A higher tail usually means a dog is confident, while a lower tail indicates a more timid or nervous dog. The tail wagging the dog is an American idiom that dates back to at least the 1870s. I say yes.”— Michael Hirsch, Politico, 12 May 2014, U.S. #WagTheDog”, “After a while, the negative tape starts to become a self-fulfilling prophecy and the tail starts to wag the dog.”. Wag the dog is, in politics, the act of creating a diversion from a damaging issue. Directed by Barry Levinson. This can be seen when a dog begins to wag it's tail, and it's body then follows. Get Page and check your text using a unique Contextual Grammar and Spell Checker. It is, after all, what dogs do — alert us to situations that are outside the norm. the tail wags the dog said to mean that a small or unimportant part of something is becoming too important and is controlling the whole thing To avoid the impression of the tail wagging the dog, the prime minister cannot be seen to be giving in to the wishes of a minority party. How to use a word that (literally) drives some pe... A selection of words from the chillier parts of t... Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz! The phrase originates in the saying "a dog is smarter than its tail, but if the tail were smarter, then it would wag the dog." In 1997, a film called Wag the Dog came out, based on a 1993 novel of the same name by Larry Beinhart. Tail wagging is also a social indicator, which means that a dog won't wag their tail unless they're around other dogs or humans. Although wag the dog was initially applied to Clinton, the sense of ‘superfluous military action to distract from domestic scandal’ has been too useful to leave in the 1990s, and has been applied to every subsequent president. Most people look at a dog with a wagging tail and assume it is happy. Most people comprehend the wagging tail of a dog as an invitation to approach. Training a dog not to bark at strangers is not an easy task. The meaning is quite obvious, the subsidiary part is controlling the major part. The 1997 film Wag the Dog shortened the phrase and added the additional meaning of "superfluous (military) action in order to distract from domestic scandal.". note 6], and other occurrences all over the country, indicate that this is one of the rare cases where the tail will wag the dog, and not the dog … The phrase “tail wagging the dog” predated the movie, but it took on its current specific meaning in the political lexicon—concocting a national security crisis … Tail wagging is also a social indicator, which means that a dog won't wag their tail unless they're around other dogs or humans. The tail wagging behavior of a dog may not always be an indication of its friendliness or happiness, as is commonly believed. The perception was that Trump was using the attack to wag the dog, or direct attention away from his low approval ratings, the ongoing investigation about his connections to Russia, and his other conflict of interests. Learn more. Here's a fun fact: The direction your dog is wagging their tail is a tell-tale tell (try saying that ten times fast). This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. “Will someone teach @realDonaldTrump how to wag the dog without actually going to war?”, “My fear is that Trump is doing this so that in our outrage we miss what his real agenda is. The tail wagging the dog - Idioms by The Free Dictionary. that will help our users expand their word mastery. Research by Gary Martin for the UK-based website Phrase Finder first finds the expression in an 1872 local newspaper, The Daily Republican : “Calling to mind Lord Dundreary’s conundrum, the Baltimore American thinks that for the Cincinnati Convention to control the Democratic party would be the tail … Definition and synonyms of the tail wagging the dog from the online English dictionary from Macmillan Education.. It is a new version of Dundreary’s conundrum, a clear case of the tail wagging the dog, because it is stronger than the dog.— The Detroit Free Press, 5 Apr. To 'wag the dog' means to purposely divert attention from what would otherwise be of greater importance, to something else of lesser significance. Before the film Wag the Dog and its allusive application to the Clinton scandal, the idiom wag the dog was more commonly used with or in reference to the full phrase, the tail wagging the dog, i.e., a reversal of proper roles. Dun Now I’ve got another. Flo Upon my word, I never inquired. The phrase in discussion is the shorter version of the same. the tail wagging the dog phrase. Though indeed tail wagging can express positive emotions, tail wagging is also an indication of fear, insecurity, challenging of dominance, establishing social relationships, or a warning that the dog may bite. “Are we witnessing an Obama ‘Wag the Dog’ moment with Boko Haram in Nigeria? Research by Gary Martin for the UK-based website Phrase Finder first finds the expression in an 1872 local newspaper, The Daily Republican: “Calling to mind Lord Dundreary’s conundrum, the Baltimore American thinks that for the Cincinnati Convention to control the Democratic party would be the tail wagging the dog.” For the tail to wag the dog, then and now, indicates a backwards situation where a small or unimportant entity (the tail) controls a bigger, more important one (the dog). Estimated Read Time: 5 ½ minutes Unfortunately, our doggo’s can’t back to us (Unless they’re like Bunny the Sheepadoodle, who’s learned how to communicate via buttons with her pet parents! Learn a new word every day. To wag the dog means to distract attention away from a political scandal, often through military action. What does the tail wagging the dog expression mean? Ha!— Tom Taylor, Our American Cousin, 1869. Biden sworn in as 46th President, impeach Obviously, it comes from the idea that a dog wags its tail when it’s happy. 1874, There was no compromise promised and no alteration of the tactics the Communists have adopted from the first of reserving the right of the tail to wag the dog.