a jolly dog
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A bon vivant; a jovial fellow. The jolly god, Bacchus. The Bible speaks of wine which "maketh glad the heart of man.
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 jolly dog” mean?
A bon vivant; a jovial fellow. The jolly god, Bacchus. The Bible speaks of wine which "maketh glad the heart of man.
Is “a jolly dog” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.