a dog in a doublet
Preserved but no longer current.
A bold, resolute fellow. In Germany and Flanders the strong dogs employed for hunting the wild boar were dressed in a kind of buff doublet buttoned to their bodies. Rubens and Sneyders have represented several m their pictures. A false friend is called a dog in one"s doublet.
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 dog in a doublet” mean?
A bold, resolute fellow. In Germany and Flanders the strong dogs employed for hunting the wild boar were dressed in a kind of buff doublet buttoned to their bodies. Rubens and Sneyders have represented several m their pictures. A false friend is called a dog in one"s doublet.
Is “a dog in a doublet” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.