We use these expressions all the time but do you know their origins? I certainly didn't know where they originated them, but looking on that wonderful invention - the Internet - gave me all the answers. The most commonly used phrases are:
It's raining cat's and dogs
The cat's pyjamas
A dog's dinner
Barking up the wrong tree
Dog days of summer
ITS RAINING CATS AND DOGS
A much more probable source of this expression, raining cats and dogs, is the prosaic fact that, in the filthy streets of 17th/18th century England, heavy rain would occasionally carry along dead animals and other debris. The animals didn't fall from the sky, but the sight of dead cats and dogs floating by in storms could well have been the reason for the coining of this colourful phrase. These days we use it to describe rain that is bucketing down from the sky.
THE CAT'S PYJAMAS OR THE DOG'S B*******
I've heard much ruder versions of this expression when using it in dog's terms. The cat's pyjamas gained popularity in the 1920s as one of those"nonsense phrases" used to describe something good. It was during this period that use of the term the bee's knees also came about. According to those in the know, nonsense phrases were an intentional combination of outlandish words and had very little of deeper significance.
Although the cat's meow became common-use around this time as well, just one man could be thanked for that. The American cartoonist Thomas Dorgan is regularly credited with popularising the phrase, but it is unclear whether he created it. Additional sources suggest that the cat's meow was derived either from the idea that cats meow when happy or that the subject in question was too cool for words, hence the need for a joyful meow.
A DOG'S DINNER
Idioms are particularly handy when describing a situation or individual, and animal-related ones are no exception. A dog's breakfast is a saying with British origins, often used to describe a total mess or horlicks of a situation. Believe it or not, this one is thought to originate from bad cooking. If a particular recipe was cooked so badly that no person would eat it, it would be given to the dog.
These culinary wrecks are thought to be the inspiration behind the apt description for anything that ended poorly or has been botched. Interestingly, for some unknown reason, a dog's dinner also came to mean one who is dressed in a flashy manner, hence "done up like a dog's dinner."
BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE
Have you ever tried to solve a problem only to find that you were approaching it in the wrong manner? People use this expression when you are not getting anywhere when trying to solve your dilemma or problem, or if you have misheard an instruction and done it wrong. It also applies when you have misunderstood something. This idiom harks back to the practise of hunting with dogs. The dogs were often used to flush out game from hiding spots or to track them so that their human companions could find their quarry. These trusty canines often chased animals such as raccoons into trees, where their owners could easily find them. If a dog followed the wrong scent, however, they might find themselves barking away at a tree that held nothing. This idiom first became popular around 1832, and was rumoured to be a favourite expression of Davy Crockett who was a well known hunting, fishing, shooting man.
THE DOG DAY'S OF SUMMER
The weather often invokes images of animals. The dog days of summer are the hottest days of the season. Its a time when you and your pet might want to do nothing more than to relax in a nice cool spot. The origins of the phrase, however, date back to the ancient Romans. It was the Romans who first noticed that the hottest days of the summer seemed to coincide with the appearance of Sirius, the so-called "dog star" and a part of the Canis Major ("big dog") constellation. At one point these days were referred to as "Canicular dayes." But even the coldest nights have interesting idioms and the history to go with them. One Australian idiom refers to the practise of sleeping alongside a dog for warmth during cold evenings. A particularly frosty night might require more than one companion, hence it is a three-dog night.
Every dog should have a man of his own.
There is nothing like a well-behaved person around the house to spread the dog's blanket for him, or bring him his supper when he comes home man-tired at night.
Corey Ford
Warning!
Your bog standard Snails may not seem like natural enemies to dogs, but these slow-moving gastropods are capable of spreading a disease that could be fatal to the family pet. Scientists from the University of Exeter in England attached LED lights to snails' shells and tracked them for what had, to be a thrilling 24-hour period,(only for the scientists), learning that snails can cover up to 82 feet per day. The fear is that they're mobile enough to come into contact with dogs, who can contract a deadly parasite called lung worm if they eat a crunchy snail or two. "They are not just greenery munchers who will devastate your beans, lettuces and seedlings, they are carriers of a parasite that can kill your dogs," study leader Dr. Dave Hodgson said. He suggested checking your backyard for snails before letting the dog race around in the grass. (Does he have any idea just how many of the damn things there are in our gardens? It would take years to clear them out.) Puppies, especially, love picking them up and having them as a fishy snack. Yuk!
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BLAME IT ON GUY RITCHIE.
If you couldn't get into a particular part of Regent's Park all day on friday, 6th September because of the coned off parking bays; masses of scurrying people, vans, cars and lorries driving everywhere from early morning until dusk, you can vent your anger at Guy Ritchie, the director, who is producing a re-make of the film "The Man from Uncle". The production crew of hundreds and a large cast of actors and actresses, took over the Rose Gardens and the surrounding areas for the filming. It was bedlam and there were a lot of irate tourists and dog walkers who were not allowed to enter that particular part of the park for most of the day, to walk their dogs or even to stand and gawp.
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Here's a nice little clip of a chihuahua doing the salsa. What fantastic hip movements. Go puppy go!
Snippet
We all walk around Regent's Park admiring and discussing some of the unusual and beautiful birds that we see. I recommend you log onto www.regentsparkbirds.co.uk/, the blog site written by wild birds expert, Tony Duckett. There isn't anything this man doesn't know about our feathered friends and his site is a mine of avian information.
That's it then, until the next blog. Brace yourselves for chilly mornings and take a moment to stand and marvel at those rows of trees changing colour in readiness for autumn.
Dawn
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