for extracting teeth (
obs.).
c. An implement for drawing poles out of the ground (see also
hop-dog), or for extracting roots of broom, furze, etc. (
cf. dog v. 6 b, and see
broom-dog,
broom n. 6).
d. A grappling-iron for raising the monkey of a pile-driver, or clutching and withdrawing tools used in well-boring or mining.
e. A grappling-iron with a fang which clutches an object, as a log, barrel, etc. to be hoisted, or a log to be secured in position for sawing.
f. pl. Nippers used in wire-drawing.
g. At the Mint, a device consisting of two levers mounted on a small carriage running on wheels along the draw-bench, and so arranged as to constitute a pair of pincers which seize the fillet and draw it through the opening at the head of the draw-bench.
h. One of ‘the converging set screws which establish the bed-tool of a punching-press in direct coincidence with the punch’ (Knight
Dict. Mech.).
i. A projection or tooth acting as a detent,
e.g. in a lock; a catch or click which engages the teeth of a ratchet-wheel.
j. In a fire-arm
= dog-head 2 b [
cf. F.
chien, snaphaunce (
Cotgr.); so
It. cane (Florio),
Sp. can (Minsheu)].
k. A drag for the wheel of a vehicle.
l. ‘A clamp fastened to a piece suspended on the centres of a lathe, by which the rotation of the chuck or face-plate is imparted to the piece to be turned’ (
= carrier 1 d).
m. An adjustable stop placed in a machine to change direction of motion. (Webster 1864.)
n. Ship-building = dog-shore. (Smyth
Sailor's Word-bk.)
o. ‘A lever used by blacksmiths in hooping cart-wheels’ (Jamieson 1825).
p. A kind of spike used on railways for fastening flat-bottomed or bridge rails to the sleepers:
= dog-nail.
q. An appliance for toasting bread, etc.:
cf. cat n.1 9, and see Brockett
N.C. Gloss.| a. 1458 Churchw. Acc. St. Andrews, East Cheap in Brit. Mag. XXXI. 249 To Barnard the Smyth for x doggs of Iryn for the Steple weying lxx lb. 1552 Huloet, Dogge of yron to claspe a house from fletyng, retinaculum, trabalis clauus uel hamus. 1649 W. Blithe Eng. Improv. Impr. (1653) 212 As a Buttress to support it, and may be as serviceable as an Iron dog as many use. 1892 Law Times Rep. LXV. 582/1 The posts of the gantry stand on planks, and are fixed thereto by iron dogs and dowels. |
| b. 1611 Cotgr., Pelican..a Snap, or Dog, the toole wherewith Barbers pull out teeth. |
| c. 1727 Bradley Fam. Dict. s.v., An instrument called a Dog for the more easy drawing the Poles out of the ground. 1893 C. A. Mollyson Parish of Fordoun xxv. 290 The dog, we presume, is still extant..We will quote..a description of the broom-dog..‘It operates somewhat like a toothdrawer and eradicates the broom in an instant.’ |
| d. 1747 Hooson Miner's Dict. s.v. Boring, For drawing up the Rods, we have..an Iron Instrument called a Bitch, and, for unscrewing them, two more we call Dogs. |
| e. 1740 Dyche & Pardon, Dog..also an utensil for coopers to carry large casks between two persons. 1750 T. R. Blanckley Nav. Expos. 51 Timber Doggs, Are drove into Timber for Horses to draw it about the Yard, or to the Saw⁓pits. 1825 Jamieson, Dogs, pieces of iron, having a zig-zag form, for fixing a tree in the saw-pit. 1840 R. H. Dana Bef. Mast xxix. 99 One [block] hooked to the strap on the end of the steeve, and the other into a dog, fastened into one of the beams. |
| g. 1859 All Year Round No. 10. 239 This dog is a small thin carriage, travelling upon wheels over a bench, under which revolves an endless chain. 1875 Ure's Dict. Arts III. 342 The chain..in its onward motion drags the dog, and causes it to bite the fillet and draw it through the opening. |
| i. 1853 C. Tomlinson in Ure's Dict. Arts III. 142 There is a dog or lever..which catches into the top of the bolt, and thereby serves as an additional security against its being forced back. 1857 Colquhoun Comp. Oarsman's Guide 32 The dog, or catch, prevents its running down. |
| j. c 1660 Monckton Papers (1884) 36, I immediately..clapt hold of the dog of the blunderbus. a 1684 Law Mem. (1818) 225 (Jam.) He lets fall the dog, the pistoll goes off. 1846 Archæologia XXXI. 492 (D.) A contrivance..for producing fire by the friction of the grooved edges of a steel wheel..against a piece of iron pyrites..held in a cock or dog which pressed upon it. |
| k. 1795 Trans. Soc. Arts XIII. 255 This simple and useful contrivance, called here a Dog, or Wheel-Drag. |
| l. 1833 J. Holland Manuf. Metal II. 134 A contrivance called the dog and driver, the former being a sort of clutch screwed upon the end of the work. 1884 F. J. Britten Watch. & Clockm. 168 A lathe furnished with dogs. |
| o. 1735 Crt. Bk. Barony Urie (1892) 156 He saw the defenders throw a dogg at each other. |
| p. 1883 Proc. Philol. Soc. 21 Dec., Dog (spike used on railways), from form of head which resembles a dog's. 1892 Labour Commission Gloss., Dogs, a class of nails used for fastening down rails on sleepers. Each nail consists of a long spike, with ears on the side of the head, by means of which the nail may be wrenched up and re-used. |
8. a. One of a pair of iron or brass utensils placed one on each side of a fireplace to support burning wood;
= andiron; (more fully called
fire-dogs);
b. a similar support for a dog grate or stove;
c. a rest for the fire-irons.
| 1596 Unton Invent. 5 One paire of dogges in the Chymly. a 1661 Fuller Worthies ix. (R.), The iron doggs bear the burthen of the fuel, while the brazen-andirons stand only for state. 1663 Pepys Diary 7 Sept., Buying several things at the ironmonger's—dogs, tongs, and shovels. 1762 Franklin Remarks Wks. 1887 III. 184 The iron dogs, loggerhead, and iron pot were not hurt. 1862 H. Aïdé Carr of Carrlyon I. 140 The wood fire..burnt cheerfully on great brass dogs upon the hearthstone. Mod. Ironfounders' Catal., Dog stoves..fine polished brass dogs..fire basket sloping forward at the top. Ibid., Fire Dogs..All Brass. |
† 9. An early kind of fire-arm.
Obs.| 1549 Compl. Scot. vi. 41 Mak reddy ȝour cannons..bersis, doggis, doubil bersis, hagbutis of croche. 1650 Art. Reddition Edin. Castle, 28 short brasse munkeys alias dogs. |
10. Name given to various atmospheric appearances.
a. A luminous appearance near the horizon; also
fog-dog,
sea-dog.
b. sun-dog, a luminous appearance near the sun, a parhelion.
c. water-dog, a small dark floating cloud, indicating rain.
| 1825–80 Jamieson, Dog, Sea-dog, a name given by mariners to a meteor seen, immediately above the horizon, generally before sunrise, or after sunset..viewed as a certain prognostic of the approach of bad weather..If this be seen before sunrise, it is believed that (as they express themselves) it will bark before night; if after sunset, that it will bark before morning..The dog has no variety of colours, but is of a dusky white. 1847–78 Halliwell, Water-dogs, see Mares'-Tails. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Stubb, or Dogg, the lower part of a rainbow visible towards the horizon, and betokening squally weather..On the banks of Newfoundland they are considered precursors of clearer weather, and termed fog-dogs. 1869 Londsdale Gloss., Dog, a partial rainbow. ‘A dog at night is the farmer's delight.’ 1876 Surrey Provincialisms (E.D.S.), Water-dogs, dark clouds that seem to travel through the air by themselves, and indicate a storm. 1892 W. Pike Barren Ground N. Canada 97 Often a sun-dog is the first thing to appear, and more or less of these attendants accompany the sun during his short stay above the horizon. |
11. Name given to a copper coin used in some islands in the West Indies; also to ‘a small silver coin’ (Smyth); see also
black dog 1.
| 1797 W. Bullock in Naval Chron. X. 128 Negro money called stampees, or black dogs. 1811 Kelly Univ. Cambist (1835) I. 362 There are here [Leeward Islands] small copper coins, called Stampes, Dogs, and Half Dogs. 1888 Star 18 Feb. 1/4 Fees..are paid in old Spanish dollars..and in ‘dogs’ or French coppers struck in the reign of Louis XVI. for Cayenne. |
12. Short for
dog-watch.
| 1893 Pemberton Iron Pirate 151 Towards the second bell in the second ‘dog’ there was a change. |
† 13. = dog-chance,
dog-throw at dice: see 20.
