What is a 'dog watch' at sea?
A 'dog watch' is one of two short two-hour watches at sea (4–6 and 6–8 pm), introduced to dodge the routine so the same men wouldn't always keep the same watch — a corruption of 'dodge-watch'. Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898), human-proofread transcription on English Wikisource records: “A corruption of dodge-watch: two short watches, one from four to six, and the other from six to eight in the evening, introduced to dodge the routine, or prevent the same men always keeping watch at the same time. ( See Watch .)”
Origin
- Verbatim from Brewer's (1898): A corruption of dodge-watch: two short watches, one from four to six, and the other from six to eight in the evening, introduced to dodge the routine, or prevent the same men always keeping watch at the same time. ( See Watch .)
How to use it
- Modern usage: A 'dog watch' is one of two short two-hour watches at sea (4–6 and 6–8 pm), introduced to dodge the routine so the same men wouldn't always keep the same watch — a corruption of 'dodge-watch'.
- 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.