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3 Commonly Used British Phrases Involving Dogs - Final Part!

Sep 11, 2017

Ok everyone, so here it is! 

For those of you who have been following along, this is the final part in my series of commonly used British phrases involving dogs. If you haven't been checking out the previous columns, please take a look:

https://cafetalk.com/column/read/?id=68973&lang=en

https://cafetalk.com/column/read/?id=69308&lang=en 

1. 'It's a dog-eat-dog world' - This expression is used to refer to a world in which anybody will use any means to succeed more than someone else. This is commonly used with regards to ruthless business tactics.

Example:

"I can't believe my colleague is trying to take my job. I will be out of work if he gets it..."

"That kind of behaviour doesn't surprise me at all Michael. It's such a dog-eat-dog world today."

2. 'Hair of the dog' - This is any kind of alcoholic drink which you have the morning after a long night of drinking in order to stop you feeling so ill.

Example:

"John we drank so much beer last night. I feel terrible this morning."

"A little hair of the dog will fix that, Steven!'

3. 'Dog's bollocks' - As we are finishing the 3-part series, I thought I would give you a very commonly used, although slightly rude (!) phrase. If something is 'the dog's bollocks' it means that is very good, and that you really think highly of it. The reason this phrase could be considered rude is that 'bollocks' is also a slang term in the UK meaning 'testicles'! 

Example:

"What do you think of your new car Paul?"

"It's the dog's bollocks!"

So there you have it! That concludes my three part series on commonly used phrases in the UK involving dogs! I hope you thought it was the dog's bollocks! :-) 

Have a lovely day everyone, and remember - every dog has it's day!

Please keep checking back for further columns, as I will be running similar themed columns in the future. You can also check out my girlfriend's upcoming columns on cat-related phrases. Ashley (アシュリー) is also a professional English teacher, and we are currently working and travelling around Japan together on Working Holiday Visas: https://cafetalk.com/tutors/profile/?id=54542&lang=en  


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The opinions expressed in this column are the author's own and do not reflect the view of Cafetalk.

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