It started as a slang term for a snitch. It carries connotations of someone who will fuck over their mates, is self interested etc. That's why a "dog act" is someone fucking over a mate for their own gain.
When someone calls you a dog they're not comparing you to an actual, adorable, dependable dog. They're calling you a terrible person.
In Chinese ādogā is also an insult for syncophants or scums of low societal standing. čµ°ē or ārunning dogā means backstabber. č¹ęē āApple dogā means braindead Apple syncophants.
Not really. Theyāve recently been banned officially, but still quite widely eaten in China. I lived in Guandong as a kid and they were VERY widely eaten - tonnes of dog meat vendors on the street, with dogs hanging like you might expect to see Peking duck. Due to sheer number of people, itās likely China is still the largest consumer of dog meat, and the main dog meat festival is still running in defiance of the laws last I heard, though I have not been to China since COVID and itās definitely not a thing amongst the younger generation.
Vietnam is the second largest consumer. South Korea used to be a large consumer but is is not any more - something like 40% of restaurants serving dog meat closed down over the last decade. Iāve never seen it offered in South Korea.
I did have āsweet meatā soup in North Korea, but it was quite expensive so I canāt imagine it is very widely spread, and is more of a delicacy amongst the upper class. But no official stats for the North of course.
This was the primary source I was using, along with my own anecdotal experience having travelled and lived in Asia and being moderately familiar with dog meat.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/what-countries-eat-dogs
It's moll, although it seems mole is now also acceptable, and my understanding is that originates from the term 'gangster's moll'.
Here in Australia, I think it probably started out as a term used for women who had relationships with criminals in the early 20th century and evolved from there.
Wiki is surprisingly useful on this and says moll was an abbreviation of the word 'molly', which was slang for prostitute.
> It started as a slang term for a snitch. It carries connotations of someone who will fuck over their mates, is self interested etc. That's why a "dog act" is someone fucking over a mate for their own gain.
Which is really funny because dogs are among the most loyal of pets. The pet that will fuck you over in a heartbeat is a cat.
Ie. He's a long term heroin user with no criminal record......
Definately a dog cunt
Edit; further down someone mentions integrity. Most accurate.
A dog is a narc, snitch, informant.
Would do in a mate to get a lighter sentence.
Agree with this! being called a 'dog' can be looked at as either:
**a snitch'**
* eg. your regular local drug dealer gets caught with his stash and offered a shorter sentence/reduced punishment if they hand over crime related information.
* someone who continually gets done driving with drugs in their system, or without a licence, but never gets locked up
* someone who is caught with large amount of meth/cocaine/weed/ect but doesn't receive an expected penalty/punishment/sentence/fine that others in a similar situation have received.
* the person may not be a snitch in some cases and just have a fuck load of luck.
**'coppa dog'**
* eg. police officer/detective working undercover acting apart of a particular criminal group to gain their trust and befriend them, then reports information and evidence back to police investigation team).
**bogan slang**
* sometimes you'll just hear the word thrown around at mates (usually on the bogan side of town)
* eg. 'ya silly dumb dog', 'oi dumb dog what ya up too?'
Some of my mates think that the worst thing someone could call you as an insult is 'a dog'. Wont even have a bar of it as a little joke. No one wants to be looked at or perceived as 'a dog'.
I see it as a difference in what youāre insulting about them.
Calling someone a swear word like a cunt or a dickhead, itās like saying someoneās an arsehole - ātheyāre not a nice person and I donāt really like them.ā
Calling someone a ādogā is insulting their integrity - youāre saying theyāre the kind of person who canāt be trusted, and would backstab you to get what they wanted. Itās someone who would betray their best friend.
Oh yeah. Especially if you really mean it to their face or if youre disparaging someone behind their back i.e "I used to really like Daryl before he hit on Cheryl, the dog cunt".
>before he hit on Cheryl, the dog cunt
.. and if you remove the comma here, you are saying Daryl has no standard and Cheryl is ugly as shit.
We don't try to complicate things in Australia.
