Idiomatic Use Of Dogs

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In the English language, dog idioms have existed for centuries in the vocabulary, and their meanings and connotations have transformed over time. Traditional idioms like
“Sick as a Dog” and “Dog’s Life” were recorded and used from the mid 1600’s-1700’s and existed as a negative connotation, even though dogs can be considered as a man’s best friend in the modern-day. For centuries, dogs were mainly wild animals that roamed human settlements eating scarps, fighting with each other, and spreading diseases. Phrases like “Dog Eat Dog,” got its term during the medieval Europe when dogs were seen as the lowly regarded animal and used as a labor. However, the idiomatic use of the word Dog for a good companion gained its identity and developed during …show more content…

When a Latin proverb articulates that even dogs don't’ eat other dogs, indicating that humans are most likely to kill one another than an animal, this impression has been changed in the English language during the 1700’s. So the idiom became “Dogs are hard drove when they eat dogs" meaning that those who act callously are difficult to conquer (Lee, Fuller). Now, the shortened idiomatic phrase “Dog Eat Dog” is characterized as an adjective used to describe a situation in which people compete with each other for success in a cruel and selfish way. This phrase is often used during political debates and modern business world to describe a highly fierce competition. On the Politico article, the author regarded the uptight presidential debate against Obama and Romney as the “dog-eat-dog world of the 2012 presidential campaign got a little nastier” (1, Lee). Other negative idiomatic language like “Die Like a Dog” means that a dog’s life is miserable and cruel, and has to die in a manner that is unpleasant and demeaning. There is a book written by Lesley Martin called “To Die Like a Dog,” which is about her personal account of what she did to cause her mother’s death, and it was up to her to make sure her mother who experience cancer didn’t die. However, later on, she was charged with attempted murder. A dog’s life and death are degrading, and to the author’s …show more content…

Phrases like Dogs of War, meaning the way to describe the destruction and chaos caused by war, the dog’s determination can be seen relating to military usage (Grammaristdictionary.com) “The dogs of war” first originated in a phrase spoken in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar Act 3 Scene 1 when Caesars body was assassinated and Mark Antony yelling for revenge, “Cry Havoc! Let slip the dogs of war.” Haov means it's a military order after victory; in addition, “dogs of war” can figuratively indicate the wild pack of soldiers and political restraints against war. This idiom suggests a strong sense of commitment that dogs are regarded as historical roles to protect the society. There is also a famous movie entitled “Dogs of War” focusing on a solider that ends up at prison fighting for freedom to complete his

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