Join In
Twitter
YouTube
Weekly Newsletter
Libraries
A-Z Grammatical Terms
A-Z Confused Words
A-Z Awkward Plurals
Punctuation Lessons
Common Mistakes
(ordered by seriousness) ESL Vocabulary Lists Parts of Speech Lists A-Z Idioms and Proverbs Tests and Games Top Tip Install a grammar checker
for your browser
(ordered by seriousness) ESL Vocabulary Lists Parts of Speech Lists A-Z Idioms and Proverbs Tests and Games Top Tip Install a grammar checker
for your browser
Sick as a Dog (Origin)
What Is the Origin of the Saying "Sick as a Dog"?
The term "sick as a dog" means to feel ill to the point of vomiting.
Examples of Use:
- You look assick as a dog. Do you want to lie down?
- I threw up after the meal. Those mussels made me as sick a dog.
- I've had too much wine. I'm going to feel as sick as a dog tomorrow.
- I am "in the dog house." (in trouble)
- That is "a dog's breakfast." (a total mess)
The term is marginally more common than as sick as a parrot, which has several competing theories as to its origin.
Previous and Next Sayings
Test Your Knowledge of English Proverbs and Idioms
Ready for the Test?
More Proverbs, Sayings, and Idioms
Help Us Improve Grammar Monster
- Do you disagree with something on this page?
- Did you spot a typo?
Find Us Quicker!
- When using a search engine (e.g., Google, Bing), you will find Grammar Monster quicker if you add #gm to your search term.
Next lesson >