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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."
Definition of wag the dog in the Idioms Dictionary. wag the dog phrase. What does wag the dog expression mean? Definitions by the largest Idiom Dictionary.
- Where Did The Expression Wag The Dog Come from?
- When Did Wag The Dog Become Political?
- How Do You Use Wag The Dog in A sentence?
Wag the dog comes from the longer expression the tail wagging the dog.The tail wagging the dog is an American idiom that dates back to at least the 1870s. Research by Gary Martin for the UK-based website Phrase Finder first finds the expression in an 1872 local newspaper, The Daily Republican: “Calling to mind Lord Dundreary’s conundrum, the Baltim...
Wag the dog went on to develop its own specialized political meaning. In 1997, a film called Wag the Dog came out, based on a 1993 novel of the same name by Larry Beinhart. The plot revolved around efforts to distract attention from a presidential scandal by fabricating a war. The story intruded into real politics not long after its release. In 199...
Wag the dog can be used as a verb or an adjective. A strategy can be referred to as “a real wag the dog tactic,” or you can say that “The prime minister is wagging the dogwith this accusation.” It can also be used as a hashtag to call attention to a person’s use of this strategy.
Mar 1, 2018 · Since then, wag the dog has come to be used on its own and as a term for a political diversion. Wag the dog can be used as a verb or an adjective. A strategy can be referred to as “a real wag the dog tactic,” or you can say that “The prime minister is wagging the dog with this accusation.” It can also be used as a hashtag to call ...
wag the dog (third-person singular simple present wags the dog, present participle wagging the dog, simple past and past participle wagged the dog) (idiomatic, politics) To divert negative political attention by use of a military operation. When something powerful or important is being controlled by something that is less powerful or important.
The idiom "wag the dog" is used to describe a situation where someone or something is causing chaos or stirring up trouble in order to divert attention away from a problem or issue. It suggests that the person or thing is trying to create a distraction by making a big fuss or causing a commotion, typically in order to hide something else that they don't want to be revealed.
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Oct 2, 2024 · Origin. There is a popular saying which goes “a dog is smarter than its tail, but if the tail were smarter, then the tail would wag the dog “. The phrase in discussion is the shorter version of the same. The phrase is also the tittle of a black comedy film from 1997. Share your opinions 3 Opinions.
