yard dog

yard dog

1. Literally, a dog who is kept outside and is not cared for or considered a part of its owner's family. We've got a couple of yard dogs out there to protect the property from intruders. I could tell this dog meant a lot to her. It wasn't just some yard dog who could be replaced the very next day.
2. slang By extension, some worthless, unintelligent, and unpleasant person. A: "The landlord is looking for you." B: "What does that yard dog want with me?" It's no wonder we're doing so badly this season with a yard dog like him leading the team.
See also: dog, yard
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

yard dog

n. a repellent person; an uncouth person. Is that lousy yard dog hanging around the neighborhood again?
See also: dog, yard
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • in good hands
  • in safe/good hands
  • literally
  • sic
  • doesn't know sic 'em (from come here)
  • don't know sic 'em (from come here)
  • cut off from the (outside) world
  • Swiss bank account
  • allow nature to take its course
  • a non-denial denial
References in classic literature
We have a yard dog, and I mayn't keep a dog of my own."
The Mill on the Floss
Herrera regressed disrupts Matic Samuel Matic was signed as the yard dog to let Pogba scamper forward and his inability to dispossess Spurs agitated Pogba.
Jose showing soft centre in 'big six' games; OPINION
Now the Yard's manager Julie Kemp is taking the policy a paw pad further with the first Cruft's Yard dog show.
Dog-friendly city hub holds Crufts-style event; EVENTS
During his tenure as a trumpeter with Lunceford, he arranged the hit tunes ''Hi Spook'' and ''Yard Dog Mazurka.''
Jazz musician Gerald Wilson dies
a beastly trick, a vile trick--to take a piece of bread, the soft part, stick a pin in it, and toss it to some yard dog, the kind that's so hungry it will swallow whatever it gets without chewing it, and then watch what happens.
Zhuchka's Love Letter to the End
He had a copy of Sheldon Russell's "The Yard Dog" and was about to venture a buck on "Pipsqueak," a book he'd never heard of by Brian Wiprud; she had a copy of Dorothy Gilman's "Mrs.
Mystery market
It has enlisted a specialist former Scotland Yard dog handler who has testified in a number of high-profile cases to back its claim that the animal poses a danger Actor Russell Crowe, chat show queen Ricki Lake, Katie Piper, fashion designer Sadie Frost, actress Joan Collins and her sister Jackie have joined an online campaign to support Lennox.
Temporary reprieve for Lennox; pet
The name of the new society - it means the Ceredigion Yard Dog Society - refers to the term "yard dogs".
There ain't nothing like a yard dog; NEW SOCIETY FORMED TO SAVE OLD DROVERS' DOG
This tractor is well known through central Iowa as the "Junk Yard Dog." My husband, Bob, who is 86 years old, pulls about every weekend during the summer.
Junk Yard Dog pulls its weight
Williams, who is nicknamed 'Junk Yard Dog', has also formed his own programme, the 'JYD Project', through which he aims to use his influence as a professional athlete and inspire youth to excel in all fields in life.
NBA stars dazzle Bahrain hopefuls
TOMORROW'S free Yard Dog event at the Tyne Bar starts at 1pm and runs through until late.
Talent oozing from Ouseburn
His nickname is Junk Yard Dog because he works in a scrap-yard and is one of the toughest competitors in the skate park, in the surf and on the rugby field.
Rugby Union: LA hardman is the steel deal; RUGBY WORLD CUP... EXTREME RUGBY
IT SEEMS LIKE everyone in the industry is all over the customer experience like white on rice, like a junk yard dog, like a cheap suit.
Community activism: experience be damned--creating a customer community is the best way to win wallet share
My favorite in this category is an early Handgunner article titled "Junk Yard Dog Loads" featuring handloaded .44 shot capsules filled with carpet tacks and finishing nails.
Good old days
He was a junk yard dog of a boy; his anger brought his shoulders up and his head down.
The counterfeit sock