a dead dog
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Something utterly worthless. A Biblical phrase (see I Sam. xxiv, 14, "After whom is the king of Israel come out? After a dead dog?") Cp. also Is THY SERVANT, etc., below.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “a dead dog” mean?
Something utterly worthless. A Biblical phrase (see I Sam. xxiv, 14, "After whom is the king of Israel come out? After a dead dog?") Cp. also Is THY SERVANT, etc., below.
Is “a dead dog” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.