dog

the black dog: seeblack.

call off the (or your) dogs stop attacking or persecuting someone or causing others to do so on your behalf.

die like a dog: seedie.

dog-and-pony show an elaborate display or performance designed to attract people's attention. North American informal

2002St. Louis (Missouri) Post-Dispatch The FAA delayed several American Airlines flights … for several hours. The fact of the matter is, it's nothing more than a dog-and-pony show to give us this sense of security.

dog eat dog a situation of fierce competition in which people are willing to harm each other in order to succeed.

☞ This expression makes reference to the proverb dog does not eat dog, which dates back to the mid 16th century in English and before that to Latin canis caninam non est 'a dog does not eat dog's flesh'.

1998Rebecca RayA Certain Age It's dog eat dog, it's every man for himself…Right from the start, fighting amongst ourselves for the few decent wages left.

dog in the manger a person inclined to prevent others from having or using things that they do not want or need themselves.

☞ This expression comes from the fable of the dog that lay in a manger to prevent the ox and horse from eating the hay.

the dog's bollocks the best person or thing of its kind. British vulgar slang

a dog's dinner (or breakfast) a poor piece of work; a mess. British informal

☞ The image is of a dog's meal of jumbled-up scraps.

2000Independent He was rightly sacked because he had made such a dog's dinner of an important job.

a dog's life an unhappy existence full of problems or unfair treatment.

1987Fannie FlaggFried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe The judge's daughter had just died a couple of weeks ago, old before her time and living a dog's life on the outskirts of town.

dog tired extremely tired; utterly worn out. informal

☞ The image here, and in the variant dog weary, is of a dog exhausted after a long chase or hunt.

dogs of war

1 the havoc accompanying military conflict. literary

2 mercenary soldiers.

☞ This phrase is from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: 'let slip the dogs of war'. The image is of hunting dogs being loosed from their leashes to pursue their prey.

❷1998Times The good guys…may have broken the rules by employing dogs of war.

dressed (up) like a dog's dinner wearing ridiculously smart or ostentatious clothes. British informal

every dog has his (or its) day everyone will have good luck or success at some point in their lives. proverb

fight like cat and dog: seecat.

give a dog a bad name it is very difficult to lose a bad reputation, even if it is unjustified.

☞ This is a shortened version of the proverb give a dog a bad name and hang him, which was known from the early 18th century.

go to the dogs deteriorate shockingly, especially in behaviour or morals. informal

☞ The underlying reference may be to the fate of worn-out horses, sent to the knacker's yard on the way to becoming dog food

2002Norman LebrechtThe Song of Names Country's going to the dogs. Used to be the finest railway in the world, now look at it.

the hair of the dog: seehair.

have a dog in the fight be an interested party; have a stake in the outcome of a process. informal

help a lame dog over a stile come to the aid of a person in need.

in a dog's age in a very long time. North American informal

keep a dog and bark yourself pay someone to work for you and then do the work yourself.

2001United Press International Newswire Investors can monitor their portfolios … but mainly let the chosen professionals do their job. After all, why keep a dog and bark yourself?

let the dog see the rabbit let someone get on with work they are ready and waiting to do. informal

☞ This phrase comes from greyhound racing, where the dogs chase a mechanical rabbit around a track.

let sleeping dogs lie: seesleeping.

like a dog with two tails showing great pleasure; delighted.

☞ The image here is of a dog wagging its tail as an expression of happiness.

love me, love my dog: seelove.

my dogs are barking my feet are aching. British informal, dated

not a dog's chance no chance at all.

put on the dog behave in a pretentious or ostentatious way. North American informal

☞ Dog was late 19th-century US slang for 'style' or a 'flashy display'.

1962Anthony GilbertNo Dust in the Attic Matron put on a lot of dog about the hospital's responsibility.

rain cats and dogs: seerain.

see a man about a dog used euphemistically when leaving to go to the lavatory or if you do not wish to disclose the nature of the errand you are about to undertake. humorous

sick as a dog: seesick.

the tail wags the dog: seetail.

there's life in the old dog yet: seelife.

throw someone to the dogs discard someone as worthless.

you can't teach an old dog new tricks you cannot make people change their ways. proverb