coach dog
- noun
- /koʊtʃ dɔɡ/
- Archaic
:
perro dálmata
- The coach dog was originally bred to run alongside horse-drawn carriages.
Examples
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The distinctive spots make the coach dog easy to recognize at dog shows.
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Her family adopted a coach dog from the animal shelter last summer.
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The coach dog is a popular breed in movies.
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Many people love the coach dog for its unique appearance.
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Her family adopted a coach dog from the animal shelter last summer.
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The coach dog was originally bred to run alongside horse-drawn carriages.
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The distinctive spots make the coach dog easy to recognize at dog shows.
Synonyms
13
2.7
A large dog with a white coat and black or brown spots
A large white dog with black or brown spots that used to run beside carriages
Surface Forms
Morphology
coach + dog
A learner who knows 'coach' (a carriage or large bus) and 'dog' would likely infer 'coach dog' means a dog associated with or used around coaches, so there is a clear compositional link. However, the specific identification as the Dalmatian breed and its characteristic spotted coat is not fully predictable from the constituents, so the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Coach dog may come from a simple picture: long ago spotted dogs ran beside horse-drawn coaches to guard the horses and keep the road safe. So today 'coach dog' names the spotted breed we now call the Dalmatian.