Meaning of Idiom ‘Dog Eat Dog’
A situation that is dog eat dog is one where people are in fierce and ruthless competition and willing to do anything to gain the advantage; anything goes.
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Usage
The idiom dog eat dog is used as an adjective to refer to business competition or politics:
Dog eat dog world (most common)
Dog eat dog business
Dog eat dog competition
Dog eat dog market
Examples Of Use
“It’s a dog eat dog world, but that doesn’t mean you have to play the game.”
“Do not think you have friends in politics. It’s dog eat dog.”
“The two companies found themselves the leaders in a dying market and are now locked in a dog eat dog contest to control the scraps.”
Origin
The modern idiom directly contradicts an old Latin saying, canis caninam non est, meaning “a dog does not eat the flesh of a dog.” This was first recorded in English in 1543. Thomas Fuller wrote in Gnomologia, in 1732, “Dogs are hard drove when they eat dogs.” The modern idiom, which is still very popular, was in use by the early 1800’s. 1Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.,2Ayto, John. Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms. Oxford: Oxford U, 2010.
More Idioms Starting with D
More Animal Idioms
- Frog in Your Throat, have a
- Bigger Fish to Fry (to have)
- Monkey Business
- Monkey On Your Back
- Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
- Sour Grapes
More Dog Idioms
More Eat/Eating Idioms
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Sources
| ↲1 | Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013. |
| ↲2 | Ayto, John. Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms. Oxford: Oxford U, 2010. |
