1.

a dog and pony show (American)

a show or other event that has been organized in order to get people's support or to persuade them to buy
something The film is part of the dog and pony show the company puts on for the benefit of foreign
journalists.
2. a dog in the manger
someone who keeps something that they do not really want in order to prevent anyone else from having
it Stop being such a dog in the manger and let your sister ride your bike if you're not using it.
3. a dog's breakfast/dinner (British & Australian informal)
something that has been done very badly She tried to cut her hair and made a real dog's breakfast of
it. You should have seen the ceiling after he'd finished painting it. It was a complete dog's breakfast.
4. a shaggy dog story
a joke which is a long story with a silly end My grandad insists on telling these shaggy dog stories, which
nobody finds funny except him.
5. as sick as a dog
very ill She was as sick as a dog after eating the stew.
6. barking dog never bites
Prov. Someone who makes threats all the time seldom carries out the threats. Old Mrs. Smith keeps
saying she'll call the police if we walk on her lawn, but don't worry. A barking dog never bites. My boss
threatens to fire me at least once a week, but a barking dog never bites.
7. be like a dog with a bone (british)
to refuse to stop thinking about or talking about a subject On the subject of fathers' rights, he's like a dog
with a bone.
8. be like a dog with two tails
to be very happy Ben's team won the match. Their manager was like a dog with two tails.
9. call off the dogs
to stop attacking or criticizing someone The bank has agreed to call off the dogs until we can get the
business up and running again.
10. dirty dog
a low and sneaky person. That dirty dog tried to cheat in the card game!
11. (The) dog ate my homework
A poor excuse for something that someone has failed to do on time. (From an excuse a student might give
for failing to turn in homework on time. Occurs in many variations.) The dog ate my homework, so I have
nothing to turn in. (Used as an attributive.) Bob was late with his report and had nothing but his typical
dog-ate-my-homework excuses.
12. dog-tired (informal)
extremely tired He usually got home at around seven o'clock, dog-tired after a long day in the office.
13. done up/dressed up like a dog's dinner (British & Australian)
wearing clothes which make you look silly when you have tried to dress for a formal occasion There she
was, all dressed up like a dog's dinner, in a ridiculous frilly shirt and a skirt that was far too short.
14. fight like cat and dog (British & Australian) also fight like cats and dogs (British & American)
to argue violently all the time We get on very well as adults but as kids we fought like cat and dog.
15. Give a dog a bad name. (old-fashioned)
used to say that when someone has been accused of behaving badly in the past, people often expect them
to behave like that in the future People were quick to blame local youths for the fire. Give a dog a bad
name.
16. go to see a man about a dog (humorous)
if you tell someone you are going to see a man about a dog, it is a way of saying that you do not want to
tell them where you are really going, especially when you are going to the toilet I won't be long. I'm just
going to see a man about a dog.
17. go to the dogs
if a country or an organization is going to the dogs, it is becoming less successful than it was in the past
(usually in continuous tenses)They sat in the bar the night before the election, moaning that the country
was going to the dogs.
18. not have a dog's chance (informal)
to not have any chance of doing something that you want to do (usually + of + doing sth) He hasn't a
dog's chance of getting that job.
19. hot dog (American informal)
to perform actions in a sport so that people notice you because of your skill or speed (always
+ adv/prep ) They spent the day hot dogging down the slopes at Aspen. (American informal)
20. It's a dog's life.
something that you say which means that life is hard and unpleasant I've got to go to the supermarket,
then cook a meal, then pick Dave up from the station - it's a dog's life!
21. like a blind dog in a meat market
Rur. out of control. The drunk staggered out of the saloon like a blind dog in a meat market, stumbling all
over the sidewalk. The kids tore through the museum like a blind dog in a meat market, touching
everything they weren't supposed to touch.
22. lucky dog
Fig. a lucky person. You won the lottery? You are a lucky dog!
23. meaner than a junkyard dog (with fourteen sucking pups)
Rur. cruel; eager to fight. Don't mess with her. She's meaner than a junkyard dog with fourteen sucking
pups. They say Jim's meaner than a junkyard dog, but really, he's a sweetheart.
24. the dog days
the hottest days of the summer
Usage notes: Some people believe there is a star called the dog star which can only be seen during a hot
period in the summer.
(usually + of ) At times, during the dog days of summer, the stream dries up completely.
25. the hair of the dog (that bit you)
an alcoholic drink that you drink to cure the pain in your head that was caused by drinking too much
alcohol the night before
Usage notes: In the past people believed that if you were bitten by a crazy dog, the injury could be made
better by putting hairs from the dog's tail on it.
It was early in the morning and Catherine reached for her glass. 'Hair of the dog?' asked Lee with a
smile.
26. the top dog (informal)
the most important and powerful person in a group Jackson was top dog and he made sure he got what he
wanted.
27. There's life in the old dog yet. (humorous)
something that you say which means that although someone is old, they still have enough energy to do
things I may be 90 but there's life in the old dog yet.
28. throw someone to the dogs
Fig. to abandon someone to enemies or evil. He served the evil empire well, but in the end, they threw
him to the dogs.
29. work like a dog/trojan
to work very hard He worked like a dog all day to finish the wallpapering.
30. You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
something that you say which means it is difficult to make someone change the way they do something
when they have been doing it the same way for a long time You're never going to teach your father at the
age of 79 to use a computer. You can't teach an old dog new tricks, you know.
31. as clean as a hound's tooth - very clean
The classroom was as clean as a hound's tooth when the students finished cleaning it.
32. as crooked as a dog's hind leg - dishonest
The politician is as crooked as a dog's hind leg and nobody likes him.
33. bark up the wrong tree - to choose the wrong course of action, to ask the wrong person (a
hunting dog may make a mistake when chasing an animal and bark up the wrong tree)
My boss is barking up the wrong tree. I did not cause the computer problem.
34. better to be a live dog than a dead lion - it is better to be a live coward than a dead
hero (this is from Ecclesiastes in the Bible)
It is better to be a live dog than a dead lion so I walked away and did not try and fight with the man.
35. better to be the head of a dog than the tail of a lion - it is better to be the leader
of a small group than a follower of a bigger one
The young athlete always played for his hometown team rather than moving to a larger city with a bigger
team. He thought that it was better to be the head of a dog than the tail of a lion.
36. dog-eat-dog - ready or willing to fight and hurt others to get what one wants
It is a dog-eat-dog world in our company.
 37. in the doghouse - in disgrace or disfavor, in trouble
The man is in the doghouse with his wife because he came home late last night.
38. one's tail between one`s legs - feeling beaten or humiliated (like a frightened or
defeated dog as it walks away)
The manager left the meeting with his tail between his legs after he was criticized by the company
president.