In fact, over history, several proverbs have been shortened, causing them to get misinterpreted by the general public. Over time, the proverb was shortened from “throw a stone into a crowd of dogs, and the hit dog will holler” to simply “a hit dog will holler.” This is not unusual when it comes to proverbs. “Talk is cheap”: Here’s What It Really Means “Knowing is half the battle”: Here’s What It Truly Means “Eye of the Tiger” - Here’s What It Actually Means Open Availability on a Job Application: Here’s What It Means The evolution of the proverb “a hit dog will holler” “Throw a stone” can be interpreted as making an accusation or saying an inflammatory statement.Īnd, the “hit dog” will be the one who feels that the accusation was directed at them or that the inflammatory statement was meant for them, both of which can be considered as signs of a guilty conscience. And, once you understand this context, it becomes even clearer where the expression derives its meaning. Hence, this is where the idea of “a hit dog” comes from. In fact, The Washington Post asserted that the first one to use the proverb, “a hit dog will holler,” was Samuel Porter Jones, who was a lawyer-turned pastor and preacher.Īs a matter of fact, Jones was known to use a larger version of the proverb, which said, “throw a stone into a crowd of dogs, and the hit dog will holler.” If that isn’t an instance of a hit dog hollering, I don’t know what is.Ĭalling someone “a hit dog” started back at the end of the nineteenth century, sometime around the 1880s. ![]() The funny thing is that every time he did this, people would start approaching him over the next few days, asking him why he had to embarrass them publicly like that. And, every once in a while, he would say that he is dedicating the next song to whoever needs it before playing “Mind Your Own Business” by Hank Williams. There was this radio announcer who would play radio records on his show. In other words, their reaction can be construed as an admission of guilt.įor instance, an interesting story I read a while ago researching this piece goes as follows: In fact, in some cases, if someone makes an accusation, the individual who reacts most vehemently is likely the most guilty of said accusation. ![]() “A hit dog will holler” refers to the idea that people offended by a certain idea or statement will be the ones most likely to react defensively or even aggressively to it. For instance, today’s expression, “a hit dog will holler,” will make no sense to you unless you know what a hit dog is. On the other hand, some expressions are difficult to decipher because they use words or terms that are foreign to you. You’d understand that “biting the bullet” means doing something that you may not want to do yet that is necessary all the same. Then, if I were to tell you that this expression comes from the fact that, during war, some soldiers had to undergo painful medical operations, and to cope with the pain of these operations, especially without the use of an anesthetic on the battlefield, these patients had to put a bullet between their teeth and bite on it, you would probably understand the expression one hundred percent. ![]() However, if I gave you a little historical context and told you that this expression came from the military and the navy, you would start to make sense of what I said a little bit. After all, “biting a bullet” makes no real sense when you think about it. If you were new to English, and I used the expression “to bite the bullet” without providing any further explanation, you probably would have no idea what I’m talking about. On the one hand, some expressions could be difficult to understand because their meanings are derived from historical context rather than just from the words themselves.įor instance, the expression “to bite the bullet” would be hard to understand on its own. Some expressions are so esoteric that without explanation, they make little sense.
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