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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."
May 30, 2020 · Addeddate 2020-05-30 14:03:01 Identifier the-oxford-dictionary-of-slang Identifier-ark ark:/13960/s21sm9k9xvm Ocr ABBYY FineReader 11.0 (Extended OCR)
This document defines 100 common British slang terms and their meanings, including informal words for parts of the body, intoxication, food, and insults. Many of the terms are crude or vulgar ways to refer to genitalia, sexual acts, or bodily functions. A few examples provided are "tosser" meaning idiot, "bloody" meaning damn, and "chuffed" meaning proud.
- 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 ...
Mar 29, 2024 · These students became associated with rebellion and playfulness. In modern usage, ‘wag’ has expanded beyond its initial connotations and can refer to various characteristics and behaviors. It can describe someone who is humorous, cheeky, or playful in nature. Additionally, ‘wag’ has also been used as an acronym for “Wives And ...
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What does the term 'Wag the Dog' mean?
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Where did the idiom wagging the dog come from?
Wag the dog is a political term for the act of creating a diversion from a damaging issue usually through military force. It stems from the generic use of the term to mean a small and seemingly unimportant entity (the tail) controls a bigger, more important one (the dog).
