What is a 'dog-vane'?
A 'dog-vane' is a nautical term familiarly applied to a cockade. Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898), human-proofread transcription on English Wikisource records: “( A ). A cockade. "Dog-vane is a term familiarly applied to a cockade."— Smyth: Sailors' Word-book.”
Origin
- Verbatim from Brewer's (1898): ( A ). A cockade. "Dog-vane is a term familiarly applied to a cockade."— Smyth: Sailors' Word-book.
How to use it
- Modern usage: A 'dog-vane' is a nautical term familiarly applied to a cockade.
- 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.