hair of the dog

Examples of hair of the dog in a sentence

• I descended to the breakfast hall, like a criminal to receive sentence. . . . [H]e poured out a large bumper of brandy, exhorting me to swallow "a hair of the dog that had bit me."1818, Sir Walter Scott, chapter 12, in Rob Roy:
• Another hair of the dog that bit you, captain!1841, Charles Dickens, chapter 52, in Barnaby Rudge:
• The good times are killing me / Enough hair of the dog to make myself an entire rug2004, Modest Mouse, “The Good Times Are Killing Me”, in Good News for People Who Love Bad News:

Synonyms of hair of the dog

• coffin dodger
• corpse reviver
• pick-me-up
• eye-opener
• adult beverage
• alcohol
• bevvy
• booze
• carouse
• drink

Origin of hair of the dog

Ellipsis of hair of the dog that bit one, a folk remedy for rabies by placing hair from the dog that bites one into the wound. The use of the phrase as a metaphor for a hangover treatment dates at least to the 16ᵗʰ century. The principle of “curing like with like” has existed in various cultures historically; see hair of the dog at Wikipedia for details; the use of the phrase “hair of the dog” for a hangover cure dates to antiquity, an early form being found in the Ugaritic text KTU 1.1114 line 29, where the chief god of the pantheon, i/el, takes some for his health. The usage is in turn a borrowing from Akkadian.

Related words

• doghair
• dog fur
• dogfur
• pelt of the dog
• a man about a dog

Questions about hair of the dog

What does hair of the dog mean?

Hair of the dog means an alcoholic drink, particularly when taken the morning after to cure a hangover.

How do you use hair of the dog in a sentence?

I descended to the breakfast hall, like a criminal to receive sentence. . . . [H]e poured out a large bumper of brandy, exhorting me to swallow "a hair of the dog that had bit me."

What part of speech is hair of the dog?

Hair of the dog is a noun.