sick as a dog?

[hairyfairy]

Wev`e all heard the expression " sick as a dog", but I can`t help but wonder how it originated, because it seems to me that people are sick just as often as dogs, if not more often in some cases. Do any members know how this expression came about?

[5.0ben]

I don't know where it originated but I'm not a fan of it. I was just thinking about the same thing the other day after hearing someone say it.

[KaydeeJayde]

Dear Word Detective: I was recently sick as a dog, and in my fevered state I began to wonder why we use that phrase. I know that "dog" has long been used in the sense of "bad" ("dog days," "dog tired," etc.), but when did people start saying "sick as a dog" and just why is dog used in this negative sense? I thought dogs were man's best friend. I thought you might be able to shed (ha ha) some light on this issue. -- Lisa Krause, Huntington, MA.

Ha ha indeed. I take it you don't live in a house with two dogs, three cats and enough pet fur flotsam come spring to knit a whole new poodle. And I'll bet you never had to call a computer service to replace your CD-ROM drive because it was clogged with excess cat pelt. What genius designed computers to be big stationary vacuum cleaners, anyway? Something tells me Michael Dell owns goldfish.

Given their devotion to us, you're right, dogs have gotten a bad press. "Dogs of war," "going to the dogs," "hair of the dog that bit you," "dog in the manger" and the like are hardly compliments to our canine pals. ("Dog days," however, is not especially negative, as it referred originally to the ascendancy of Sirius, the "Dog Star," during the hottest days of summer.)

"Sick as a dog," which means "extremely sick" and dates back to at least the 17th century, is also not so much negative as it is simply descriptive. Anyone who knows dogs knows that while they can and often will eat absolutely anything, on those occasions when their diet disagrees with them the results can be quite dramatic. And while Americans may consider themselves "sick" when they have a bad cold, in Britain that would be called "feeling ill." "Being sick" in Britain usually means "to vomit."

So to really appreciate the original sense of "sick as a dog," imagine yourself seated in the parlor having tea with the Vicar on a lovely Sunday afternoon, when Fido staggers in from a meal of sun-dried woodchuck and expresses his unease all over your heirloom oriental carpet. It's actually rather amazing that goldfish aren't more popular.

This is from Word Detective I'm not overly fond of the phrase either :P

[gumdropper1]

Me, I prefer to be healthy as a horse. Horses rarely or never puke. If you look at my web site, the section about how long we've gone since vomiting is marked with a horse.

Doug

[turbokinetic]

.... staggers in from a meal of sun-dried woodchuck and expresses his unease all over your heirloom oriental carpet....

ROFLMAO That gave me a HUGE laugh. I really needed that today! Thanks!

David

[KaydeeJayde]

You're welcome, David! Glad you laughed :P

[runner1998]

Me, I prefer to be healthy as a horse. Horses rarely or never puke. If you look at my web site, the section about how long we've gone since vomiting is marked with a horse.

Doug

Horses have interesting anatomy. I shadowed an equine vet in high school and he said it is almost impossible for a horse to vomit because they have a very strong one-way valve between their esophagus and stomach. Unfortunately, their GI systems also make them prone to colic which can be fatal.

[freedomfighter]

i wish i was a horse ....one without colic