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dog days
plural noun
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Idle hands may be the devil’s workshop, but let’s be serious: when it’s stiflingly hot outside, who among us isn’t tempted to shirk work to go lie doggo in the shade somewhere? Such is the desire of many a creature—not just dogs (or lexicographers)—during the dog days of summer. If you’re curious how dogs got singled out in this expression, however, you might say it was in the stars. The dog in dog days is the Dog Star, aka Sirius, the star that represents the hound of the hunter Orion in the eponymous constellation. The star has long been associated with sultry weather in the northern hemisphere because it rises simultaneously with the sun during the hottest days of summer.
Examples of dog days in a Sentence
Word History
from their being reckoned from the heliacal rising of the Dog Star (Sirius)
1538, in the meaning defined at sense 1
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“Dog days.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dog%20days. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
dog days
plural nountranslation of Latin dies caniculares, from canicula, literally, "little dog," from canis "dog"; so called from the fact that they begin at the time when the Dog Star rises with or near the sun — related to canine
More from Merriam-Webster on dog days
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for dog days
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dog days
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