What does rawdog mean?
Rawdog is a slang term that means to endure a difficult, dull, or mundane activity without any diversions or other support while doing it. The word is particularly used in playful or irreverent reference to engaging in ordinary experiences (such as air travel, exercising, or chores) without simultaneously engaging in some form of entertainment (such as listening to music or watching videos).
The act or practice is called rawdogging. Rawdog can also be spelled raw dog or raw-dog.
Examples of rawdog
Forgot my headphones and had to rawdog my treadmill run / As if treadmill runs aren’t tedious enough!
—@eddiepdoherty.bsky.social, Bluesky, 24 Nov. 2024Do people go to the bar alone? I think I might rawdog the bar Saturday night and find people to cold approach for friendship
—@catholicclod.bsky.social, Bluesky, 14 Nov. 2024I forgot to bring my notes so now I have to rawdog this test
—@implateauing, X (formerly Twitter), 28 Oct. 2024After a two-week abstention from antihistamines (for me, a two-Benadryl-a-day kind of guy, rawdogging my everyday allergies and sinus sensitivities was torture), I went to the doctor …
—Samantha Irby, Quietly Hostile: Essays, 16 May 2023Staring down an empty bottle of ADHD meds, completely unprepared to rawdog life again
—@laurenfrotch, Threads, 7 May 2023
Where does rawdog come from?
Rawdog originated as vulgar slang meaning “to have sex without a condom.” This sense of the term has been in use since the early 2000s. In the 2010s, the word broadened its meaning to refer to performing other activities without preparation (such as taking an exam without studying) or doing something without a metaphorical layer of protection (such as going for a run without wearing headphones). In summer 2024, rawdog gained mainstream attention as part of a social media trend where young men, especially, boasted about ‘rawdogging’ airline flights without any entertainment, refreshments, or bathroom use in an apparent show of rugged resolve.
How is rawdog used?
In its extended sense, rawdog is widely used in a joking manner. However, the term is also still used in its original sexual sense and thus may be considered offensive or inappropriate in many contexts.