dogs howl at death
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A widespread super- stition. In the rabbinical book it saith The dogs howl when, with icy breath, Great Sammael, the angel of death, Takes thro' the town his flight.
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 “dogs howl at death” mean?
A widespread super- stition. In the rabbinical book it saith The dogs howl when, with icy breath, Great Sammael, the angel of death, Takes thro' the town his flight.
Is “dogs howl at death” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.