5 Animals That Inspire Canine Connotations

5 Animals That Inspire Canine Connotations 5 Animals That Inspire Canine Connotations 5 Animals That Inspire Canine Connotations By Mark Nichol The characteristics of canids have long been applied to characterize humans, as this discussion of words and expressions based on the names of various canine species demonstrates. 1. Coyote A slang term for a person who guides illegal immigrants into the United States (usually from Mexico), rather than a term based on behavior, coyote nevertheless suggests at best a person who profits from the desperation of others and at worst cheats or misleads his or her clients or endangers their lives. 2. Dog Dog is an insult comparing a person to the animal in terms of its worst characteristics, such as laziness or groveling, though it may also indicate (perhaps grudging) admiration, as in the statement â€Å"You lucky dog.† To go to the dogs is to decline in health or condition; to hot-dog is to show off. Somebody who puts on the dog affects stylishness or sophistication. Dogged describes stubborn determination, but dog-eat-dog behavior is treacherous behavior, suggesting the members of a pack of dogs turning on each other. Hound, a term for a particular class of dog bred for hunting, is sometimes used to label an unpleasant person, although the term may also apply to someone who doggedly pursues something, as in chowhound for a person avid about eating. 3. Fox Foxy enjoyed a brief heyday as an adjective to describe sexual attractiveness, but it has had a much longer tradition in the sense of â€Å"cunning, crafty.† To say that someone is crazy like a fox, meanwhile, means that the person is craftily feigning insanity to some end. 4. Jackal Someone who serves another menially or to unsavory ends, or abases oneself, is sometimes referred to as a jackal. 5. Wolf Lecherous or sexually aggressive behavior in men is often compared to the predatory nature of a wolf. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:What Is Irony? (With Examples)List of 50 Great Word Games for Kids and Adults"Wracking" or "Racking" Your Brain?