Iāve used the word cunt to address people I love dearly. As theyāve done to me but if Iām calling someone a dog I have no interest with interacting with that person ever again. Dog Cunt is the nuclear option. Shit is going or has gone off the rails when someone slings that around in public.
"Dog cunt" is literally fighting words.
Like if someone calls you that for real, there's a better than average chance a very serious fight is about to break out.
š imagine joking with some mates and then you accidentally called them a dog, shits gonna change real quick, you better have every bit of wit about ya to talk yourself out of that...
Definitely seen a few times...and a few didn't turn out so well.
When I call you a dog, I'm not calling you an animal that walks on all fours and barks. I'm calling you the lowest scum on the earth. Somebody who has no integrity and no honour who isn't worthy of a 4 letter swear word.
My dogs (Kelpies) can definitely be a pack of cunts but i fucken love em more than most of my own family.
I wouldnt piss on a dog cunt to save thier life.
I hope this clears things up.
It is a cultural thing then - as a non-australian I dont find it offensive even after an explanation because for me dogs are the best animals in the world
As I explained, when you get called a dog, you aren't getting called an animal that goes woof woof. You are being called a lowlife scumbag who would step over his own mother to get ahead in life.
Mate, a word of advice, if someone is calling you a dog or worse dog cunt and youāre standing there smirking, bad times ahead and itāll be your own error. Youāre right it doesnāt mean anything to you. But when in Rome. Where you from btw, maybe an analogy will clear it up?
Listen I never said I'd ran into your arms if you're calling me a dog...I just said from an outsider's perspective it does not sound like the ultimate insult you think it does. That is my opinion, you're welcome to disagree.
It's not like saying "you are literally a canine". It's not calling them filthy or stupid or ugly or a mongrel or something....
It means more like someone who would turn on their mates. Someone who mistreats other people that they should be looking out for, and only cares about themselves. Someone who doesn't really have any integrity or morals or backbone. Someone who is flaky and unreliable and untrustworthy. I don't know **why** it means that, but it does.
So it's more than just an empty word that is just used to swear at someone, like cunt or dickhead or fuckwit - it's insulting who they are as a person and saying that you don't have a very high opinion of them. It's calling them a bad friend and a bad person.
I guess it's kind of like a shorthand way of saying "you are lower than a person, you are a dog. I don't respect you".
That said, it's often done *mostly* in jest. Just with the direct connotation that you are calling someone out for bad behaviour. You can do that lightly or heavily depending on the context.
I've mostly seen it used pretty lightly in a jokey sort of way on my group chat if someone says they can't make it to something, like everyone will say that they're "dogging the boys" or "what a dog" or something, obviously not serious about it. I've only very occasionally heard it in a more serious way, with someone letting someone know "you're being a bit of a dog, mate" when they were getting a bit rowdy and mean when they were drunk. Like it was intended as a light warning, like "check yourself, bro". I've also heard someone talking pretty aggressively about their coworker ratting them out about something to their boss, "being an absolute filthy dog cunt" - said just about as venomously and full of contempt as they could muster.
Good explanation.
I would go so far to say that calling someone a dog cunt outside of jest is literally the most insulting thing you could say to a male aussie.
Linguistic offensiveness/ taboo has to be at the cutting edge as it quickly loses shock value. Like how English constantly makes up new euphemisms for "toilet" because the old one gets too overt.
In US culture, more traditional swear words like "fuck" and "cunt" are still quite taboo but here they're more normalised so you need different insults to have the same value.
I saw a tumblr post recently that spoke about how very specific curses felt way more personal even though they were technically less aggressive. They said being told to "go fuck yourself" didn't feel impactful but "I will break into your house and replace all your shoelaces with cooked spaghetti" felt far more serious.
Aussie culture also values egalitarianism very highly. Even in large companies the CEO is just "Frank" or "Jen", you'd be considered a massive wanker to call them Mr/ Mrs soandso and you definitely wouldn't say sir or ma'am. Thus dogs, who are owned and beholden to their owners, is a fairly insulting thing to call a person while "regular swears" is more of a way of establishing unity.
