Ever wonder what your favorite dog-related expressions really mean? Or where they come from? Here’s a list of the most commonly used dog idioms, their meanings, and possible origins.
Bark up the wrong tree
Pursue an erroneous course of action.
Origin: In the 19th century when hunting raccoons, one had to go out at night (and typically brought a dog to help). The pursued raccoon would likely flee up a tree and the dog was called to wait at the base and bark until the hunter arrived. If the dog had the wrong tree, the hunter was unlikely to get his prey. Davy Crockett used the expression in his 1833 text, “Sketches and Eccentricities.”
A barking dog never bites
Someone who makes threats all the time seldom carries out the threats.
Origin: The proverb is recorded from the 16th century in English, but the idea is found in Latin in the works of the Roman historian Quintus Curtius.
Better be the head of a dog than the tail of a lion.
It is better to be the leader of a less prestigious group than to be a subordinate in a more prestigious one.
