dogˈ-belt noun

A broad belt put round the waist for hauling

dogˈberry noun

1. The fruit of the wild cornel or dogwood
2. Extended to many other plants and their fruits
3. (with cap) a pompous, muddle-headed person (from the character in Shakespeare's play Much Ado About Nothing)

Dogˈberrydom noun

Dogˈberryism noun

An utterance worthy of Dogberry, ie wordy consequential blundering and malapropism

dog biscuit noun

A hard kind of biscuit for feeding dogs

dogˈbolt noun

1. Orig a kind of arrow
2. A contemptible person (obsolete)

dogˈcart noun

A two-wheeled horse-vehicle with seats back to back, orig used to carry sporting dogs

dogˈ-cheap adjective

Extremely cheap

dog collar noun

1. A collar for a dog
2. A clerical collar fastened behind
3. A woman's stiff collar or neck ornament

dogˈ-crab noun

A very small crab

dogˈ-daiˈsy noun

1. The common daisy
2. The ox-eye daisy

dog days plural noun

1. The period when the Dogstar rises and sets with the sun (usu reckoned 3 July to 11 August) and which is erroneously supposed to be the time when dogs are specially liable to hydrophobia
2. A period of inactivity

dogˈ-ear noun

1. A dog's-ear
2. A fold at the corner of a page in a book

dogˈ-eared adjective

1. (of pages of a book) turned down like the ears of a dog
2. Hence, shabby and scruffy

dog eat dog noun

A ruthless pursuit of one's own interests, savage self-concern

dogˈ-eat-dogˈ adjective

dogˈ-end noun (slang)

A cigarette end

dogˈ-faced adjective

dogˈ-fancier noun

A breeder or seller of dogs

dog fennel see dog's-fennel below.

dogˈfight noun

1. A fight between dogs
2. Any confused fight or mêlée
3. A fight between fighter aircraft, esp at close quarters

dogˈfighting noun

dogˈfish noun

A small shark of various kinds

dogˈfox noun

A male fox

dogˈ-grass or dogˈ-wheat noun

Couch grass or a related species

dogˈgy-bag noun

A bag used by diners to carry home leftover food from a restaurant (supposedly for their pets)

dogˈgy-paddle or dogˈ-paddle noun

A simple swimming stroke with alternate arm movements, similar to the swimming action of a dog (also intransitive verb)

dog handler noun

A policeman, etc in charge of a specially trained dog

dogˈ-head noun

The hammer of a gunlock

dogˈ-hip or dogˈ-hep noun (dialect)

The hip or fruit of the dog rose

dogˈhole noun

1. A hole fit only for a dog
2. A wretched dwelling

dogˈhouse noun

1. A dog-kennel (esp US)
2. A state of disgrace (figurative)

dogˈ-kennel noun

dog Latin noun

Spurious or sham Latin

dogˈ-leech noun (obsolete)

A person who treated diseases of dogs

dogˈleg noun

1. A sharp bend, like that in a dog's hindleg
2. Something bent in that way, eg a golf hole with a bent fairway

adjective

1. (also dogˈlegged) bent like a dog's hind leg
2. (of stairs) having successive flights running opposite ways without a well hole
3. (of a fence) made of poles laid on cross-shaped supports

intransitive verb

To become, or be bent like a dog's leg

transitive verb

To make such a bend in

dog letter noun

The letter r (from its growling sound)

dog-paddle see doggy-paddle above.

dogˈ-parsˈley noun

Fool's parsley

dogˈ-perˈiwinkle noun

A species of Nucella (also dogˈ-winkle)

dogˈpile noun (N Am inf)

A heap of bodies formed by people jumping on top of each other in an act of celebration

dog racing noun

Greyhound racing

dog rose noun

A species of wild rose (Rosa canina)

dog's age noun (informal)

A long time

dogˈ-salmon noun

Keta and humpback, Pacific species of salmon

dog'sˈ-body noun (orig naut sl)

