Dandie Dinmont terrier
- noun
- /ˈdændi ˈdɪnmɒnt ˈtɛrɪər/
- The Dandie Dinmont terrier is known for its friendly personality and unique topknot of hair.
Examples
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At the dog show, the Dandie Dinmont terrier caught everyone's attention with its distinctive look.
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The Dandie Dinmont terrier is known for its unique appearance.
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She adopted a Dandie Dinmont terrier from the animal shelter last year.
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My friend has a Dandie Dinmont terrier named Charlie.
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I took my Dandie Dinmont terrier for a walk in the park, and everyone admired its fluffy coat.
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The Dandie Dinmont terrier is known for its playful personality and affectionate nature.
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My neighbor has a Dandie Dinmont terrier, which often greets us with a wagging tail and happy barks.
Synonyms
A small dog with a long rough coat and hanging ears that is gentle and affectionate
Surface Forms
Morphology
Dandie + Dinmont + terrier
The noun 'terrier' clearly signals a type of dog, so learners who know that word will understand the general class (a dog/breed). However, 'Dandie Dinmont' is an opaque proper-name modifier with no lexical meaning that would allow a learner to infer the specific breed identity or its distinctive features. Because part of the meaning (the class) is transparent but the specific referent is not, this is best classified as semi-transparent.
Etymology
Dandie Dinmont terrier may come from a character called Dandie Dinmont in an old novel by Sir Walter Scott. In the story he kept small terriers with a special top of hair, so people began to call that kind of dog a 'Dandie Dinmont terrier', and that's why the name now means this small breed of dog.