| Word | in a dogs age |
|---|---|
| Description | wrap open in a dog's age....in a dogs age in a very long time – North American informal RELATED IDIOMS : dog and pony show an elaborate display or performance designed to attract people's attention - North American informal 1998 - Spectator - Happy as I always am to help the Bank of England, I have supplied the script for its EURO dog and pony show. 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. 1998 - Rebecca Ray - A 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 = a dog's breakfast a poor piece of work a mess - British informal The image is of a dog's meal of jumbled-up scraps. 2000 - Independent - 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 1987 - Fannie Flagg - Fried 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 the havoc accompanying military conflict - literary 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. 1998 – Times - The good guys may have broken the rules by employing dogs of war. dressed like a dog's dinner = dressed up like a dog's dinner wearing ridiculously smart or ostentatious clothes - British informal every dog has his day = every dog has its day everyone will have good luck or success at some point in their lives – proverb 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 This idiom derives from the fact that attending greyhound races was once thought likely to expose a person to moral danger and the risk of incurring great financial loss. 1997 - Daily Telegraph - If you read the English media or watch the cretinosities of television, you would think that the country is going to the dogs. the hair of the dog a small quantity of alcohol taken as a remedy for a hangover – informal The full form of this phrase is hair of the dog that bit you. Hair from a rabid dog was at one time thought to be a remedy against the effects of its bite. In this expression, the recommended cure for a hangover is a small amount of the cause of the problem. 1987 - Bruce Allen Powe - The Ice Eaters Murray, still feeling the effects of the previous evening, had suggested they go in |
Learn with these flashcards. Click next, previous, or up to navigate to more flashcards for this subject.
Previous card: Dla kogo for who
Up to card list: Idioms from site english-for-students.com