dirty dog
2
8.0
- noun
- /ˈdɜrti dɔg/
- Offensive
:
sinvergüenza
- You tricked me again, you dirty dog!
And it wasn't just me and Steph, you dirty dog.
- And it wasn't just me and Steph, you dirty dog.
Examples
-
You did this, you dirty dog.
-
Okay, you dirty dog.
-
That dirty dog, to give you away like that.
-
That low-down dirty dog is trying to kick us off the mission!
-
You a dirty dog.
-
You dirty dog.
-
His look said: "Naturally, I'm sensitive to your beauty, but you see how it is; we've had to draw the line at the fact that your father is a dirty dog, and I can't withdraw from my present position."
Fiction book (1997) -
Come on, you dirty dog, admit you were wrong!
-
He always finds a way to get in trouble, that dirty dog.
Synonyms
∞
8.0
A very rude word for a person you strongly dislike or who treats others badly
848
8.7
A name for a person used in a friendly, joking, or insulting way
168
9.5
A person who treats other people very badly and unfairly
71
7.7
A person who is dishonest or breaks the law
58
9.9
A rude person who treats others badly
40
8.2
An unpleasant person who lies or treats others badly
24
7.2
A person who is cruel and strongly disliked
20
9.2
A person who is mean and cannot be trusted
20
9.9
A person you strongly dislike and think is bad
16
8.1
A person who behaves badly and cannot be trusted
13
9.9
A rude word for a person who is cruel or dishonest
11
7.5
A cruel person who treats others badly
10
7.2
A person who is mean or dishonest
9
8.9
A person who treats others very badly
9
8.4
A person who is annoying or rude
5
7.5
A dirty, untidy person or animal often used as a mild insult
4
8.1
A person or animal who behaves in a playful, naughty way
1
9.9
A rude word for a person people strongly dislike
1
9.9
A person who is very unpleasant and treats others badly
1
8.9
A very bad person who treats other people cruelly
1
9.9
Someone or something people treat as worthless and easily defeated
1
9.9
An insulting word for a person or thing that is very bad
1
9.0
An insulting name for a person thought to be very bad and not to be trusted
A person who is very unpleasant and treats others badly
An insulting word for a person who cheats or lies
A person who betrays others and cannot be trusted
An insulting name for a cruel or troublesome person
A person who is very rude and insults others cruelly
How Despicable
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning can largely be inferred from 'dirty' (morally unclean or dishonest) modifying 'dog' used as a colloquial insult, so a learner who knows both words can deduce it labels a despicable or mischievous person. However, the pragmatic nuance (playful teasing vs serious reproach) and the metaphorical insult value of 'dog' are culturally conditioned and not fully predictable, so it is not fully transparent.
Etymology
The expression dirty dog may come from a simple image: a scruffy, dirty dog looked like an animal people did not trust, so putting dirty with dog became a strong insult. That's why dirty dog is used to call someone 'bad' or 'sneaky'.