period of summer (between early July and early September): During the dog days , air-conditioners are running full-time. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase dog’s life— a wretched unpleasant existence: I never knew a sailor yet who wouldn’t tell you sailoring was a dog’s life . three dog nights —(sl.) very cold nights: We had a lot of three dog nights this winter before they got the heat going to the second floor. dog-house • dog’s home dog-house —1. a dog kennel: Heidi the rottweiler was in the doghouse yesterday after she stopped firemen reaching a kitchen blaze. 2. (sl.) bass viol: You will not find the language which was attached to jazz in the first spate of magazine arti- cles—no “dog-house ” for bass. 3. a small structure of a shape suggesting a kennel: Some detail can be added to the super- structure of the yachts, such as the coach roofs, doghouse and hatch covers. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase cat house—(sl.) a brothel; a house of prostitution: How many cat houses do you suppose there are in this town? dog’s home—(also: dogs home) an establishment where dogs are kept and looked after: Many dogs are now in the caring hands of staff at the Battersea Dogs Home , but they still have to find a permanent home. dog Latin • pig Latin dog Latin —bad or inferior Latin: They [speeches] are chiefly made up of extracts from the common school collection … sprinkled with scraps of dog Latin . pig Latin—a jargon formed by rearranging the syllables in a word: The great thing about speaking pig Latin is that it’s not simply a question of learning a new vocabulary. Note: Neither expression correlates in meaning with the phrase thieves’ Latin—(arch.) the cant of thieves: I … saw a light in- side, and heard two words of thieves’ Latin . dog man • hot dog man dog man —1. a man in charge of dogs: It is an error of mod- ern dog men to wean puppies too soon. 2. (also: dog person) a man who is characterized by a preference or liking for dogs: I do not particularly care for cats—more of a dog man . hot dog man—a man selling hot sausages (enclosed in a bread roll): The hot dog man parked his cart outside the school at lunch time. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the compound hotdogger—(sl.) a person who performs showy, often dangerous stunts in a sport: We noticed that almost every wave carried a hot-dogger performing tricks. dog salmon • dogfish dog salmon—a salmon of Western North America (On- corhynchus keta): The meat of the dog salmon is palatable when fresh or smoked. dogfish —1. various small sharks, chiefly of the family Squal- idae, of Atlantic and Pacific coastal waters: The spiny dogfish shark travels in packs. 2. a bony freshwater fish (Amia calva) of central and eastern North America: The fish known to be called a dogfish does not occur in these northern waters. dog show • dog’s show dog show—a display of dogs: There has been a mania for shows; we have had dog shows , donkey shows, and last, not least, horse shows. dog’s show—(coll., usually negat.) the poorest chance: Ana- lysts will discover whether or not this coup has even a dog’s show of succeeding. doggone • gone to the dogs doggone—(coll.) 1. extremely (used as an intensifier): You don’t expect these tools to be perfect … but the price is dog - gone good! 2. (in the phrase “I’ll be doggone”) used as an excla- mation of annoyance: I’ll be doggone if I am going to stand in the path of small businesses. gone to the dogs —(coll.) ruined or in very poor condition: If politicians are allowed to decide what is right, the future of science is gone to the dogs . dog’s body • dogsbody dog’s body—1. the complete material structure of a dog: A general knowledge of your dog’s body and how it functions will prove helpful in his daily care. 2. the physical remains of a dead dog: The dog’s body remained floating in the canal waters over the weekend. dogsbody —(coll.) a person who carries out menial tasks for others: I was a sort of general dogsbody to begin with — assis- tant stage-manager, and what have you. dog’s dinner • duck’s dinner dog’s dinner—(sl.) an untidy mess; a distasteful combination (also: dog’s breakfast): North End is a dog’s dinner of hovels, dives and drinking dens. duck’s dinner—(Austral. sl.) no dinner at all; a drink of water, with nothing to eat: “Make sure he has more than duck’s dinner , okay?” “What?” “He should eat.” dog’s ear • pig’s ear dog’s ear—a corner of a page turned down to serve as a book-mark: The book was well-thumbed, with dog’s ears and little slips of paper in it. pig’s ear—(coll., in the phrase “make a pig’s ear of something”) make a mess of smth.; do a task badly: “I’ve made a real pig’s ear of it, haven’t I?” said Basil, with an attempt at lightness. domestic animals • domesticated animals domestic animals—animals kept by or living with man on a farm, etc.: The origin of most of our domestic animals will probably for ever remain vague. domesticated animals—wild animals tamed to live with hu- mans: On this website you will learn how to take care of pets and domesticated animals . Dominica • Dominican Republic Dominica—a country on the island of Dominica of the east- ern Caribbean between Guadeloupe and Martinique: Do - minica has a two-party system, which means that there are two dominant political parties. Dominican Republic—a country of the West Indies on the eastern part of the island of Hispaniola: She worked for ten years in the Dominican Republic in judicial reform programs. done like a dog’s dinner • done up like a dog’s dinner done like a dog’s dinner—(sl.) completely and utterly de- feated (also: done like a dinner): Whatever possessed her to play tennis against Sue? She was done like a dog’s dinner . done up like a dog’s dinner—(sl.) dressed in an ostentatiously flashy manner (also: dressed up like a dog’s dinner): Ask her where she’s been all afternoon, done up like a dog’s dinner and missing for hours. don’t ask • don’t ask me don’t ask—is used to say that the answer is so depressing one wouldn’t even want to hear it: How did we do in the bridge tournament? Don’t ask ! don’t ask me—is used to tell a person that one does not know the answer: She has decided to dye her hair bright green, don’t ask me why. – 103 – don’t ask