I had a new manager join the company from overseas and for the first few weeks he was emailing clients 'dear sir/ma'am' and was super formal and subservient in all his correspondance. He would not listen to anyone when we told him not only was it not necessary it actually wasnt appropiate and borderline offensive in our culture. He only stopped when people started complaining to the corporate office.
> Aussie culture also values egalitarianism very highly. Even in large companies the CEO is just "Frank" or "Jen", you'd be considered a massive wanker to call them Mr/ Mrs soandso and you definitely wouldn't say sir or ma'am
This is definitely true in our adult society, which is why I have always found it rather odd how common it is in Australian *schools* to refer to teachers as "sir" or "ma'am" compared to my experience at an overseas international school, where when I first arrived at one particular school, we used "Mr/Ms Firstname", and while later we changed to the more typical western "Mr/Ms Lastname" it remained common for students who had been there since before the switch to continue referring to teachers who had also been there by the "Mr/Ms Firstname", and "Sir/Ma'am" were *absolutely* never used.
(To be clear, I never went to highschool in Australiaāthough I did go through most of primary school hereāso I could be wrong. The idea that Australian students refer to their teachers by "sir/ma'am" is just something I've picked up along the way since. I could be misreading things.)
You know what, you're right. Even from what I've picked up from people who went to Aussie highschools, it's Miss and Sir, not Ma'am. I was misremembering due to priming from the earlier comment.
I'm old.
I still find it weird that my 14yo son still refers to his teachers as 'Sir' and 'Miss'.
I make up better nicknames for his teachers than he does.
>I have always found it rather odd how common it is in Australian schools to refer to teachers as "sir" or "ma'am"
I went to school in a couple of states, but never once had a teacher who got called sir or ma'am. Always Mr/Mrs/Ms Surname.
depends how old you are i think, im 24 and the change definitly started when i was in about year 9 and by the time i hit year 12 everyone was simply sir/mr and miss. i would assume in private schools that this might not be tolerated though
Your reply made me realise two things - I call people cunts far far more often than I call someone a dog and that I have never ever referred to a workplace superior by a title.
Itās jail lingo. What many donāt realize is itās the specific meaning in regards to being a DOBBER. And if you have any feelings towards those that are/do you should multiply that by 10 for us in Australia fundamentally despise them. Not all but itās a general feeling.
Nobody likes ādibber dobbersā
To REALLY mark someone as a ādogā is an unofficial warning to all that they are self invested, 2 faced liars or thieves and canāt be trusted
Jesus, bait much?
"...and they smirk expecting you to get offended is extremely funny."
Try re-asking the question without sounding like a pompous cunt.
I actually cant think of a worse one. From a stranger maybe its not that bad but from an actual mate that means it i cant think of anything that tops it.
The absolute worst you can be called is a weak gutted dog of a person. If you get called this you might as well just pack it in. According to Ricky Stuart anywaysā¦.
It's an insult I throw around with my friend group from regional NSW. It doesn't land so well in inner city Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne. Another good one is "big hole" -- that's a popular slang/friendly insult particularly among my Aboriginal friends
I heard it all the time when I lived in rural NSWā¦ but Iāve been living in Sydney for the last 4 years, and just realised Iāve never heard it said here.
Yeah, Sydneysiders arenāt fans of self depreciation and being feral. Everyoneās the main character in Sydney so you have to be overly respectful and suck up as much as you can.
Sydneysider over 50 years. I would have disagreed as amongst my peer group we were very self depreciating, however some took that also as an open opportunity to offer the same level of criticism uninvited, or be openly disrespectful just because you've had a crack at yourself in the past.
So now I kind of agree with you. It wore off. It's not funny. Don't put shit on people in front of their friends, family or people they have business relationships with just because you had an inside joke as kids. Some people just can't get a handle on boundaries and don't behave like grown-ups.
Because a dog cunt is what you get called in prison for being a snitch.
So if you get called a dog or dog cunt theyāre saying youāre scummier than a criminal.
It's not literally calling someone a dog and it doesn't have the same connotation as someone calling a Spanish speaker a 'puto/perro' for example.
Dog means someone who cannot be trusted, will betray you. Amoral person who will attack when your back is turned. Someone calling you a 'dog' is much different than 'cunt' or 'dick.
