Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
tail wagging the dog. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
tail wagging the dog, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
tail wagging the dog in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
tail wagging the dog you have here. The definition of the word
tail wagging the dog will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
tail wagging the dog, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Pronunciation
Noun
tail wagging the dog
- (idiomatic) A minor or secondary part of something controlling or dominating the whole or the main part.
1987 May 9, Gordon Gottlieb, Richard Burns, Sue Hyde, “Homocrats and Liberationists: Burns and Hyde Consider the Community's Institutions”, in Gay Community News, page 8:This is classic for all non-profit agencies: the tail wags the dog. If you have a foundation willing to fund a particular kind of program, then an organization will write that kind of grant. Suddenly, you're doing a program to where the bucks are. Maybe that's not within the original mission of the mission.
Derived terms
Translations
See also