dog in the manger
Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word dog in the manger. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word dog in the manger, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say dog in the manger in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word dog in the manger you have here. The definition of the word dog in the manger will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofdog in the manger, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From a Greek fable about a dog preventing other animals from eating the hay in a manger, even though as a carnivore it could not eat the hay itself. Although the story was ascribed to Aesop's Fables in the 15th century, no ancient source does so. The phrase first appears in the writings of Diogenianus.
Pronunciation
Audio (AU) (file)
Noun
dog in the manger (plural dogs in the manger or dogs in mangers)
- (idiomatic) Someone who denies to others something that he or she cannot use.
- 1930, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, “Notes on the Way to Dandi”, in Non-Violent Resistance, page 246:
- No adjective is strong enough for characterizing this wicked dog-in-the-manger policy. From various sources I hear tales of such wanton destruction of nations' property in all parts of India.
Derived terms
Translations
one who denies to others something that he or she cannot use
|