Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun chiefly UK, slang A complete
mess .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a poor job; a mess
Etymologies
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Examples
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amacleod03 commented on the word dog's dinner
One's finest clothing; Sunday best.
Eric Partridge is succinct in his description: “Done up like a dog's dinner means all dressed up.�?
Alternatively, it seems to be synonymous with dog's breakfast, that is, a mess. Despite the well-deserved deference that is typically paid to Partridge in the lexicographic community, it is my guess that the meaning he ascribes to this phrase is out-of-date. Search as I might, I could not find a recent instance of this usage in a U.S. source.
July 11, 2009