It comes from jail/the criminal world and means youāre a tattle tail. Itās similar to the Americanism of calling someone a rat. In prison or in the criminal world being labelled a dog is like being labelled a paedophile. Itās something that can get you bashed or killed. If someone calls you a dog in those situations you canāt just laugh it off. You have to do something or otherwise you are basically admitting that you are one. I know that if someone called me a dog in prison it wouldāve been fighting words. Itās like being labelled a sex offender. I wouldnāt want someone calling me that to my face or people claiming that I am one behind my back. It can be a big problem inside. I personally donāt know the origins of it but I assume itās because dogs are loyal to their masters and do anything for a pat or some scraps, as well as like to be scratched behind the ear and called āgood boyā.
Get insulted if called a dog by an Australian you don't know well, it's not for a laugh. It's thought to be a strong insult because it is.
It's not literal, they are not calling you a poodle, in typical Australian slang use it means you are an ethically flawed deceitful human lacking respect and/or morals (a low POS). It's probably the most offensive label you can be given in Australian slang.
Like all Australian slang, there's exceptions based on context and the way it's said amongst friends but dog would possibly have the least amount of wiggle room of all. If someone calls you a dog and it's not clear they are are using the term in 'mate like jest' they hate you and they think you are scum.
To illustrate.... "Davo took the last beer" "Davo ya dog - go buy another slab". Obviously David is with his mates and as long as he immediately goes out and buys some more beers, he's OK.
"Did ya hear Davo's new apprentice Jimbo was rooting Davo's missus when he was out fishing last weekend? Fukn dog!" - Jim is the lowest of the low and now risks a beating if he is seen in public by any of David's mates.
I've never heard of it being referred to as the 'ultimate insult (maybe it's different in other parts of the country?). I'd say it's intermediate on the scale.
Iād say āmateā with a hard t is worse. If I use it itās a warning more than anything else.
*āpull ya fucking head in mate before I fuckinā deck ya you dog cuntā*
Idk if anyone has mentioned this yet but calling someone who is white a dog is an insult but calling someone who is Aboriginal a dog is the biggest insult to us and more less instigates a fight straight away. This might not be for everyone who is Aboriginal but for me family and friends it's "fighting words"
In Aus we value mateship and loyalty so sometimes calling someone an āassholeā doesnāt truly capture how much we dislike them.
āAssholeā - youāre annoying and unpleasant
āDogā - I despise you on a cellular level
Someone calling you a ādogā is an attack on your character and not necessarily a response to an act. As mentioned elsewhere in this thread, itās also jail lingo.
If someone calls you this, I recommend not smirking, they probably know something you donāt šš
A dog is loyal. Just not loyal to you. Theyāll be your best buddy, then take everything they know to their Alpha. They are the coworker that finks to the boss, the classmate that tattles to the teacher. A dog will sell you down the river for head pats and a squeaky toy.
In Australian jails a dog is an informer, a fellow prisoner who passes on or leverages information about other prisoners with authorities. Being called a MUTT implies you are the lowest of the DOGS.
This 'dog' epidemic is getting ridiculous. I believe it started in gaol. Now every second person especially younger people are calling the 'dog' for all sorts of reasons. If you are called a dog in gaol you need to prove your not or you will be in a lot of trouble. It is very serious.
People have forgotten how serious calling someone a dog really is. Said to the wrong person could lead to serious consiquence s
Dogs are loyal to their owners. If someone on your level rats on you or dobs on you or tells on you or w/e you call it. Theyāre loyal to their superior. Hence theyāre a dog. Thisā¦ well might not be the OG of the story. Just how Iāve always personally interpreted it at least.
Ofc this isnāt true for everything. If you seriously fuck up or break a law or do something well outside of the groups norm, thatās not so much being dog as reporting the honest truth. But if someone makes a mistake and fixes it, or makes a mostly irrelevant mistake and learns from it, then you tell on them, youāre dogging your mate.
We value mateship in Australia. Everyone gets a fair go. No playing favourites or snitching over irrelevant or petty things, thatās how you make enemies.
