dog-eat-dog » doggy-dog

Chiefly in:   doggy-dog world

Variant(s):  doggie-dog

Classification: English – final d/t-deletion

Spotted in the wild:

  • Americans are always in a rush, always looking at the clock, never waiting patiently. It’s a doggy dog world out there. (link)
  • Only those nations survive in this doggy dog world that consider their land, language, culture and freedom above all petty differences of religion, social class, and economic standing. (link)
  • the true matter is: it’s a doggy dog world out there and they’re all in it for the money. (link)
  • The guard may have just been saying what he thought was expected of him, but you can certainly see how a doggie dog world leads to homophobia. (link)
  • He took kids and taught them the ways to become successful in this doggie dog world, including me. (link)

Analyzed or reported by:

Nicholas W comments:

The phrase was used as a deliberate pun by rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg as a song title on his first album (lyrics here), the meaning, of course, being that he’s “on top of the world.” I’m sure this boosted its use as a genuine eggcorn.

| link | entered by Ben Zimmer, 2005/05/07 |

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.