As an insult toward a woman who does not meet conventional standards of beauty (she's a real dog), or toward a person who has done something we don't approve of (you dirty dog).
That's the same as its used in England.... It's a term used by guys for an ugly female ,but if a guy says it about another guy ,it means he's someone that plays the field and succeeds a lot with hot girls....
This post was edited by Nice Jugs at February 5, 2020 9:30 PM MST
noun - informal - an unpleasant, contemptible, or wicked man
verb - follow (someone) closely and persistently, i.e, to track them the way a hunting dog or a predator might
verb - informal North American - act lazily; fail to try one's hardest.
phrase - "dog days" - literary - the hottest period of the year (reckoned in antiquity from the heliacal rising of Sirius, the Dog Star). or a period of inactivity or decline.
Interesting. I'd always thought it reprehensible that angry, complaining or bossy women are frequently called bitches. Alas for the poor female dog! Why is she thought so little of when canines are a man's best friend? I thought perhaps it harked back to the days when few canines were neutered and few kept on leashes when in public. It was a common thing back then to see a bitch in heat relentlessly followed and hassled by a pack of dogs. Being not yet ready to mate, she would suffer extreme exhaustion constantly running from them, and would eventually turn, growl, snap and bite. Occasionally, one would fight to her death if no human intervened. This snapping reminded me of the behaviour of angry women.
Now I see that, despite English speakers loving their pet dogs, we have an unconscious double standard in our attitude to the species. We might adore our pets for their unquestioning loyalty and companionship, but if a human behaved that way we would think them repulsively sycophantic. We turn our reasons upside-down and inside out. Thus, in calling a human a dog or a bitch, it's always an insult, never praise.