The Thracian dog
Preserved but no longer current.
Zoilus (4th cent. B.C.), the carping critic of ancient Greece. Like curs, our critics haunt the poet's feast, And feed on scraps refused by every guest; From the old Thracian dog they learned the way To snarl in want, and grumble o'er their prey. Prrr: To Mr. Spence.
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 “The Thracian dog” mean?
Zoilus (4th cent. B.C.), the carping critic of ancient Greece. Like curs, our critics haunt the poet's feast, And feed on scraps refused by every guest; From the old Thracian dog they learned the way To snarl in want, and grumble o'er their prey. Prrr: To Mr. Spence.
Is “The Thracian dog” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.