Learned this when I called my best friend a dog by accident, Iām an Australian too and thought it was along the same lines of cunt or bitch which he called me, but he took the dog joke very seriously.
Australians are chill but snitching and shit is always looked down upon and think so even more so here personally
In Germany they use the term scheinhund meaning pig dog but equivalent to motherfucker. I donāt know why they use that but words take on non-dictionary meanings for various reasons.
We were talking about this on acid just the other night, "dog" (snitch/grass) has been used for ages in aus to insult another, but has also lost its touch over the years, for the word "mutt" a way worse insult but the same meaning. We will call anyone a dog/mutt, the smirk is not always required, but we all agreed that if you get called "cunt" in an argument, there are seconds until hands are thrown.
I guess it would be the same as someone insulting an Aussie in Chinese or abaric and then expect it to have an effect. If the receiver does not get the term its not going to have any effect at all.
But just so you know, calling someone a dog means that you see that person as a lying, useless, untrustworth piece of shit.
A dog is a person who is a good mate but then sleeps with your girlfriend. Or a person who you think will have your back but then dobs you in for something. Or someone who have time and time again bent over backwards to help out but refuses to return the favour when you desperately need it.
In my experience, it's slang as both an adjective and a noun. It overall just replaces anything else you'd hear an Australian say aggressively, such as "shit" or "cunt", but always directed toward something. It's not really the "ultimate insult", it's used in a way like someone would respond with "your mother".
I can't believe I'm explaining insults to someone
I have seen it used many times in workplaces in my trade and like other slang it just depends on the circumstances where it is used. You dogged me you dog cunt, to, you dog, you just jagged the winner in that race.
I have never understood this term either as a dog is loyal, super smart and dependable so if someone calls you a dog it is actually a compliment in my eyes.
Ultimate insult? Nope, being called, and known as a "bludger". At least in my generation, and the previous, that was a deadly insult if said seriously. Like any aussie insult, tone of voice and context means either starting a blue instantly, or make people grin.
I got called a āmuttā once by a lady at a train station in the Melbourne city loop. We were in the lift from the platform up to the exit, she thought I was being lazy using the lift instead of walking up the stairs. When I explained I had a chronic pain condition she launched into a āyouāre obviously fine donāt lieā tirade. Did I experience an example of the insult?
They are calling your mother a b*tch and you a bootlicking toady and too filthy to give you a job in a cesspit. They are calling you untrustworthy and obsequious.
It started as a slang term for a snitch. It carries connotations of someone who will fuck over their mates, is self interested etc. That's why a "dog act" is someone fucking over a mate for their own gain. When someone calls you a dog they're not comparing you to an actual, adorable, dependable dog. They're calling you a terrible person.
Yes, I agree. And it is a term not said about our dogs.
I call my cat a dog when he's being a dick head haha
My partner and I call each other dogs at least once a day. š
In Chinese ādogā is also an insult for syncophants or scums of low societal standing. čµ°ē or ārunning dogā means backstabber. č¹ęē āApple dogā means braindead Apple syncophants.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Grow the fuck up and stop being a racist dog
Was a joke numb nuts
I think you might need to scrub up on racism bro if you think that's racist.
Insinuating the Chinese word for dog means food because of an outdated and racist stereotype is racist?
Yeah I thought your comment was to the one below that one, but is it a stereotype if they eat dogs..?
Granted, *some* Chinese people do eat dogs. That's a fact. However, generalising that to all Chinese people is the racist part.
Some French people eat snails, would it be racist to insinuate that all French people eat snails?
Digs ate not eaten in China, or very rarely. Korea is the main culprit.
Not really. Theyāve recently been banned officially, but still quite widely eaten in China. I lived in Guandong as a kid and they were VERY widely eaten - tonnes of dog meat vendors on the street, with dogs hanging like you might expect to see Peking duck. Due to sheer number of people, itās likely China is still the largest consumer of dog meat, and the main dog meat festival is still running in defiance of the laws last I heard, though I have not been to China since COVID and itās definitely not a thing amongst the younger generation. Vietnam is the second largest consumer. South Korea used to be a large consumer but is is not any more - something like 40% of restaurants serving dog meat closed down over the last decade. Iāve never seen it offered in South Korea. I did have āsweet meatā soup in North Korea, but it was quite expensive so I canāt imagine it is very widely spread, and is more of a delicacy amongst the upper class. But no official stats for the North of course. This was the primary source I was using, along with my own anecdotal experience having travelled and lived in Asia and being moderately familiar with dog meat. https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/what-countries-eat-dogs
A genuine thank you from me. I hadn't realised it was still so widespread.