Obs.| 1671 H. M. tr. Erasm. Colloq. 441 That the throw Cous was a lucky one, and the dog was unfortunate. |
14. pl. Short for
dog's meat; feet.
Rhyming slang.
| 1924 Wodehouse Leave it to Psmith x. 211 You'll pick up your dogs and run round as quick as you can make it. 1939 M. Dickens One Pair of Hands x. 169, I feel more like goin' to bed and sleeping for a week than prancing round the ballroom on me poor dogs. 1939 Steinbeck Grapes of Wrath vi. 56 We ain't gonna walk no eight miles..to-night. My dogs is burned up. |
15. pl. Sausages.
Cf. hot dog (
hot a.).
slang.| 1925 Fraser & Gibbons Soldier & Sailor Words 80 Dogs, sausages. 1959 I. & P. Opie Lore & Lang. Schoolch. ix. 163 Sausages are ‘bangers’..or ‘dogs’. |
II. Phrases and Proverbs.
16. to the dogs: to destruction or ruin; as in
to go, send, throw to the dogs. So
not to have a word to throw at a dog.
| 1565–73 Cooper Thesaurus, Addicere aliquem canibus, to bequeath hym to dogs. 1600 Shakes. A.Y.L. i. iii. 3 Cel. Why Cosen, why Rosaline: Cupid haue mercie, Not a word? Ros. Not one to throw at a dog. 1604 ― Oth. iv. i. 147. 1605 ― Macb. v. iii. 47 Throw Physicke to the Dogs, Ile none of it. 1619 R. Harris Drunkard's Cup Epist. A ij b, One is coloured, another is foxt, a third is gone to the dogs. 1732 Pope Ep. Bathurst 66 Had Colepepper's whole wealth been hops and hogs, Could he himself have sent it to the dogs? 1770 Foote Lame Lover ii. Wks. 1799 II. 78, I should not have thought he had a word to throw to a dog. 1809 W. Irving Knickerb. vii. iv. (1849) 398 He..threw diplomacy to the dogs. 1857 Hughes Tom Brown i. vi, Rugby and the School-house are going to the dogs. |
b. every dog has his day: see
day 15.
to take a dog's leave: see
leave n.1 love me, love my dog: see
love v.
a dog in the pot: see
pot n. the scalded dog fears cold water: see
scalded. See also
black dog,
dog-in-the-manger.
17. a. fight dog, fight bear: see
quots. † b. a dog for (to) the bow, ‘a dog used in shooting; such dogs, being well trained and obedient, were taken to typify humble or subservient people’ (Davies):
cf. bow n.1 4 d.
Obs. c. to rain cats and dogs: see
cat and dog 2; so
to blow cats and dogs.
d. to die like a dog, or
to die a dog's death:
i.e. a disgraceful or miserable death.
e. a hair of the dog that bit you: formerly reputed a specific for the bite of a mad dog; hence allusively,
esp. of more drink used to take off the effects of drunkenness; also
ellipt. a hair of the dog, a drink.
f. to help a (lame) dog over a stile: see
quots. g. to lead a dog's life:
i.e. a life of misery, or of miserable subserviency; so
to lead a person a dog's life.
h. give a dog an ill name and hang him: see
quot. 1818.
† i. to be old dog at (also to be dog at): to be experienced in, or adept at.
Obs. j. dog on it: a form of imprecation; see also
dog-gone.
k. to wake a sleeping dog,
i.e. some person or influence which is for the present quiet, but if aroused will create disturbance. So,
let a sleeping dog (or sleeping dogs) lie.
l. whose dog is dead? also
what dog is a hanging? what occasion is there for watching, or for excitement? what's the matter?
m. to keep a dog and bark oneself: see
quots. n. to see a man about a dog: used
colloq. as a vague excuse for leaving or absenting oneself.
o. In various locutions involving an unpleasant circumstance or event unfit even for a dog.
p. to put on dog: to assume pretentious airs.
colloq. Hence
dog (
ellipt.), pretentiousness, ‘side’.
q. like a dog's dinner: used of someone or something dressed or arranged in an ostentatiously smart or flashy manner.
colloq. r. like a dog with two tails: very pleased, delighted.
s. In many other proverbs and phrases.
| a. a 1642 Sir W. Monson Naval Tracts iii. (1704) 350/2 You must fight according to the old Saying, Fight Dog, fight Bear; that is, till one be overcome. 1831 Scott Diary 5 Mar., A resolution to keep myself clear of politics, and let them ‘fight dog, fight bear’. |
| b. c 1386 Chaucer Merch. T. 770 To Ianuarie he [Damian] gooth as lowe, As evere dide a dogge for the bowe. ― Friar's T. 71. 1430 Lydg. Chron. Troy, She was made as dogge for the bowe. 1542 Udall Erasm. Apoph. 223 a, He..with lacke of vitailles brought those chop-logues or greate pratlers as lowe as dogge to the bow. |
| c. 1738 [see cat and dog 2]. 1766 P. Thicknesse Observ. Customs French 106 It blows cats and dogs, as the sailors say. 1848 P. Hawker Diary (1893) II. 292 It blew great guns and poured cats and dogs. |
| d. 1529 Rastell Pastyme (1811) 57 He lyved lyke a lyon, and dyed lyke a dogge. 1607 Shakes. Timon ii. ii. 91 Thou was't whelpt a Dogge, and thou shalt famish a Dogges death. 1894 Fenn In Alpine Valley I. 22 To die this dog's death, out here under these mountains. |
| e. 1546 J. Heywood Prov. (1867) 37, I pray the leat me and my felow haue A heare of the dog that bote us last night. 1611 Cotgr. s.v. Beste, Our Ale-knights often vse this phrase, and say, Giue vs a haire of the dog that last bit vs. [1760 R. Jones Treat. Canine Madness 204 The hair of the dog that gave the wound is advised as an application to the part injured.] 1840 Dickens Barn. Rudge lii, Drink again. Another hair of the dog that bit you, captain. 1936 M. Mitchell Gone with the Wind x. 207 Do you think..Miss Pittypat would be having any brandy in the house? The hair of the dog―. 1966 A. E. Lindop I start Counting xviii. 224 George took Len off for a hair of the dog. 1967 N. Fitzgerald Affairs of Death ix. 152 What you need, Frank, is a good stiff hair of the dog. |
| f. 1546 J. Heywood Prov. (1867) 32 As good a deede, As it is to helpe a dogge ouer a style. 1638 Chillingw. Relig. Prot. i. iii. §33, I once knew a man out of curtesie, help a lame dog over a stile, and he for requitall bit him by the fingers. 1857 Kingsley Two Y. Ago xxv, ‘I can..help a lame dog over a stile’—(which was Mark's phrase for doing a generous thing). |
| g. 15.. Fox MSS. in Strype Eccl. Mem. III. xxi. 174 Mr. Ford afterwards had a dogs life among them. 1764 Foote Mayor of G. i. Wks. 1799 I. 173 She..domineers like the devil: O Lord, I lead the life of a dog. 1861 Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. x, They've been leading him a dog's life this year and more. |
| h. [1730–6 Bailey (folio) s.v. Dog, He who would hang his Dog first gives out that he is mad.] 1818 Hazlitt Table-t., Nicknames 173 Give a dog an ill name and hang him, is a proverb. A nickname is the heaviest stone that the devil can throw at a man. 1886 Miss Tytler Buried Diamonds xxxix, It is a case of give a dog an ill name and hang him. |
| i. 1589 Nashe Almond for Parrat 5 b, Oh he is olde dogge at expounding, and deade sure at a Catechisme. 1591 Shakes. Two Gent. iv. iv. 14 To be, as it were, a dog at all things. 1601 ― Twel. N. ii. iii. 62, I am dogge at a Catch. 1714 Gay What d'ye call it Prelim. sc. 5 Ah, Sir Roger, you are old Dog at these things. |