1. Pease pudding
2. A dish of biscuit, water and sugar
3. A junior naval (or other) officer
4. (usu dogsˈbody) a general drudge
5. Someone who does menial, monotonous work for others

dog's breakfast or dog's dinner noun (informal)

Anything very untidy or badly done

dog's chance noun

1. A bare chance
2. No chance

dog's disease noun (Aust informal)

Any minor ailment, eg influenza

dog'sˈ-ear noun

A fold at the corner of a page in a book

transitive verb

To fold at the corner

dog'sˈ-fennˈel noun

Mayweed

dogˈshores plural noun

Pieces of timber used to shore up a vessel before launching

dogˈ-sickˈ adjective

Thoroughly sick, sick as a dog

dogˈskin noun

Leather made of or in imitation of dog's skin (also adjective)

dogˈsled (esp N American) or dog sledge noun

A sledge pulled by a team of dogs

dogˈsleep noun

A light sleep, very easily broken

dog sleigh noun

A dogsled

dog's life noun

A wretched, miserable life

dog'sˈ-meat noun

Scraps and refuse sold as food for dogs

dog'sˈ-merˈcury noun

A euphorbiaceous European plant (Mercurialis perennis)

dog'sˈ-nose noun

Gin and beer, or similar mixture

dogˈ-soldier noun (milit sl)

A soldier who acts as a last line of defence (orig a Native American who staked himself to the ground to signal his unwillingness to retreat)

dog'sˈ-tail grass noun

A common British pasture grass (genus Cynosurus)

Dogˈstar noun

Sirius, in the constellation of the Great Dog, the brightest star in the heavens, giving name to the dog days

dog'sˈ-tongue noun

Hound's-tongue, a plant of the borage family

dog'sˈ-tooth noun

A broken-check pattern used extensively in the weaving of tweeds

dog's-tooth grass noun

A seaside sand-binding grass (genus Cynodon)

dog's-tooth violet see dogtooth violet below.

dog tag noun

A metal identity disc for a dog or (informal) for a soldier

dogˈ-tick noun

dogˈ-tiredˈ or (Shakespeare) dogˈ-weaˈry adjective

Completely worn-out

dogˈtooth noun

1. A moulding in later Norman architecture, consisting of a series of ornamental square pyramids
2. A canine tooth

dogˈtooth-sparˈ noun

Calcite crystals like canine teeth

dogtooth violet or dog's-tooth violet noun

Any plant of the genus Erythronium

dogˈtown noun

A prairie dog community

dogˈ-trick noun

A low trick

dogˈtrot noun

1. A gentle trot like a dog's
2. A jogtrot

dogˈvane noun (nautical)

A small vane to show direction of wind

dog violet noun

A scentless wild violet, esp Viola canina

dogˈwatch noun (nautical)

On shipboard, a watch 4–6pm or 6–8pm, consisting of two hours only, instead of four

dog-weary see dog-tired above.

dog-wheat see dog-grass above.

dogˈ-whelkˈ noun

A gastropod of the genus Nassarius, like a small whelk

dog whistle noun

1. A high-frequency whistle, inaudible to the human ear, used in dog training
2. (esp in political speeches) a message whose significance is understood by only a few people

dog-winkle see dog-periwinkle above.

dogˈwood noun

1. The wild cornel (Cornus (or Swida) sanguinea), a small tree with white flowers and purple berries, the shoots and leaves turning red in autumn
2. Extended to many other shrubs and trees

dog in the manger

A person who has no use for something but will not let others enjoy it

dogs of war (figurative)

Troops, aggressors, mercenaries, warlike people (from Shakespeare, Julius Caesar III.1.274)

go to the dogs

1. To deteriorate markedly
2. To be ruined

hot dog

A roll containing a hot sausage

like a dog's dinner (informal)

Very smart, dressed up flamboyantly, overdressed

not to lead the life of a dog

To lead a life so wretched that even a dog would not be content with it

put on the dog (US)

To put on airs, behave showily

the dog's bollocks (vulgar sl)

Someone or something particularly excellent

throw, give or send to the dogs

To throw away or abandon