Q From Ken Blose (Dennis Montgomery posed a related question): While serving as a tour guide at a museum, an English lady told me that, in the days of castles, the very finest shoes were made of dog skin. So if you were invited to the castle for a party or event, you would dress in your finest, and for shoes, you would put on the dog, meaning shoes made of dog skin! A Inventive, these English. Firstly, to put on the dog (or to put on dog, in the form I learnt it) is first recorded only in 1871, in a book by L H Bagg called Four Years at Yale: “Dog, style, splurge. To put on dog, is to make a flashy display, to cut a swell”, and is certainly a US expression. So there’s really no chance at all of an English medieval origin. It has been suggested that it developed out of the rise in popularity of ladies’ lap dogs in the period after the American Civil War. Such animals were presumably pampered and beribboned, and this might have suggested that to put on the dog was to show off. This has the ring of a story made up after the event, but it’s the only explanation I’ve come across.
Support this website! Donate via PayPal. Select your currency from the list and click Donate. Last modified: 13 March 1999. Put on (the) dog is an expression that means ‘to make a display of wealth or importance, especially by dressing stylishly and flashily’. It’s similar in meaning to the later expression put on the ritz. "In preperation for the large party, Bill really 'put on the dog'. by Jacob Schlegel July 6, 2007 Get the Putting on the Dog mug. Get the put a dog in it mug. Get the put the dogs away mug. Get the put it in her dog mug. Get the putting the dog in the bath mug. Define a Word
To make a show of wealth or elegance: “The annual ball gave everyone a chance to dress up and put on the dog.” QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE" "Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are." IS and ARE are both forms of which verb? TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT put one's shoulder to the wheel, Putonghua, put on hold, put on ice, put on one's thinking cap, put on the dog, put on the feed bag, put on the map, put on the spot, put on to, put on weight The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Also, put on the ritz. Behave in an elegant, extravagant manner, as in We'll have to put on the dog when our daughter's in-laws visit, or They really put on the ritz for the wedding reception. The allusion in the first of these slangy terms, first recorded in 1865, is unclear, although it has been suggested that the newly rich displayed their wealth by keeping pampered lapdogs. The second term, from the 1920s, alludes to the large, luxurious hotels founded by and named for César Ritz (1850–1918), which still exist in Paris, London, and many other major cities. The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. WORD OF THE DAY © 2022 Dictionary.com, LLC
Related to put on the dog: work like a dog
To behave extravagantly, lavishly, or self-importantly; to make an ostentatious production or appearance. My wife always feels like she has to put on the dog whenever my parents come to visit. During the economic boom, you had people from all walks of life putting on the dog. All that ended when the crash hit, though. Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved. to make things extra special or dress formally for a special event. Frank's really putting on the dog for the big party Friday night. They really put on the ritz for us. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Also, put on the ritz. Behave in an elegant, extravagant manner, as in We'll have to put on the dog when our daughter's in-laws visit, or They really put on the ritz for the wedding reception. The allusion in the first of these slangy terms, first recorded in 1865, is unclear, although it has been suggested that the newly rich displayed their wealth by keeping pampered lapdogs. The second term, from the 1920s, alludes to the large, luxurious hotels founded by and named for César Ritz (1850-1918), which still exist in Paris, London, and many other major cities. The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved. If someone puts on the dog, they act as though they are rich or important. We were all earning good money, buying expensive suits and putting on the dog. Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012 Dog was late 19th-century US slang for ‘style’ or a ‘flashy display’. 1962 Anthony Gilbert No Dust in the Attic Matron put on a lot of dog about the hospital's responsibility. Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017 tv. to make things extra special for a special event. Frank’s really putting on the dog for the big party Friday night. We’re going out tonight, and we’re really gonna put on the ritz. McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. To make an ostentatious display of elegance, wealth, or culture. American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved. To put on a showy display. The term originated in America around the time of the Civil War, but its ultimate origin has been lost. At least one writer believes it came from the custom of the newly wealthy to display their prosperity by keeping extravagantly pampered pets. In any event, Lyman H. Bagg catalogued it as college slang in his Four Years at Yale (ca. 1869), in which he wrote, “To put on the dog is to make a flashy display, to cut a swell.” The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content. Link to this page:
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What does putting on the dog mean
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