| j. 1826 J. Wilson Noct. Ambr. Wks. 1855 I. 260 Dog on't, ye wicked auld Lucifer, hoo your een sparkle as you touzle the clergy. 1872 C. King Mountain. Sierra Nev. v. 101 ‘Take that, dog-on-you!’ |
| k. 1562 J. Heywood Prov. & Epigr. (1867) 132 It is ill wakyng of a sleapyng dogge. 1607 Topsell Serpents (1658) 658 It is good therefore if you have a Wife, that is..unquiet and contentious, to let her alone, not to wake an angry Dog. 1864 Carlyle Fredk. Gt. xi. ii, Friedrich is not the man to awaken Parliamentary sleeping-dogs. 1886 H. Conway Living or Dead? xiii, Better let sleeping dogs lie. |
| l. 1634 Massinger Very Woman iii. ii, Whose dog's dead now That you observe these vigils? a 1663 Little John a Begging viii. in Child Ballads v. No. 142. 189/1 ‘Why rings all these bells? What dog is a hanging?’ |
| m. 1583 B. Melbancke Philotimus 119 It is smal reason you should kepe a dog, and barke your selfe. 1738 Swift Polite Conv. i. 10, I won't keep a Dog, and bark my self. 1965 J. Porter Dover Two xi. 147 ‘What time is it?’ There was a clock right opposite him on the dining-room wall but Dover didn't believe in keeping a dog and barking himself. ‘Just gone nine, sir.’ |
| n. c 1867 D. Boucicault Flying Scud iv. i. in Nicoll & Cloak America's Lost Plays (1940) I. 221 Excuse me Mr. Quail, I can't stop; I've got to see a man about a dog. 1939 D. L. Sayers In Teeth of Evidence 38 I've got to get back to London to see a man about a dog. 1963 Amer. Speech XXXVIII. 175 See a man about a dog was a Prohibition euphemism for ‘buying liquor’, whereas several contemporary students [at Kansas University] recognized it as a circumlocution for ‘visiting a rest room’... At Johns Hopkins, the phrase served as an excuse for leaving the scene. |
| o. 1887 Baumann Londinismen 43/1 It isn't fit to turn a dog out. 1943 Amer. Speech XVIII. 46 Other examples of translated Yiddish being adopted by non-Yiddish-speaking people are, ‘It should(n't) happen to a dog!’ [etc.]. 1964 J. Porter Dover One i. 12 The Assistant Commissioner shuddered gently as he thought of all the messes you could get into in a kidnapping case. It wasn't the sort of job you'd wish on a dog. |
| p. 1871 L. H. Bagg Four Years at Yale 44 Dog, style, splurge. To put on dog, is to make a flashy display, to cut a swell. 1889 W. D. Howells Hazard of Fortunes I. 267 He's made the thing awfully chic; it's jimminy; there's lots of dog about it. 1915 Kipling Fringes of Fleet 36 Ah! That's the King of the Trawlers. Isn't he carrying dog, too! Give him room! 1924 W. J. Locke Coming of Amos xii, I don't want to put on dog, but the Lord didn't give me physical strength for nothing. 1926 ― Old Bridge ii. v, Young Blake puts on dog and condescends to take the order. 1940 Wodehouse Eggs, Beans & Crumpets 48 An editor's unexampled opportunities for putting on dog and throwing his weight about. 1950 W. Stevens Let. 20 Feb. (1967) 670 Sweeney is completely without side or dog. 1962 ‘A. Gilbert’ No Dust in Attic xiv. 190 Matron put on a lot of dog about the hospital's responsibility. |
| q. 1934 ‘C. L. Anthony’ Touch Wood ii. ii. 66 Why have you got those roses in your hair? You look like the dog's dinner. 1936 J. Curtis Gilt Kid v. 58 The geezer..was dolled up like a dog's dinner with a white tie and all. 1945 Penguin New Writing XXIII. 42 A dizzy blonde all dressed up like a dog's dinner. 1954 J. Trench Dishonoured Bones ii. iii. 57 Tarting up my house and the gardens like a dog's dinner. |
| r. 1953 J. Trench Docken Dead v. 65 She's like a dog with two tails. 1954 P. H. Johnson Impossible Marriage iii. x. 273 Ned came in..looking scared. He was not at all like a dog with two tails. 1969 B. Cobb Scandal at Scotland Yard iii. 34 Bagshaw didn't bear the resemblance to a dog with two tails which I had expected. |
| s. 1382 Wyclif Eccl. ix. 4 Betere is a quyc dogge thanne a leoun dead. 1388 ― Prov. xxvi. 11 As a dogge that turneth aȝen to his spuyng. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 119 Whan we..returne to our pryde & condicyons..as y⊇ dogge to his vomyt. 1546 J. Heywood Prov. (1867) 64 She will lie as fast as a dogge will licke a dishe. 1586 B. Young Guazzo's Civ. Conv. iv. 178 b, It is an olde proverbe. A staffe is sone found to beate a Dogge. 1719 De Foe Crusoe ii. ii, It would have made a dog laugh. 1841 P. Hawker Diary (1893) II. 210 We went to bed as tired as dogs. [Cf. dog-tired.] 1843 Ibid. II. 236 Old C—held forth with a long speech, lying as fast as a dog would trot. 1857 Kingsley Two Y. Ago xxi, I feel his heart. There's life in the old dog yet. 1858 Gray Lett. (1893) 439, I cannot promise any special instruction, and shall take no fee. ‘Dog does not eat dog’ is the saying, you know. |
III. Combinations and attributive uses.
18. a. attrib. or as adj. Of, pertaining to, or relating to, a dog or dogs; canine.
| 1565 Harding in Jewel Def. Apol. (1611) 81 Would he not whet his dog eloquence vpon you? c 1620 Fletcher & Mass. Trag. Barnavelt ii. iv. in Bullen O. Pl. II. 239 Such a den of dog whelps. 1638 Featly Strict. Lyndom. I. A iij b, Every where full of Canina facundia, Dogg-eloquence. 1790 T. Bewick Hist. Quadrupeds (1824) 334 The Bull-Dog..the fiercest of all the Dog kind. 1879 H. Dalziel Dis. Dogs (1893) 38 ‘Specifics’..for all dog diseases. 1880 Dawkins Early Man iv. 87 In the upper Pleiocene period the..dog family..appear for the first time. Mod. The wolves, foxes, and jackals are members of the Dog Tribe. |
b. With names of some animals (
esp. those of the dog kind):
= male (
cf. 2); as in
dog hound,
dog hyæna,
dog otter,
dog puppy,
dog tiger;
dog-fox,
dog-wolf. Also humorously
dog-cook = man-cook.
| 1555 Eden Decades 96 The dogge tyger chaunsed fyrste into this pitfaul. 1687 Lond. Gaz. No. 2220/4 Lost lately at Newmarket, an old Dog-Hound of His Majesties. 1813 Sporting Mag. XLI. 136 On Saturday..was shot..in the river Avon, a dog-otter. a 1841 T. Hook Man of many Friends (D.), A first-rate dog-cook and assistants. 1893 F. C. Selous Trav. S.E. Africa 184 An old dog hyæna. 1896 Sportsman 10 July 4/2 In beagles, the Cheshire won in the class for..dog hounds. 1955 Times 14 July 5/4 The Duke of Norfolk saw the doghound championship awarded to Distaff, a 1952 entered hound from his own pack. |
19. General
Comb.:
a. attributive, as
dog-basket,
dog-bite,
dog-breed,
dog-couple,
dog-doctor,
dog-feast,
dog-flesh,
dog-food,
dog-hospital,
dog-leash,
dog-licence,
dog-life,
dog-muzzle,
dog-pack,
dog-show,
dog-soap,
dog-tax,
dog-train,
dog-truck,
dog-whistle, etc.; serving as food for dogs, as
dog-bran,
dog-cake,
dog-biscuit, etc. Also in ref. to greyhound racing, as
dog-race,
dog-racer,
dog-racing,
dog-track.
