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wag the dog. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
wag the dog, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
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English
Etymology
From tail wagging the dog. The shortened form with the political sense was popularized by the film Wag the Dog (1997).
Pronunciation
Verb
wag the dog (third-person singular simple present wags the dog, present participle wagging the dog, simple past and past participle wagged the dog)
- (idiomatic, politics) To divert negative political attention by use of a military operation.