Question for you southern folk

When you put on the dog, it means you go all out with the best you have.

You invite someone to your house for dinner, you use the best china, silver, etc. You dress to the nines.
 
"Putting on the dog" is a phrase that originated after the Civil War. It came about from the people who made large sums of money selling and manufacturing supplies for the northern army, expansion of the railroads to the west and other sources.

During this time frame lap dogs became popular as a way to show wealth and many of the wealthy used dogs, preferably the breed of Poodle, as another way of advertising they had money. Hosting a social event included the host and or hostess displaying a pricey lap dog, combined with expensive clothes, jewelry, table settings of silver, china and other opulence of the time, thus, "putting on the dog".
Many were uneducated and had money but little to no class.
 
Is "putting on the dog" a southern expression?

Spent a right good number of years down that way and don't recall it being used any more often there than elsewhere.

Now going "whole hog", "eatin' high off the hog", and "sittin' in tall cotton" those are southern expressions.

and thanks for the origins of on the "dog" thing! :D
 
Originally posted by racerx11@Mar 3 2003, 03:31 AM
What does "I would have put on the dog mean"?
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Never heard on " Puttin on the dog" Born and raised in KY and TN. Have heared of going whole hog, Sitting in tall cotton and a few otherw.
 
I've peed on the fire and called in the dogs a few times.
 
You all are just 'puttin on the dog'now.We use it here as a term for showing off,drawing attention,grandstanding,etc.


Now a real southern term is '@#$% in high cotton!'Such as : 'My cousin Danny is ^%$#$ in high cotton since he started gettin' his disability'!A variation on the 'sittin in high cotton' if you get my meaning. :lol:
 
I have heard them all except peed on the fire? what does that one mean? :)
 
Originally posted by 97forever@Mar 5 2003, 12:28 AM
You all are just 'puttin on the dog'now.We use it here as a term for showing off,drawing attention,grandstanding,etc.


Now a real southern term is '@#$% in high cotton!'Such as : 'My cousin Danny is ^%$#$ in high cotton since he started gettin' his disability'!A variation on the 'sittin in high cotton' if you get my meaning. :lol:
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That sounds like several relatives I have in West Virginia. Their goal in life is to get on disability. Pathetic really. My one cousin went so far as to have a friend shoot him in the knee with a shotgun OUCH!!! so he could collect disability.
 
Originally posted by 4xchampncountin@Mar 5 2003, 06:57 AM

That sounds like several relatives I have in West Virginia. Their goal in life is to get on disability. Pathetic really. My one cousin went so far as to have a friend shoot him in the knee with a shotgun OUCH!!! so he could collect disability.
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OMG No way! :cuckoo:
 
I'll paraphrase so we don't have to look at a lot of %$*@!s. :)

Crapping in high cotton means being in fantastic shape. Think literal for a second. If one was out in the middle of nowhere, and that urge overtook one's system, what would be the ideal place? High cotton for privacy, as well as a natural source for....umm...an amenity let us say. So if I am crapping in high cotton, I would have everything I need and then some. Like that's ever gonna happen...
 
"Time to pee on the fire and call in the dogs" is an expression meaning its time to go home. The hunts over, put the fire out and get the hounds or the party is over. Kinda like the third day at Bristol when you know you have to sober up and go home. Funs over.
 
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