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      • the tail wagging the dog idiom informal used to describe a situation in which an important or powerful person, organization, etc., is being controlled by someone or something that is much less important or powerful
      www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the tail wagging the dog
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  2. 4 days ago · The meaning of THE TAIL WAGGING THE DOG is —used to describe a situation in which an important or powerful person, organization, etc., is being controlled by someone or something that is much less important or powerful.

  3. The tail wagging the dog is an idiom that usually refers to something important or powerful being controlled by something less so. Its earliest use is in the 1858 play Our American Cousin. The 1997 film Wag the Dog shortened the phrase and added the additional meaning of 'superfluous (military) action in order to distract from domestic scandal.'

    • Origin of Tail Wagging The Dog
    • Examples of Tail Wagging The Dog
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    This expression first appeared in the 1800s. Obviously, it comes from the idea that a dog wags its tail when it’s happy. Sometimes, a dog will be wagging its tail so much that it makes the dog’s entire body move, as if the tail is actually wagging the dog. It is unclear exactly where this phraseoriginated, but all of the earliest uses of it appear ...

    Here is an example that involves two college students discussing the first day of their new classes. Robin: How was your class today? Harry: Not great. I think I’m going to drop this class and take a different one. Robin: Why? What happened? Harry: The class was all about Chinese history and modern culture. I wanted to take it for easy credit, sinc...

    This excerpt is from an article about the behavior of student athletes. 1. We believe, looking at all of the factors including the students’ interest, the universities’ interest and not necessarily the coaches’ interest — this is not the tail wagging the dog — this is about getting it right, getting it right in a number of sets of circumstances. –U...

    The idiom tail wagging the dog is a way to describe a small component of a whole dominating the whole.

  4. What's the meaning of the phrase 'Tail wagging the dog – The'? An item of minor importance dominating a situation. What's the origin of the phrase 'Tail wagging the dog – The'?

  5. The phrase “tail wagging the dog” is a common idiom used to describe a situation where a small or unimportant part of something is controlling or dominating the larger whole. The origin of this phrase can be traced back to ancient times when dogs were domesticated and became loyal companions to humans.

  6. The tail wagging the dog is an idiom we use to allude to a situation where a minor or less significant part controls or influences the major or more important part. Simply put, the less significant details overshadow the main issue.

  7. When we hear someone say, “Don’t let the tail wag the dog,” what do they mean? This is an idiom that has been used for centuries to describe a situation where something insignificant or unimportant takes control of a larger situation.

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