What Does It Mean? 15 Common Dog Idioms

Top of the mornin’ to ya! I am dressed for a tea and ready to hit the ground running for today’s blog. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’ve been reading Taylor King’s “What Does It Mean?” blog series and was inspired to put my own spin on it!

We use phrases like “a penny for your thoughts,” “hot potato,” and “back to the drawing board” every day…fancy humans call them idioms. As I thought about it, I came to the realization that there are a lot of idioms out there talking about PUPS!!! Take a look below to learn what these common doggo “idioms” REALLY mean…

Common Dog Idioms

Barking up the wrong tree: Looking in the wrong place or accusing the wrong person
Bite off more than you can chew: Taking on a task that is WAY too big or hard
Curiosity killed the cat (sorry, I couldn’t resist): Being too inquisitive can lead to trouble
Let sleeping dogs lie: Don’t disturb a situation; it’ll only lead to trouble

(Hey, are y’all sensing some weird “trouble” theme?)

Let the cat out of the bag: To share a secret
On the ball (tennis ball?): When someone understands the situation well
As clean as a hound’s tooth (I have some pearly whites myself): Very clean
Sick as a dog: Extremely ill
His bark is worse than his bite: His words are scarier/more intimidating than his actions
Better to be the head of a dog than the tail of a lion (this one really got me thinking): It is better to be the leader of a small group than to follow one well-known leader
Call off the dogs: Stop threatening, chasing, or hounding someone
Dog and pony show (huh?): A fancy or elaborate display that’s meant to market something or impress people
Top Dog: The most important person in an organization
Fight like cats and dogs (I get it): To argue ferociously with someone
Every dog has his day: Everyone will have his chance or turn