to eat dog
Preserved but no longer current.
An Indian custom at councils of importance. Later when white men took exception, they were permitted to avoid offence by placing a silver dollar on the dish and passing it: the next man took the dollar and ate the dog. Hence the expression in American politics to eat dog for another.
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 “to eat dog” mean?
An Indian custom at councils of importance. Later when white men took exception, they were permitted to avoid offence by placing a silver dollar on the dish and passing it: the next man took the dollar and ate the dog. Hence the expression in American politics to eat dog for another.
Is “to eat dog” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.