fuck the dog

English

Etymology

1935, US; originally in sense “loaf, fritter” (compare fuck around).

Verb

fuck the dog (third-person singular simple present fucks the dog, present participle fucking the dog, simple past and past participle fucked the dog)

1. (vulgar, uncommon, especially Canada) To avoid work; to make it appear as if one is working.

   Synonyms: dog it, soldier

   • 2022 September 19, HarryBlank, “Beyond Repair”, in SCP Foundation‎^[1], archived from the original on 15 September 2024:

     "Yeah." It was him, alright; if the world's weariest pair of workboots hadn't tipped her off, his world-weary voice certainly would have. "Where were you?"
     "My quarters. We've got a full ticket set today, and techs work best without oversight." Neither of these things was untrue, though the curation was more than a little dishonest.
     "Maybe yours do." Nascimbeni rolled out, back flat against a neon orange creeper, and sat up with an audible wince. "Mine fuck the dog."

2. (vulgar, uncommon) To make a horrible or catastrophic mistake; to screw the pooch.

Derived terms

• screw the pooch
• dogfucker