| 1842 Mrs. H. M. Stanley Let. 22 Sept. in N. Mitford Ladies of Alderley (1938) 46, I walked to Northwich to order a *dog basket & other trifles. |
| 1726 Dict. Rust. etc. (ed. 3), *Dog-bite, see Biting of a Mad Dog. 1883 E. R. Lankester Adv. Science (1890) 115 Two hundred and fifty persons have gone..to be treated for dog-bite. |
| a 1661 B. Holyday Juvenal 75 Thou might'st..on base *dog-bran feed. |
| 1652 Shirley Sisters i. i, Led Away in *dog-couples by rusty officers. 1843 Ainsworth's Mag. III. 147 With his dog-couples slung across his shoulders. 1939–40 Army & Navy Stores Catal. 999/2 Dog Couples, medium, for spaniels, setters and pointers. |
| 1647 R. Stapylton Juvenal 67 Thou maist..gnaw *dog-crusts. |
| 1771 Smollett Humph. Cl. I. Let. i, A famous *dog-doctor was sent for. |
| 1743 Bulkeley & Cummins Voy. S. Seas 80, I was invited to a *Dog-Feast..It was exceeding good Eating. 1854 Wood Anim. Life 133 Dog is considered a delicacy..There are several ways in which these dog-feasts are conducted. |
| 1807 P. Gass Jrnl. 146 Some..who prefer *dog-flesh to fish. |
| 1907 Athenæum 3 Aug. 119 The whale-meat taken as *dog-food was poisoning the animals. 1951 M. McLuhan Mech. Bride 77/1 The ultimate absurdity of this attitude gets frequent expression in those dog-food ads. |
| 1889 Ruskin Præterita III. 55 Kept for a day or two in a *dog-hospital. |
| 1609 Skene Reg. Maj., Stat. Will. 12 He may follow his hounds within the Kings forest, as farre as he may cast his horne or his *dogleisch. |
| 1704 N. N. tr. Boccalini's Advt. fr. Parnass. I. 25 A Gentleman that wanted a parcel of *Dog-muzzles. |
| 1925 Masefield Trial of Jesus 6 The sneered lips of the *dog-pack in men snarling. 1927 F. B. Young Portrait of Clare ii. xi. 201 The huntsman and his whips had clattered over from the kennels with the dog-pack. |
| 1864 Chambers's Jrnl. 502/2 Betting more than you can afford upon a *dog-race. 1865 Ibid. 657/2 They are also fond of dog-racing. 1875 Ibid. 254/1 Excluded from enjoying the pleasures of bull-baiting, the Lancashire rough falls back on dog-racing or some similar sport which admits of betting. Ibid., Manchester..being the headquarters of the rabbit-courser;..and the colliery districts generally, of the dog-racer. 1928 Manch. Guardian Weekly 10 Aug. 113/4 The Dog-racing bill. |
| 1859 Newcastle Courant 1 July 3/1 (heading) Sporting *dog and poultry show. 1861 Times 4 Apr. 12/2 (heading) Fancy dog show at Birmingham. 1863 in N. & Q. (1963) Mar. 106/1 The International Dog Show. 1870 B. Clayton Dog-Keeper's Guide 20 One of the first dog-shows held in London. |
| 1796 (title) The *Dog Tax, in Verse. 1886 Encycl. Brit. XX. 201/2 The imposition of a dog-tax or licence. |
| 1928 Observer 25 Mar. 16/6 The Ministry of Health has decided that Wimbledon must put up with a *dog-track, however much the Council and inhabitants may resent it. 1958 Economist 11 Oct. 155/1 A racecourse, a dog track, and thirty-nine pubs help the men to get through the {pstlg}A2,000 a year that many of them have been earning. |
| 1897 Kipling Capt. Cour. v. 121 He told them of mail-carrying in the winter up Cape Breton way, of the *dog-train that goes to Coudray. |
| 1842 Ainsworth's Mag. II. 222 Their word..is now less influential than a *dog-whistle. 1863 Kingsley Water Bab. i, I wish I were a keeper..to..have a real dog-whistle at my button. |
b. objective and
obj. genitive, as
dog-breaker (see
breaker1 3),
dog-breeder,
dog-breeding,
dog-driver,
dog-driving,
dog-fancier,
dog-fancying,
dog-keeping,
dog-lover,
dog-owner,
dog-owning,
dog-seller,
dog-skinner,
dog-stealer,
dog-stealing,
dog-washing; see also
dog-keeper, -whipper.
| 1770 Gentl. Mag. XL. 164 To punish the dog-stealer, or the man charged with the crime of dog-stealing. 1806 Sporting Mag. XXVII. 194/1 (heading) The dog-fancyer. 1821 P. Egan Life in London ii. iii. 221 The dog-fancier in the corner..sidled up to the Swells. 1845 Zoologist III. 1099 Dog-fanciers have become practically acquainted with these influences. 1845 Ainsworth's Mag. VII. 5 I'm the only honest man in the dog-fancyin' line. 1848 Kingsley Saint's Trag. i. i. 38 That a man shall keep his dog-breakers, and his horse-breakers, and his hawk-breakers, and never hire him a boy-breaker or two! 1854 Wood Anim. Life 158 The whole body of quondam dog-owners. 1889 G. Stables Kennel Comp. i. 10 On dog-washing days. 1895 Kipling 2nd Jungle Bk. 148 The boy knows something of dog-driving. 1898 Daily News 17 Jan. 8/5 The Admiral..described how the two saved the life of their dog-driver..when he ‘was rapidly freezing’. 1910 H. G. Wells Hist. Mr. Polly ix. 301 Drowning superfluous kittens, dog-fancying as required. |
c. instrumental, parasynthetic, and similative, as
dog-bitten,
dog-drawn,
dog-driven,
dog-gnawn,
dog-hated adjs.;
dog-bright,
dog-eyed,
dog-footed,
dog-furred,
dog-haired,
dog-hearted,
dog-looked,
dog-looking,
dog-whining adjs. See also d below; also
dog-faced, -headed, -legged.
| 1601 Holland Pliny II. 363 A stone which a dog hath taken vp with his mouth and bitten, wil cause debate and dissention in the company where it is..it is growne into a common prouerbe..when we perceiue those that dwel in one house together to be..at variance..to say, You have a dog-bitten stone here among you. 1605 Shakes. Lear iv. iii. 47 His own unkindness..gave her dear rights To his dog-hearted daughters. 1699 R. L'Estrange Colloq. Erasm. (1711) 66 Out comes the Dog-looking grey-Beard again. 1829 E. Elliott Village Patriarch i. xiii, Legless soldier, borne In dog-drawn car. a 1847 Eliza Cook Song of Spirit of Poverty ii. 3 A dog-gnawn bone. 1922 Joyce Ulysses 404 Swineheaded..or doghaired infants occasionally born. 1928 E. Sitwell 5 Poems 4 Beneath my dog-furred leaves you see The creeping strawberry. Ibid. 10 And dark green dog-haired leaves of strawberries. 1929 ― Gold Coast Customs 22 The dog-whining dawn light. 1931 W. de la Mare 7 Short Stories 134 He looked at me..with those dog-bright eyes. 1932 Auden Orators iii. 85 A dog-hated dustman. |
d. with certain
adjs. = as..as a dog; thoroughly, utterly; extremely; as
dog asleep,
dog-drunk,
dog-hungry,
dog-lame,
dog-lean,
dog-mad,
dog-poor,
dog-sick,
dog-thick (
= intimate). See also
dog-cheap, -tired, -weary.
| 1552 Huloet, Dogge leane, squallidus. 1579–80 North Plutarch (1676) 712 Cicero was dog-lean, a little eater. 1599 H. Buttes Dyets drie Dinner O iv, He that saith, he is Dog-sicke, as sicke as a Dog; meaneth a sicke Dog, doubtlesse. 1611 Cotgr., Dormer en transe, to be dog asleepe, to be in a deepe or dead sleepe. a 1625 Fletcher Hum. Lieutenant i. i, Would I were drunk dog-drunk, I might not feel this. c 1645 Howell Lett. (1650) II. 47 Som of our preachmen are grown dog mad. a 1810 Tannahill Poet. Wks. (1846) 90 Get dog-thick wi' the parish priest. 1832 Scott Jrnl. Jan., I was dog-sick of the whole of it. 1889 Boldrewood Robbery under Arms (1890) 59 When she [a mare] was dog-poor and hardly able to drag herself along. |
e. in a contemptuous sense,
= Bad, spurious, bastard, mongrel;
esp. in
dog-Latin; so
dog-English,
dog-Greek,
dog('s)-logic,
dog-rime.
