Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun One that is expected to lose a contest or struggle, as in sports or politics.
  • noun One that is at a disadvantage.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A competitor thought unlikely to win.
  • noun Somebody at a disadvantage.
  • noun A high swing wherein the person pushing the swing runs beneath the swing while the person being pushed is at the forward limit of the arc.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun one at a disadvantage and expected to lose

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From under + dog.

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