dog's life

English

Noun

dog's life (plural dogs' lives)

  1. (idiomatic) A miserable, wretched existence.
  2. (idiomatic) A life of indolence where the individual may do as he or she pleases, just like a pampered dog.

Usage notes

Originally the term referred to the hard life of the working dog: sleeping in a damp barn, chasing rats and other intruders, living on scraps, etc. Today, however, it has in some circles acquired the completely opposite connotation indicated in sense 2.

Translations

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Further reading

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