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  2. a small, furry animal with rounded ears, short legs, and no tail, often kept as a pet and for use in scientific experiments. fig. A guinea pig is also a person used in a test, esp. one to discover how effective a new drug or process is:

  3. What's the origin of the phrase 'Guinea-pig'? It isn’t at all clear why these cute family pets came to be given their name. They are cavies, not pigs, and they don’t originate from Guinea. Both ‘guinea’ and ‘pig’ seem to stem from simple, but mistaken, associations.

  4. Nov 8, 2010 · Guinea pigs are often used as a metaphor for any subject of scientific experimentation (e.g. "human guinea pigs"), and this idea persists even though guinea pigs are no longer commonly used as modern experimental animals, as rats and mice (which breed quicker) have replaced them.

  5. Guinea Pig — Meaning, Idiom & Expression Origin. Being called a guinea pig means youre a test subject, someone who’s diving headfirst into trying something new, whether by your own choice or by the force of others.

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  6. 1. a short-eared, tailless rodent of the genus Cavia, usually white, black, and tawny, commonly regarded as the domesticated form of one of the South American wild species of cavy: often used in scientific experiments or kept as a pet. 2. informal. the subject of any sort of experiment.

  7. GUINEA PIG definition: 1. a small animal with fur and no tail that people sometimes keep as a pet 2. someone who is used…. Learn more.

  8. What does the noun guinea pig mean? There are six meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun guinea pig. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence. guinea pig has developed meanings and uses in subjects including. animals (mid 1600s) nautical (mid 1700s) economics and commerce (1820s) Entry status.

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