gun dog
1
3.8
- noun
- /ɡʌn dɔɡ/
:
perro de caza
- I rang her bell, quivering with eagerness like a gun dog on point.
- gun dog training
- class of gun dogs
Examples
-
" Edmund's gun dogs are very well behaved.
Fiction book (1990) -
I had two veteran gun dogs, but also a green one to work, and at last the time was right for him to meet wild birds.
Fiction book (1994) -
Pointer's a gun dog.
-
They're gun dogs.
-
I've always thought that biddable gun dogs and working collies had some relationship, and for this, I've been laughed at.
Blog text (27) -
They were Edmund's gun dogs, patiently trained, intelligent, and obedient.
Fiction book (1990) -
A well-trained gun dog can retrieve ducks from the water during a hunting trip.
-
During the hunt, the gun dog flushed out a group of pheasants from the bushes.
-
Having a reliable gun dog makes the hunting experience more enjoyable and productive.
Synonyms
8
2.3
A dog trained to find and catch animals or birds
1
7.2
A dog that finds and brings back birds for hunters
1
3.4
A dog bred and trained to help hunters find and retrieve game birds
How Trained
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a dog used to assist hunters when hunting with guns' is directly derivable from combining 'gun' (firearm) with 'dog' in a common noun-noun compounding pattern where the first noun specifies purpose or association. A B1 learner who knows both words would likely infer it refers to a dog related to guns/hunting, and similar compounds exist cross-linguistically, so the expression is compositional and immediately comprehensible.
Etymology
Gun dog comes from the simple image of a dog working with a hunter's gun: the dog runs into the grass to flush birds or brings back birds shot by the gun. So, the phrase means 'a dog trained to help hunters'.