| 1611 Florio, Versaccij, dog-rimes, filthy verses. a 1625 MS. Bodl. 30. 13 a, To begge sir Tottipate's applause in dogrime verse. 1711 Swift Exam. No. 50 ¶5 His skill in that part of learning called dog's logic. 1770 D. Dalrymple (Ld. Hailes) Anc. Scot. Poems 243 (Jam.) The alternate lines are composed of shreds of the breviary, mixed with what we call Dog-Latin, and the French, Latin de cuisine. 1851 Thackeray Eng. Hum. vi. (1863) 289 ‘Nescio quid est materia cum me’, Sterne writes to one of his friends (in dog-Latin, and very sad dog-Latin too). 1884 F. Harrison in 19th Cent. Mar. 496 Agnostic is only dog-Greek for ‘don't know’. 1938 F. M. Ford Let. 16 Mar. (1965) 290 He will at least write comprehensible dog-English. 1961 N.Y. Times Bk. Rev. 22 Jan. 6/4 They have been translated into a kind of academic dog-English. |
20. Special
Comb. a. † dog-ape, a dog-faced baboon (Dyce),
cynocephalus;
† dog-appetite, the disease
bulimy, or
canine appetite (but in
quot. distinguished from this);
dog-belt, in
Coal-mining, a strong broad belt of leather, worn round the waist, for drawing dans or sledges in the workings;
† dog-chance = dog-throw;
dog-clutch, a device for coupling two shafts in the transmission of power, one member having teeth which engage with slots in another;
dog-dance, a dance practised by American Indians;
dog-eat-dog,
phr. used esp. attrib. of a ruthlessly competitive attitude (with allusion to the proverb ‘dog does not eat dog’:
cf. quot. 1858
s.v. 17 s);
dog-end slang, a cigarette-end;
dogface U.S. slang, a soldier,
esp. an infantryman, in the
U.S. army;
† dog-flaw, a burst of passion (
flaw n.2 2);
† dog-flogger = dog-whipper;
† dog-given a., addicted to dogs;
dog-grate, a detached fire-grate standing in a fireplace upon supports called dogs (see 8);
dog handler, a person who is in charge of a dog or dogs,
esp. a police dog;
dog-hanging, ‘a wedding feast at which money was collected for the bride’ (Halliwell);
dog-horse, a worn-out horse, fit only to be made into dog's-meat;
† dog-hunger = dog-appetite;
dog-ill = distemper n.1 4 c;
dog-in-a-blanket, a rolled currant dumpling or jam pudding (
colloq.);
dog-iron = sense 8;
† dog-killer, a person appointed to kill dogs suspected of madness;
dog-lead, a line to lead a dog with;
dog-leader, a servant in charge of dogs;
dog-leaved a. rare = dog's-eared; so
dog-leaving,
vbl. n.;
dog-line, a trace for fastening a dog to a sledge;
dog-madness = canine rabies, hydrophobia;
dogman, a man in charge of dogs; in
quot. a 1861, a dealer in dog's-meat;
Austral. (
cf. dog n.1 7 a), a man who gives directional signals to a crane-operator on a building-site, often riding on the goods lifted by the crane;
dog-master;
dog-meat, dog's flesh used as food;
dog-nap, a short nap taken while sitting (
cf. cat-nap s.v. cat n.1 18, also
dog-sleep);
dog-nose vice (see
quot.);
dog-paddle colloq., a stroke, or way of swimming, like a dog's; hence as
v. intr., to swim in this fashion;
dog-pole (see
quot.);
dog-power, the mechanical power exerted by a dog, as in turning a spit, or driving a churn-dasher;
dog-rapper,
= dog-whipper; so
dog rapping;
dog-robber slang, (
a) in
pl., civilian clothes worn by a naval officer on shore leave; (
b) a navy or army officer's orderly;
dog-screw (see
quot. and
cf. dog-nail);
dog-sled,
-sledge, a sledge drawn by dogs, as in the Arctic regions;
† dog-spasm = cynic spasm;
dog-stopper Naut. (see
quot. and
stopper);
dog-stove = dog-grate;
dog-strop Naut. (see
quot.);
dog tag U.S. slang, a soldier's identity disc;
dog-team, a team of dogs used for drawing a sled;
dog-tent, a small tent, so called from its likeness to a dog's kennel;
dog-throw, the lowest or losing throw at dice (L.
canis,
canicula);
dog-tongs (see
quot.);
dog-town (
U.S.), a colony of prairie dogs (see 5);
dog-trials pl. (
N.Z.), a series of tests of the skill of sheep-dogs in tending sheep;
dog tucker Austral. and
N.Z., mutton used as food for working dogs (see
quot. 1933);
† dog-wheel, a vertical wheel turned by a dog inside as a motor. See also dog-bolt, -box, -boy, -cart, etc.
| 1600 Shakes. A.Y.L. ii. v. 28 If euer I thanke any man, Ile thanke you: but that they cal complement is like th' encounter of two *dog-Apes. |
| 1615 Crooke Body of Man 169 In the disease called Boulimos, there is hunger without appetite, and in the *Dog-appetite, there is appetite without hunger. |
| 1842 Brande Dict. Sc., etc., *Dog-belt. |
| 1613 T. Godwin Rom. Antiq. (1674) 112 The losing cast, Canis or Canicula, in English a *Dog-chance. 1671 H. M. tr. Erasm. Colloq. 441, I always cast the unlucky dog-chances. |
| 1907 Westm. Gaz. 18 Nov. 6/3 The road-wheels are mounted on the..steel valves, leaving the enclosed driving-shafts free to transmit the power, through the medium of *dog-clutches, to the hubs. 1930 Engineering 14 Feb. 198/2 The spindle is connected to the handwheel by a dog clutch. 1951 G. H. Sewell Amat. Film-Making (ed. 2) iii. 24 A dog-clutch on the camera motor mechanism engages with the main spindle of the magazine. |
| 1807 Pike Sources Mississ. (1810) 84 In the evening we were entertained with the calumet and *dog dance. 1854 Wood Anim. Life 134 There is the dog-dance, in which the liver of the dog is suspended to a pole..The Indians..commence a slow dance round the pole. |
| 1931 ‘D. Stiff’ Milk & Honey Route xv. 169 He knows and lives the justice of the jungle as well as he knows and lives the *dog-eat-dog code of the main stem. 1959 N. N. Holland First Mod. Comedies xiv. 168 The impression we get is of a dog-eat-dog world. 1961 Daily Tel. 20 Feb. 22/4 Dog-eat-dog among the Lumumbists. 1963 M. Levinson Taxi vi. 72 No woman can call herself weak if she is prepared to throw herself pell-mell into the ‘dog-eat-dog’ kind of driving that goes on in the West End. 1964 R. Jeffries Embarrassing Death iii. 21 You don't want to be nice for this job..it's dog eat dog. |
| 1935 H. Neville Sneak Thief on Road 153 ‘Hard-up?’ ‘*Dog-ends,’ said Yank. ‘Dust, funny mixings, ten a pennies, cigarette ends out of the gutter.’ 1941 Punch 10 Sept. 238/3 Our sojourning place was bare of everything but dust and cigarette-butts (‘dog-ends’, these last are called). 1955 P. Wildeblood Against Law iii. 118 The ensuing ‘dog-ends’ are unpicked, re-rolled and smoked again. |
| 1941 Time 13 Oct. 24 Ordinary soldiers are called ‘*dog-faces’ by the devil-dog Marines. 1943 Steinbeck Once there was War (1959) 145 There are too many little religious rules and prejudices [amongst the Arabs in north Africa] that an unsuspecting dogface can run afoul of. 1958 Newsweek 20 Oct. 42 No dogface who dug one [sc. a foxhole] will ever forget his blistered hands and aching back. |
| a 1625 Fletcher Women Pleased iii. iv, We would soon disburthen you Of that that breeds these fits, these *dog-flaws in ye. |
| 1806 Churchw. Acc. St. Martin's, Leicester 5 July (1884) 228 P{supd} Fewkes *Dog Flogger 0 10 0. |
| c 1611 Chapman Iliad xi. 256 As a *dog-given hunter sets upon a brace of boars His white-tooth'd hounds. |
| 1881 G. T. Robinson in Art Jrnl. (Cent.), A grate with standards, which we still call a *dog-grate. |
| 1968 R. Jeffries Traitor's Crime i. 9 The civilian fitter..was changing a fan-belt on a *dog handler's van. 1971 Sunday Express 25 Apr. 17/6 Dog handler Mr. Robert Green..receives {pstlg}720 from her estate. |
| 1698 Vanbrugh æsop iv. ii, Two blind stallions, besides pads, routs, and *dog-horses. c 1785 T. Bewick Waiting for Death in A. Dobson B. & his Pupils ix. (1884) 155 He..was judged to be only fit for the dogs. However, one shilling and sixpence beyond the dog-horse price saved his life. |
| 1598 Sylvester Du Bartas ii. i. iii. Furies 451 The *Dog-hunger, or the Bradypepsie. a 1680 Butler Rem., Miser (1759) II. 342 His greedy appetite to riches is but a kind of doghunger that never digests what it devours. |
| 1879 H. Dalziel Dis. Dogs (1893) 41 Distemper is also known as the ‘*dog-ill’. |
| 1867 C. M. Yonge Six Cushions ix. 72 The *dog-in-a-blanket making its appearance, Clara cut three beauteous slices, with spiral rings of black currant alternating with suet. |
| 1883 Old Virginia Gentlem. in Macm. Mag., Brass *dog-irons of ponderous build. |
| 1614 B. Jonson Barth. Fair ii. i, A worthy worshipful man..who would take you now the habit of a porter, now of a carman, now of the *dog-killer, in this month of August. 1665 Ord. Ld. Mayor Lond. Concern. Plague, That the Dogs be killed by the Dog-killers appointed. |
| 1826 Scott Woodst. xxix, Bevis, who was bred here when he was a *dog-leader, would not fly at him. |
| 1886 W. J. Tucker E. Europe 137 Being more thumbed, *dog-leaved, and worn than the others. |
| 1823 Southey in Life (1849) I. 69 The thumbing and *dog-leaving. |
| 1856 Kane Arct. Expl. I. xx. 252 The leader of the party succeeded in patching up his mutilated *dog-lines. |
| 1715 J. Delacoste tr. Boerhave's Aphorisms 304 It's called..because mostly proceeding from the bite of Dogs, a *Dog-madness. 1789 W. Buchan Dom. Med. (1790) 477 The rabies canina, or dog madness. |
