The Amazing Adventures of Archibald Esq.

Dog Sayings: The Hair of the Dog

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The common saying, ‘the hair of the dog’ is ancient. Records of the phrase go back to the time of William Shakespeare.

Brewer wrote in his Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898): “In Scotland it is a popular belief that a few hairs of the dog that bit you applied to the wound will prevent evil consequences. Applied to drinks, it means, if overnight you have indulged too freely, take a glass of the same wine next morning to soothe the nerves.”

According to the entry in Wickipedia, Brewer also cites two apocryphal poems containing the phrase, one of which is attributed to Aristophanes.

The phrase is also used in a more general context to mean “a little dose of something which caused your problems in the first place,” can be used to cure the problem.

The phrase ‘hair of the dog’ also exists in Hungarian, where the literal translation to English is “(You may cure) the dog’s bite with its fur”. Among the Irish and Mexicans, the phrase ‘The Cure’ is used instead of ‘hair of the dog’.

Needless to say, us dogs don’t usually like to drink alcohol, and it is generally not recommended to try to cure a hangover by drinking more.

Awoof!

Archie

Posted 06 Jul 07