《3 Dog-Related Idioms》

After talking about cat-related idioms last week, it’s the dogs’ turn now! Below are three English idioms about dogs.

 

#Underdog

 

You are probably very familiar with this phrase. This means the side that’s expected to lose in a competition. In the past, except bullfighting, there’s also dogfighting, where the term “underdog” was used to describe the losing dog. As time passes, “underdog” is generalized to have the current meaning! In 1960, there was a cartoon in which the main character was called “Underdog”. He was a superhero who’s expected to fail in his missions. You can search it on Youtube if you’re interested!

 

#Dog-tired

 

Dog-tired is an exaggerated version of tiredness. There’s also a similar expression in Cantonese —— 攰到隻狗咁. In the past, dogs had to perform laborious tasks for humans, and they would be so exhausted that they’d sleep immediately without eating. (Just like people who work in HK nowadays lol)

 

#Dog-eat-dog

 

This means “harming each other to achieve your own goal”. It is often used to describe a society where people fight each other to achieve their own goals. This originates from the Latin phrase “canis caninam non est” —— “Dogs won’t eat dog meat”. Hence the reverse of this phrase means “harming each other to achieve your own goal”.

 

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