What does 'dog-sick' mean?
'Dog-sick' means as sick as a dog — violently ill. Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898), human-proofread transcription on English Wikisource records: “Sick as a dog. We also say "Sick as a cat." The Bible speaks of dogs "returning to their vomit again" (Prov. xxvi. 11; 2 Pet. ii. 22).”
Origin
- Verbatim from Brewer's (1898): Sick as a dog. We also say "Sick as a cat." The Bible speaks of dogs "returning to their vomit again" (Prov. xxvi. 11; 2 Pet. ii. 22).
How to use it
- Modern usage: 'Dog-sick' means as sick as a dog — violently ill.
- When quoting the origin, cite Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898) — this is a 19th-century record, not a modern etymology.
Source:
Last verified: 2026-07-18
- Definitions and origins are drawn from public-domain reference works, primarily Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898), with modern usage notes clearly marked.