dog

Everyday

1. A dog is an animal kept as a pet or for work that barks and wags its tail. A dog has 4 legs. tree →
2. Wild dogs include wolves, foxes and dingoes. tree →
3. To dog someone is to follow them closely, or to keep troubling them: «dogged by bad luck». tree →
4. (casual) Slang words for a dog: «doggo», «pupper», «pooch», «mutt» (a dog of mixed kind); «dawg» (US slang) means a friend. tree →
5. (casual) «Dog-tired» means very tired; «it's a dog's life» means a hard life; «the dog's dinner» (UK) means a mess. tree →
6. (rude) Calling a person a «dog» is a nasty insult; «dog» can mean something bad: «this phone's a dog». tree →
7. (euphemism) «We had to put the dog down» or «the dog went to sleep» means it was killed kindly because it was very old or ill. tree →
8. (formal) Exams and science say «canine», «domestic dog», «Canis familiaris» and «the quadruped». tree →

In the lessons

maths: animals counted, with legs (4 each), food, walks and costs (food = dogs × rate × days); science: mammals, puppies, a dog's strong sense of smell; everyday life: walking and feeding the dog, guide dogs, sheepdogs; safety: ask the owner before you pet a dog; stories: loyal dogs; in casual talk «doggo», «pooch», «can i pet him??», «dog-tired»; in rough talk «keep your mutt off my lawn», «that phone's a dog»; euphemism «put down»; in the exam voice «each canine consumes», «the aggregate number of limbs»

Examples

• Sam has 3 dogs. tree →
• Each dog eats 2 cups of food a day. tree →
• How many legs do 4 dogs have? tree →
• She walks the dog for 30 minutes. tree →
• The dog wagged its tail. tree →
• Always ask before you pet a dog. tree →
• A guide dog helps a blind person. tree →
• The puppy will grow into a big dog. tree →
• can i pet him?? he's growling (No, leave him and walk away slowly.) tree →
• Keep your mutt off my lawn, it's dug 3 holes! tree →
• Our old dog was very ill, so the vet put him down. tree →
• Each canine consumes 2 cups of food per day. Compute the aggregate consumption of 3 canines over a period of 5 days. tree →
• Did he indeed? a greedy dog. tree →

Note

Thing counted, often with a rate per dog. Trap: legs: 4 per dog. «canine» in an exam means dog. A baby dog is a puppy. «put down» said about a pet means it was killed kindly by a vet. Safety: never pet a growling dog or a dog you do not know; walk away slowly, do not run.

In Jewish tradition

In the Torah it is an unclean animal, and meat torn by wild beasts is thrown to dogs. The "price of a dog" cannot be brought into the Temple. In the Psalms a dog stands for cruel enemies who howl and prowl about at evening.

Interpretation. Tradition reads the dog that does not bark at Israel in Egypt as a sign of God's care on the night of the exodus. The psalmist's prayer to be saved "from the power of the dog" is read as a cry to God for rescue from fierce enemies.

Examples

• And ye shall be holy men unto Me; therefore ye shall not eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field; ye shall cast it to the dogs. (Torah EXO.22.31, JPS 1917) tree →
• But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog whet his tongue, against man or beast; that ye may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. (Torah EXO.11.7, JPS 1917) tree →
• Thou shalt not bring the hire of a harlot, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow; for even both these are an abomination unto the LORD thy God. (Torah DEU.23.18, JPS 1917) tree →
• Deliver my soul from the sword; mine only one from the power of the dog. (Writings PSA.22.21, JPS 1917) tree →
• They return at evening, they howl like a dog, and go round about the city. (Writings PSA.59.7, JPS 1917) tree →
• And they return at evening, they howl like a dog, and go round about the city; (Writings PSA.59.15, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Thing counted, often with a rate per dog. Trap: legs: 4 per dog. «canine» in an exam means dog. A baby dog is a puppy. «put down» said about a pet means it was killed kindly by a vet. Safety: never pet a growling dog or a dog you do not know; walk away slowly, do not run.