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(ordered by seriousness) ESL Vocabulary Lists Parts of Speech Lists A-Z Idioms and Proverbs Tests and Games Top Tip Install a grammar checker
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Dog Days of Summer (Origin)
What Is the Origin of the Saying "Dog Days of Summer"?
The term "dog days of summer" means the hottest days of the summer season. In the Northern Hemisphere, they run from July to August.
Sirius is, in fact, the brightest star in the entire night sky, and the ancient Romans believed that it, as well as the Sun, radiated heat towards Earth. They believed that the heat of summer was caused by Sirius and the Sun rising and setting in unison, which occurs in the summer months. (Of course, the seasons are caused by the tilt of the Earth, not the alignment of the Sun with any stars, so the "dog days" of summer depend on your location.)
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