| a 1861 Mrs. Browning Napoleon III in Italy xv, Filch the *dog⁓man's meat To feed the offspring of God. 1879 H. Dalziel Dis. Dogs (1893) 9 It is an error of modern dog men to wean puppies too soon. 1962 R. Clark (title) The dogman and other poems. 1970 Sunday Mail Mag. (Brisbane) 10 May 3/2 Most Sydney men will not raise their eyes beyond ladies' leg level except to see one other phenomenon—the daring dogmen on the skyhooks. |
| 1611 L. Barrey Ram Alley iv. i. in Hazl. Dodsley X. 346 When did you see Sir Theophrastus Slop, The city *dog-master? |
| 1854 Wood Anim. Life 134 Another..feast, in which *dog-meat takes a prominent part. |
| 1860 W. Phillips Speeches (1863) 295 That sleepy crier of a New Hampshire court, who was ever dreaming in his *dog-naps that the voice of judge or lawyer was a noisy interruption, and always woke shouting ‘Silence!’ |
| 1874 Knight Dict. Mech., *Dog-nose Vise (Locksmithing), a hand-vise with long, slender, pointed jaws. Called also pig-nose vise. |
| 1904 R. Thomas Swimming 428 How did Beowulf swim? I should say the human stroke..popularly but incorrectly known as *dog paddle, which was the European stroke to about the year 1500. 1928 Daily Express 25 June 4/5 Try to push off from the side, performing the kick with a ‘dog-paddle’ arm stroke. 1954 Landfall Dec. 272 He raised him up in the water and tried to get him to dog-paddle. 1958 L. Durrell Balthazar i. 21, I put the precious rose between my teeth and dog-paddled back to my clothes on the pebble beach. 1970 J. Yardley Kiss the Boys viii. 157 She dog-paddled along the tunnel behind him. Then she was out in very deep water. 1978 Washington Post 28 May l4/2, I learned to dog-paddle out to a log anchored in the river. |
| 1807 P. Gass Jrnl. 42 An old Indian camp, where we found some of their *dog-poles..the Indians fasten their dogs to them, and make them draw them from one camp to another loaded with skins and other articles. |
| 1898 W. P. Drury Tadpole of an Archangel 202 He was an absent-minded..young giant in..a *dogrobber suit. 1929 W. Faulkner Sartoris ii. 63 De Captain's dog-robber foun' whar he kep' dese here unloaded passes. 1946 G. Hackforth-Jones Sixteen Bells i. iv. 69 Numerous officers, clad in an assortment of clothing, ranging from tennis clothes to ‘dog-robbers’ came on deck. 1958 M. Dickens Man Overboard iii. 36 Then he..changed into dog robbers and went into the town to get drunk. 1967 Everybody's Mag. (Austral.) 18 Jan. 36/2 A Dog-robber is a general's aide-de-camp—who, it is said, would rob a dog of his bone to please the general. |
| 1884 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockm. 88 *Dog Screw, a screw with an eccentric head or with one side of the head taken off, used for attaching a watch movement to a dome case. |
| 1810 Z. M. Pike Exped. Sources Miss. 85 With my *dog-sled [I] arrived at the fort before 10 o'clock. 1889 Pall Mall G. 1 May 5/3 An account of a recent dog-sled trip in the North-west. |
| 1856 Kane Arct. Expl. I. xvi. 185, I have been out with my *dog-sledge, inspecting the ice. |
| 1615 Crooke Body of Man 754 Those conuulsions which we call Cynicke or *Dogge-spasmes, because by the contraction of these, men are constrained to writh and grinne like Dogges. |
| 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. s.v. Stopper of the Cable, *Dog-stopper, a strong rope clenched round the mainmast, and used on particular occasions to relieve and assist the preceding [i.e. the stopper of the cable, or deck-stopper] when the ship rides in a heavy sea. |
| 1881 M. E. Braddon Asph. vi. 71 Wide hearths and *dog-stoves. |
| 1882 Nares Seamanship (ed. 6) 43 The strop round the yard is called the *dog strop, and is a single strop. |
| 1918 Hatchet 22 Feb. 2/1 All that will be necessary will be to consult his finger print name and other matters of interest on the little steel tag around his neck, variously known as ‘*Dog Tag’, ‘license to live’, but to the Medical Department as an Identification Tag. 1947 Penguin New Writing XXIX. 159 If I should die to-morrow, I suppose this is where my bones, if not my dog-tag, would lie for ever. |
| 1856 E. K. Kane Arctic Explorations I. xvi. 198 They brought my *dog-team, with the restoratives I had sent for. 1928 Publishers' Weekly 16 June 2461 The author worked as a dog-team freighter in Alaska during the gold-rush. |
| 1863 Kinglake Crimea III. 181 The French soldiery were provided with what they called *dog-tents—tents not a yard high, but easily carried, and yielding shelter to soldiers creeping into them. |
| 1880 Lewis & Short Lat. Dict., Canicula..The worst throw with dice, the *dog-throw. |
| 1891 Rock 2 Oct. 4 A very quaint exhibit..consisting of ‘*dog-tongs’, formerly used for expelling dogs from churches. |
| 1854 J. R. Bartlett Personal Narr. I. iv. 70 The vast domains of this community, or ‘*dog-town’, as they are usually called. 1873 Gd. Words 77 They have often seen the rattlesnake come out of holes in a dog-town, but have never seen any prairie dogs come out of the same hole. |
| 1951 L. G. D. Acland Early Canterbury Runs ix. 303 He was also a lover of Border collies and at one time almost unbeatable at the *dog-trials. Ibid. 369 The expression is in frequent use at dog-trials. |
| 1933 ― in Press (Christchurch) 7 Oct. 15/7 *Dog Tucker. In the old days when Merino sheep were worth even less than they are now, it was the custom to throw in a few to the drover on delivery to make up for losses on the road. They were called dog tucker. E.g., ‘I'll throw ten in for your dogs.’ 1965 Weekly News (Auckland) 10 Feb. 39/4 The pup's master had thrown him a small piece of mutton, cut from the dog tucker hanging in a tree. |
| 1756 W. Toldervy Hist. Two Orphans I. 107 A *dog-wheel, for roasting of meat. |
b. Combinations with
dog's:
dog's age slang (
orig. U.S.), a long time;
dog's breakfast slang, a mess;
dog's chance, the poorest chance;
cf. dog-chance s.v. 20 a; also (
N.Z.),
dog's show;
dog's dinner, (
a) see sense 17 q above; (
b)
slang,
= dog's breakfast;
† dog's face, a term of abuse or reproach;
† dog's game, game hunted with dogs;
† dog's hunger = dog-hunger (see 20 a);
dog's-lug (
Naut.)
= dog's-ear n. 2;
dog's sleep,
dog's trick, see
dog-sleep,
dog-trick. See also c and d below; also dog's-body, -ear, -letter, -meat, -nose, -tail, -tooth.
| 1836 Knickerbocker VII. 17 That blamed line gale has kept me in bilboes such a *dog's age. 1916 H. L. Wilson Somewhere in Red Gap v. 175 Booming pained surmises through the house as to what fearful state it would get to be in if she didn't fight it to a clean finish once in a dog's age. 1919 T. K. Holmes Man fr. Tall Timber v. 55, I don't get a letter once in a dog's age from any of them. 1933 M. de la Roche Master of Jalna xxiii. 248 She hasn't laid an offering on the altar of Jalna for a dog's age. |
| 1937 Partridge Dict. Slang 231/2 *Dog's breakfast, a mess: low Glasgow (—1934). 1959 Times 29 Apr. 10/4 He can't make head or tail of it... It's a complete dog's breakfast. 1963 Times 22 Feb. 12/3 The warders..are very angry and have rejected the latest War Office offer as totally unacceptable. They feel the offer is a bit of a dog's breakfast. |
| 1902 Captain VII. 542/1 They all felt that Adderman's wouldn't have a *dog's chance when Ardenwood College had got fairly going. 1939 J. B. Priestley Let People Sing 50 Don't suppose I've got a dog's chance really, but I have to keep on trying. |
| 1971 J. Wainwright Last Buccaneer i. 35 North End is a *dog's dinner of hovels, dives and drinking dens. 1985 Guardian 22 Aug. 3/4 The influential Georgian Group, described the main frontage of the scheme as a dog's dinner yesterday. |
| 1676 Hobbes Iliad i. 213 *Dogs-face, and Drunkard, Coward that thou art. |
| 1610 Holland Camden's Brit. i. 259 The Conqueror tooke away land both from God and men, to dedicate the same unto wild beasts and *Dogs-game. |
| 1631 R. H. Arraignm. Whole Creature viii. 58 The disease cald the *Dogs hunger, alway eating but never satisfied. |
| 1882 Nares Seamanship (ed. 6) 134 Pass in the leech from the yard-arms and *dog's-lug. |
| 1957 I. Cross God Boy (1958) vi. 46, I had to admire Bloody Jack for sitting on there even though he didn't have a *dog's show of getting any fish. |
c. In names of animals (
a) resembling dogs in some respect, or (
b) infesting dogs: as
dog-badger (see
quot.);
dog-bat, a species of bat having a head like a dog's, found in Java;
dog-flea, a species of flea (
Pulex serraticeps) infesting dogs;
dog's-guts, a name for the fish
Harpodon nehereus, also called
bummalo;
dog-louse, a kind of louse which infests dogs; also
= dog-tick;
dog-snapper, an American species of fish: see
snapper;
dog-tick, a tick of the genus
Ixodes infesting dogs;
dog-winkle, the marine gastropod
Nucella lapillus. See also
dog-bee, -fish, -fly,
dog's-tongue.
