sea dog
3
6.9
- noun
- /si dɔg/
- Informal
:
marinero veterano
- Austin regretted that he ever had any doubts about the doughty old sea dog.
- an old sea dog
- a salty sea dog
Looks like a bodybuilder crossed with a salty old sea dog, but is always laughing.
- Looks like a bodybuilder crossed with a salty old sea dog, but is always laughing.
- So I got the call to, to testify because I'm like the old, you know, sea dog and they're bringing me in or something.
Examples
-
He's kind of a local character, you know, big talker, lot of tall tales... ...a lovable, old sea dog.
-
Every sea dog in the tavern had a tale about their adventures on the high seas.
-
See you, old sea dog.
-
Yep, those salty sea dogs were as close to me as you are now.
-
These old sea dogs tell yarns to kid each other... and end up believing it all themselves.
-
It can even happen to an old hardened sea dog like me.
-
What on earth do you suppose induced that old sea dog Archibald Fritton to hide his treasure here?
-
The captain, a seasoned sea dog, navigated through the storm with great skill.
-
After decades at sea, he was recognized as a true sea dog among his peers.
Synonyms
How Experienced
- Informal
1
8.0
- Informal
3
6.9
34
4.0
78
2.3
- Informal
4
8.3
46
3.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
sea + dog
The components 'sea' (maritime) + 'dog' (animal/colloquial person) give a partial clue that the phrase refers to someone associated with the sea, but 'dog' does not inherently indicate experience or sailing expertise, so the precise sense 'experienced sailor' is not fully predictable. The meaning is a conventionalized metaphor (cf. 'old salt', 'lobo de mar') that many learners might guess partially but would generally need exposure to fully understand.
Etymology
Sea dog began as a nickname for old, tough sailors. People compared these men to dogs of the sea because they were loyal and rough after many years on ships, so the phrase now means 'an experienced sailor'.