— P. J. Philip, The New York Times, 7 Dec. 1936. Some presidents, when they get into trouble before an election, try to “wag the dog” by starting a war abroad. note 5] is at the tail, but the recent proceedings at Cincinnati [cf. The complexity of the tail wag is immense, and while many people unfamiliar with dog behavior think that a tail wag means a dog is House impeaches Trump again, insurrection Delivered to your inbox! Lord Dundreary, a fictional British nobleman, makes a number of execrable jokes in this play. With Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Anne Heche, Woody Harrelson. As the movie was released shortly before President Clinton was embroiled in a real-life sex scandal, the title began being used in an attributive fashion, applied to military actions. We define this phrase “used to describe a situation in which an important or powerful person, organization, etc., is being controlled by someone or something that is much less important or powerful.” As noted by linguist Ben Zimmer, the phrase originated in Tom Taylor's 1858 play Our American Cousin. Ha! The term 'wag the dog' comes from the expression that a dog is smarter than its tail, but if the tail were smarter than the dog, the tail would be in control. The tail wagging the dog is an American idiom that dates back to at least the 1870s. Check out words from the year you were born and more! The tail wagging the dog is an idiom that usually refers to something important or powerful being controlled by something less so. Since then, wag the dog has come to be used on its own and as a term for a political diversion. A 1997 film, directed by Barry Levinson, brought about a shortened version of the idiom, and added a new meaning. Dogs wag their tail to communicate with humans and other animals. The popular notion is that when a dog wags his tails, it implies a happy and friendly dog. If he wasn’t the tail would wag the dog.” Sharp reasoning, that.— The Union Democrat (Manchester, NH), 12 May 1863, ”Why,” says his lordship, “the reason is because the dog is greater than the tail.” “If it were otherwise,” says that profound thinker, ”the tail would wag the dog.” [Laughter.] Dog Tail Wagging Meaning. And others still appear to have come from both media. Interestingly, a study done in 2013 mentions that dogs can also decipher the meaning of the direction of a tail wag in other dogs. I, along with many political experts, believe that this action by Bush was a classic case of "wag the dog" syndrome.— Pantagraph (Bloomington, IL), 2 Mar. The smallest or least important part of something in control of the larger or more important elements; a reversal of typical roles or dynamics of power. Since the election split the country in two, half almost automatically disagreeing with whatever Bush decides, most of his quick actions have drawn much criticism. Don’t mistake a wagging tail for friendliness. According to Live Science, a 2007 study found that when dogs wag their tails to the right, it's a sign that they've feeling positive emotions, while wagging … Wag the dog can be used as a verb or an adjective. Origin of Tail Wagging the Dog This expression first appeared in the 1800s. For example, the faster the speed, the more excited the dog – that’s obvious. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! 'All Intensive Purposes' or 'All Intents and Purposes'? It did not take long for the form to change slightly, and wag was substituted for waggle. note 4] is at the head of his party, and Mr. Blaine [cf. Its earliest use is in the 1858 play Our American Cousin. In fact, a wag of the tail is one of the best methods of communication in the canine kingdom. In April 2017, Donald Trump’s airstrike on Syria was referred to as a wag the dog moment. To wag the dog means to distract attention away from a political scandal, often through military action. Animals, Circumstances, Dog W 1 Thought when it rains, it pours ❯❮ up a blind alley There is a lot of information contained in the movement of your dog’s tail, which is why tail wags can mean so many things. Using 43 pet dogs of differing breeds, the study showed videos of dogs wagging their tails in both right and left directions to see how they reacted, using a vest to monitor their heart rate. Shortly before an election, a spin-doctor and a Hollywood producer join efforts to fabricate a war in order to cover up a Presidential sex scandal. inaugurate, inauguration Wag the Dog The phrase “the tail that wags the dog” dates to the turn of the century. Why does a dog waggle his tail? ).So, we as their owners have to rely on their bark, body language… An example of this is the idiom the tail wagging the dog. The 1997 film Wag the Dog shortened the phrase and added the additional meaning of 'superfluous (military) action in order to distract from domestic scandal.' It is uncertain whether the longer or the shorter form of the idiom will supplant the other, or if both will end up in use with their individual senses. A strategy can be referred to as “a real wag the dog tactic,” or you can say that “The prime minister is wagging the dog with this accusation.” It can also be used as a hashtag to call attention to a person’s use of this strategy. So what does it mean when a cat wags its tail? By doing so, the lesser-significant event is catapulted into the limelight, drowning proper attention to what was originally the more important issue. Just like dogs, cats move their tails to express their emotions. The story intruded into real politics not long after its release. Dun Because the tail can’t waggle the dog. Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., a staunch critic of Clinton, said of Thursday's military strikes: "I'd hate to think this was a Wag the Dog-type thing. Donald Trump seems ready to wag … On a lighter note, it may mean lots of fur in your face or a broken vase tossed on the floor by a rapid swing of the tail. While this is usually true, there are times when a dog wags its tail just before it becomes aggressive. The tail wagging the dog is an idiom that usually refers to something important or powerful being controlled by something less so. wag the dog to cause a persuasive movement in any large body of influence, i.e., a mass of people, through means by which a lesser influence is utilized. [Laughter]— The Baltimore Sun, 4 May 1868, The idiom appears in a variety of forms over the next hundred years or so, typically in the sense of ‘a less important thing controlling a more important one.’, Ordinarily the resolution is of more importance than the preamble, but here the relation is reversed. Slippery Words Quiz—Changing with the Times, Set your young readers up for lifelong success, Study Up With Our Official SCRABBLE Dictionary, Words From 1921: 100 Years Old and Still Around. Armed rioters storm Capitol building. The speed, amplitude, and looseness of the tail are all informative when assessing a tail wag, as is the height of the tail. 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