| 1741 Compl. Fam. Piece ii. i. 297 There are two Sorts of Badgers, viz. the *Dog-Badger, as resembling the Dog in his Feet; and a Hog-Badger, as resembling a Hog in his cloven Hoofs. |
| 1828 Stark Elem. Nat. Hist. I. 66 Pteropus rostratus..The *Dog bat of Java. |
| 1841 Penny Cycl. XIX. 117/1 Other species..have received..the names of the species they attack, such as the *dog flea (Pulex Canis). |
| 1552 *Dog-louse [see dog-tick]. 1755 Johnson, Doglouse, an insect that harbours on dogs. |
| 1775 Romans Hist. Florida App. 52 The fish caught here..are such as..red, grey and black snappers, *dog snappers, mutton-fish. |
| 1552 Huloet, *Dogge tyke or louse, ricinus. 1849 Johnston in Proc. Berw. Nat. Club II. No. 7. 373 My specimens were taken from the pointer, and were sent to me as the dog tick. |
| [1853 Forbes & Hanley Hist. Brit. Mollusca III. 386 This whelk [sc. Purpura lapillus] is called Dog-periwinkle on many parts of the coast.] 1856 P. H. Gosse Man. Marine Zool. II. 129 Purpura (Lamk.). Purple, or *Dog-winkle. 1901 Westm. Gaz. 16 Dec. 3/1 The Tyrian purple of the ancients can be obtained from the common dog-winkle (purpura lapillus). 1950 N. B. Eales Littoral Fauna Gt. Brit. (ed. 2) 196 Nucella lapillus (Purpura). Dog Winkle. |
d. In names of plants (frequently denoting an inferior or worthless sort, or one unfit for human food): as
† dog's-apple, a name for the caper shrub or berry (
obs.);
dog-blow, in Nova Scotia, the ox-eye daisy,
Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum;
dog('s) cabbage (see
cabbage n.1 2);
dog's camomile (see
camomile 1 b);
† dog's-caul (
-call), Dog's
Mercury;
dog-cherry, the fruit of
Cornus sanguinea (Prior)
= dogberry1 1;
dog's-chop,
Mesembryanthemum caninum (
Treas. Bot.);
† dog's-cods,
-cullions, various species of
Orchis = dogstones (
obs.);
dog-daisy, the common Daisy,
Bellis perennis; also in some localities and now generally in books, applied to the Ox-eye Daisy,
Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum;
dog-hip,
-hep (
dial.), the fruit of the dog-rose;
† dog's leek,
dog-leek, an old book-name for various bulbous plants;
dog-lichen,
Peltidea canina (see
quot.);
dog's-mouth, the Snap-dragon;
dog('s)-parsley,
æthusa Cynapium, also called Fool's Parsley;
dog-poison = prec. (
Treas. Bot.);
dog-standard,
-stander, a local name for Ragwort,
Senecio Jacobæa;
dog-thistle (see
thistle);
dog('s)-thorn = dog-rose;
dog('s)-wheat, a species of couch-grass,
Triticum caninum = dog-grass. See also
dogberry,
dogwood, etc.
| 1567 J. Maplet Gr. Forest 36 Capers..of some it is called Doggues Bremble, of other some *Doggues Apple. |
| 1578 Lyte Dodoens ii. xxx. 186 The second kinde is now called..in English..*Dogges Camomile. |
| Ibid. i. liv. 77 The wilde Mercury is called..in English..*Dogges Call. 1656 Earl of Monmouth Advt. fr. Parnass. 27 Mallows, Henbane, Dogs-caul, and other pernitious plants. |
| 1578 Lyte Dodoens ii. lvi. 222 The first kinde is called..in Latine..Testiculus canis, that is to say, *Dogges Cullions, or *Dogges coddes. |
| 1847 Halliwell, *Dog-daisy, the field daisy. North. 1888 Sheffield Gloss., Dog-daisy, the common wild daisy, Bellis perennis. [So in Glossaries of Cumberland, Lonsdale, Whitby, etc.] 1894 Baring-Gould S. France I. 102 The meadows were white as with dog-daisies. |
| 1853 G. Johnston Bot. East. Borders 75 Rosa canina, Dog-Rose. Briar-Rose: the *Dog-hep. 1892 Northumberland Gloss., Dog-hips and cat-haws are commonly associated by children. |
| 1548 Turner Names of Herbes 21 Bulbine..maye be called in englishe *dogges Leike. Ibid. 57 Ornithigalum..may be called dogleke or dogges onion. 1578 Lyte Dodoens ii. xlix. 209. |
| 1861 H. Macmillan Footnotes fr. Nat. 105 The common *dog-lichen (Peltidea canina)..was formerly employed..as a cure for hydrophobia (hence its specific name). |
| 1839 Phillips in Sat. Mag. 18 May 190/1 It has..received various names, as *Dog's Mouth, Lion's Snap, Toad's Mouth, and Snap-Dragon. |
| 1866 Treas. Bot. s.v. Parsley, *Dog's P. æthusa Cynapium. 1868 Paxton Bot. Dict., Dog Parsley. |
| c 1750 J. Nelson Jrnl. (1836) 122, I do not fear the man that can kill me any more than I do him that can cut down a *dog-standard. |
| 1694 Westmacott Script. Herb. 29 There is a confusion of names in botanical authours about Brambles, Briars..*Dog-thorn, &c. |
| 1776 Withering Brit. Plants (1801) II. 174 Triticum caninum, *dog's Wheat. Woods and hedges. |
▸
slang (
derogatory,
usu. considered
offensive).
orig. U.S. An unattractive woman or girl. Also (
occas.): an unattractive man.
| 1937 J. Weidman I can get It for You Wholesale xxi. 203, I don't like to have a bunch of dogs floating around. While I'm at it, I might as well hire something with a well-turned ass and a decently uplifted tit. 1948 I. Shaw Young Lions xix. 345 She had fat legs and the seams of her stockings were crooked, as always. Why is it, Lewis thought automatically, why is it the dogs are the ones that join up? 1968 C. F. Baker et al. College Undergraduate Slang Study (typescript) Dog, an ugly person, male. An ugly person, female. 1997 Cosmopolitan (U.K. ed.) Aug. 66/1 Pretty well anyone could have stood next to the guys in Take That and looked like a dog. They were great-looking guys. 2003 K. Corum Other Woman 20 ‘If she's a dog, I am going to be so pissed off at you.’ ‘Arthur, this is not a date.’ |
▸
dog and bone n.rhyming slang
Brit. slang. a telephone.
| 1961 J. Franklyn Dict. Rhyming Slang (ed. 2) 146/1 Dog and bone, 'phone... This term seems to have evolved since the second war, probably partly due to the increase in the number of telephones installed. 1989 Daily Tel. 22 Mar. 31/1 British Telecom brings to you the telephone of the future—the dog and bone that offers self-improvement and self-expression. 1996 Sporting Life (Electronic ed.) 29 Aug. Yesterday, yours truly was just settling down with a crate of lagers ready to watch a Chubby Brown video when the dog and bone starts buzzing. 2001 Mirror (Electronic ed.) 6 Oct. Lazerbuilt Chic Telephone, {pstlg}19.99... This amazing Dog and Bone is {pstlg}49.95. |
▸
dog's bollocks n. (also
dog's ballocks)
Brit. coarse slang (a) Typogr. a colon followed by a dash, regarded as forming a shape resembling the male sexual organs (see
quot. 1949) (
rare);
(b) (with
the) the very best, the acme of excellence;
cf. the cat's whiskers at
cat n.1 13l,
bee's knee n. (b) at
bee n.1 5b.
| 1949 E. Partridge Dict. Slang (ed. 3) 1033/2 Dog's ballocks, the typographical colon-dash (:—). c 1986 in P. Brewis et al. Gambler (cassette tape sleeve notes) They are of the opinion that, when it comes to Italian opera, Pavarotti is the dog's bollocks. 1989 C. Donald et al. (title) Viz: the dog's bollocks: the best of issues 26 to 31. 1995 Times 4 Oct. 7/1 Before Tony Blair's speech, a chap near me growled: ‘'E thinks 'e's the dog's bollocks.’ Well he's entitled to. It was a commanding speech: a real dog's bollocks of an oration. 2000 Front Oct. 51/3 You said you quite fancied Jon Bon Jovi. Yeah, Jon Bon Jovi is the dog's bollocks. |
▸
dog-sit v.
orig. U.S. intr. to take care of a dog in the absence of its owner, usually at the owner's home; also
trans.| 1951 Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Gaz. 13 Mar. 1/3 When she goes out there's no one to *dog sit for Blackie, an 11-year-old mixture of bull and fox terrier. 1989 ‘C. Roman’ Foreplay xiii. 145 The Newfies have offered to dog-sit Topper while I'm away. 2003 Daily Star 25 Mar. 34/1 We dog sat for her when she went away. |
▸
dog sitter n. orig. U.S. a person who takes care of a dog in the absence of its owner.
| 1942 Sunday News & Tribune (Jefferson City, Missouri) 2 Oct. (Cartoon section) 4/3 Never hire a boy for a *dog sitter if you don't want a case of alienation of affections! 2002 Gold Coast Bull. (Southport, Austral.) 7 Jan. 34/4 Need a dog-sitter to keep your canine company while you're out? |
▸
dog-sitting n. orig. U.S. the act or an instance of taking care of a dog in the absence of its owner.
| 1949 New Yorker 5 Mar. 24/3 The *dog-sitting service requires most of the working time of four experienced young ladies. 1999 J. Cassidy Street Life 118 Later that night Dan and his friend popped in to see how the dog-sitting was coming along. |
▪ II. † dog, n.2 deformation of the word
God, used in profane oaths.
Obs.| c 1550 Lusty Juventus in Hazl. Dodsley II. 84 By dog's precious wounds, that was some whoreson villain. |
▪ III. dog, v. (
dɒg)
Pa. t and
pple. dogged (
dɒgd).
[f. prec. n.] 1. trans. a. To follow like a dog; to follow pertinaciously or closely; to pursue, track (a person, his footsteps, etc.),
esp. with hostile intent. Also with
out.
| 1519 W. Horman Vulg. 256 Our ennemyes..dogged vs at the backe [a tergo instabat]. 1601 Shakes. Twel. N. iii. ii. 81, I haue dogg'd him like his murtherer. 1676 Wycherley Pl. Dealer v. i, The Bayliffs dog'd us hither to the very door. 1750 Johnson Rambler No. 16 ¶12 Eleven painters are now dogging me, for they know that he who can get my face first will make his fortune. 1834 Pringle Afr. Sk. viii. 257 A lion was..dogging us through the bushes the whole way home. 1843 ‘R. Carlton’ New Purchase II. 180 We'll dog out the rats now. 1851 Dixon W. Penn xxix. (1872) 272 Spies and informers dogged his footsteps. 1877 F. Ross et al. Gloss. Words Holderness 55 Dog-oot-ov, to obtain by persistent importunity. 1936 M. Allingham Flowers for Judge ix. 140 Someone murdered him very neatly indeed... Our astute friends..dogged that much out all right. |
b. fig. Said of immaterial agencies.
| 1593 Shakes. Rich. II, v. iii. 139 Destruction straight shall dogge them at the heeles. 1634 Milton Comus 404, I fear the dread events that dog them both. 1795 Southey Joan of Arc v. 174 Famine dogs their footsteps. a 1859 Macaulay Hist. Eng. (1861) V. 245 Envy such as dogged Montague through a long career. |
† c. To haunt (a place, etc.).
Obs. rare.
| 1600 Dr. Dodypoll iii. v. (Bullen O. Pl.), My mistresse dogs the banket, and I dog her. 1602 Marston Antonio's Rev. iii. v, Assume disguise, and dog the court In fained habit. |
2. intr. or absol. To follow close. (In
quot. 1694, to continue persistently or importunately.)
| 1519 W. Horman Vulg. 265 They cam doggynge at the tayle of our hoste. 1694 R. L'Estrange Fables cv. (1714) 121 To lie Dogging at his Prayers so Much and so Long. 1807 J. Moser in Spirit Pub. Jrnls. X. 7 Should constables dog at our heels. 1837 Wheelwright tr. Aristophanes I. 6, I..will not hold my tongue, Unless you tell me, why on earth we're dogging. |
3. trans. To drive or chase with a dog or dogs; to set a dog on;
fig. to hound or drive
into.
| 1591 Bottesford (Linc.) Manor Rec. (MS.), Dogging beast vicinorum super communem pasturam. 1601 [see dogging below]. 1794 T. Stone Agric. Lincolnsh. 62 [Sheep] being over-heated in being..dogged to their confinement. 1840 H. Cleeve in Jrnl. Agric. Soc. I. iii. 298 Others have dogged the animal, and worried it to exhaustion. 1847 Bushnell Chr. Nurt. ii. ii. (1861) 264 He may dog his children possibly into some kind of conformity with his opinions. |
4. To furnish or fill with dogs. (
nonce-use.)
| a 1661 Fuller Worthies, Somerset (1811) II. 276 (D.) The ancient Romans, when first (instead of manning) they dogged their Capitol. |
5. To act as a dog to, to guard as a dog.
rare.
| 1818 Milman Samor i. 281 Ah generous King! That sets the emaciate wolf to dog the flock; The hawk to guard the dovecote. |
6. a. To fasten or secure by means of a dog (see
dog n.1 7 a, e); also
intr. to penetrate with a dog.
| 1591 in Glasscock Rec. St. Michael's, Bp. Stortford (1882) 65, iiij li. of leade to dog the stones together of y⊇ steple windowe. 1879 Lumberman's Gaz. 15 Oct., We can dog directly into the hardest knot in the heaviest timber and hold the log perfectly safe and true. 1886 G. W. Hotchkiss in Encycl. Brit. XXI. 345/2 When the log reached the carriage it was dogged..by the simple movement of a lever. |
b. To extract or uproot with a dog (
dog n.1 7 c).
| 1610 W. Folkingham Art of Survey i. ix. 21 Whynnes, Broome, &c...being..rooted vp by dogging or grubbing. |
c. Naut. To fasten, as a rope, to a spar or cable in such a way that the parts bind on each other, so as to prevent slipping.
| 1847 A. C. Key Recov. H.M.S. Gorgon 24 Another purchase was..lashed round the sheerhead..and its lower block was dogged on. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Dogged, a mode of attaching a rope to a spar or cable, in contradistinction to racking, by which slipping is prevented; half-hitched and end stopped back, is one mode. |
† 7. Oxford Univ. slang. (See
quot., and
collector 4.)
Obs.| 1726 Amherst Terræ Fil. xlii. 233 The collectors..having it in their power to dispose of all the schools and days in what manner they please..great application is made to them for gracious days and good schools; but especially to avoid being posted or dogged. Ibid., The first column and the last column..(which contain the names of those who are to come up the first day and the last day, and which is called posting and dogging) are esteemed very scandalous. |
8. U.S. slang. Used in imprecations (perhaps sometimes with a reference to sense 3).
Cf. dog on it (
dog n.1 17 j),
dog-gone.
| 1860 Bartlett Dict. Amer., Dogged, a euphemistic oath; as, ‘I'll be dogged if I do it’. 1884 ‘Mark Twain’ [Clemens] Adv. H. Finn (Farmer Amer.), Why, dog my cats! there must have been a house-full o' niggers in there every night. |
Hence
ˈdogging ppl. a. See also
dogging vbl. n.| 1601 Cornwallyes Ess. i, They are commonly hawking, or dogging fellowes. |
Add:
9. intr. With
it. To act lazily or half-heartedly; to shirk or avoid responsibility, risk, etc.; to slack, idle. Also
trans. slang (
orig. and chiefly
U.S.).
| 1905 R. Beach Partners (1912) i. 12, I expected to see the youngster dog it. 1928 R. J. Tasker Grimhaven xvi. 196 He hoped to goad me into action. ‘Go ahead and use that shiv—don't dog it—come on and do something.’ 1941 J. Lilienthal Horse Crazy 23 In Dellup's next race, Crump bet man-size money... But the horse dogged it, the same as it had done before. 1966 H. Marriott Cariboo Cowboy xx. 189, I made up my mind I'd do little or nothing for quite a while... So I just dogged it for several months. 1976 Billings (Montana) Gaz. 27 June 1-f/4 ‘I played aggressively for two or three holes, conservatively for 10 or 12 and the others I just dogged,’ Dickson said. 1983 A. Alvarez Biggest Game in Town vii. 100 Most guys playing for that kind of money will dog it, but Doyle's got no fear. |
▪ IV. dog obs. form of
dāk.