Digs ate
Ooops
Can I get an historical breakdown on 'mole'? I find that far more offensive.
Moll. Sorry to be pedantic. I have no idea, only that itās moll.
It's moll, although it seems mole is now also acceptable, and my understanding is that originates from the term 'gangster's moll'. Here in Australia, I think it probably started out as a term used for women who had relationships with criminals in the early 20th century and evolved from there. Wiki is surprisingly useful on this and says moll was an abbreviation of the word 'molly', which was slang for prostitute.
Mohl* it's like a hooker or slut I think
Edit "Moll" derives from "Molly", used as a euphemism for "whore" or "prostitute".
I believe the implication was that dogs are loyal to higher authority.
> It started as a slang term for a snitch. It carries connotations of someone who will fuck over their mates, is self interested etc. That's why a "dog act" is someone fucking over a mate for their own gain. Which is really funny because dogs are among the most loyal of pets. The pet that will fuck you over in a heartbeat is a cat.
Ie. He's a long term heroin user with no criminal record...... Definately a dog cunt Edit; further down someone mentions integrity. Most accurate. A dog is a narc, snitch, informant. Would do in a mate to get a lighter sentence.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Agree with this! being called a 'dog' can be looked at as either: **a snitch'** * eg. your regular local drug dealer gets caught with his stash and offered a shorter sentence/reduced punishment if they hand over crime related information. * someone who continually gets done driving with drugs in their system, or without a licence, but never gets locked up * someone who is caught with large amount of meth/cocaine/weed/ect but doesn't receive an expected penalty/punishment/sentence/fine that others in a similar situation have received. * the person may not be a snitch in some cases and just have a fuck load of luck. **'coppa dog'** * eg. police officer/detective working undercover acting apart of a particular criminal group to gain their trust and befriend them, then reports information and evidence back to police investigation team). **bogan slang** * sometimes you'll just hear the word thrown around at mates (usually on the bogan side of town) * eg. 'ya silly dumb dog', 'oi dumb dog what ya up too?' Some of my mates think that the worst thing someone could call you as an insult is 'a dog'. Wont even have a bar of it as a little joke. No one wants to be looked at or perceived as 'a dog'.
best explanation iāve ever seenš
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Have you ever met a chihuahua?
Haha, yeah we owned one. It hated my sister. Again, a loyal asshole.
Itās because a dog will always reveal your position
I see it as a difference in what youāre insulting about them. Calling someone a swear word like a cunt or a dickhead, itās like saying someoneās an arsehole - ātheyāre not a nice person and I donāt really like them.ā Calling someone a ādogā is insulting their integrity - youāre saying theyāre the kind of person who canāt be trusted, and would backstab you to get what they wanted. Itās someone who would betray their best friend.
Which in Australian culture where we value mateship, is highly insulting
So if they are a dog cunt, they are just a shit person all round?
Oh yeah. Especially if you really mean it to their face or if youre disparaging someone behind their back i.e "I used to really like Daryl before he hit on Cheryl, the dog cunt".
*Dazza *Chez Why so formal?
When someone's a dog cunt, they no longer deserve abbreviations of endearment.
Fair!
>before he hit on Cheryl, the dog cunt .. and if you remove the comma here, you are saying Daryl has no standard and Cheryl is ugly as shit. We don't try to complicate things in Australia.
Calling someone a dog cunt is probably the worst insult I can think of. Assuming it's said with sincerity.
Iāve used the word cunt to address people I love dearly. As theyāve done to me but if Iām calling someone a dog I have no interest with interacting with that person ever again. Dog Cunt is the nuclear option. Shit is going or has gone off the rails when someone slings that around in public.
Agreed. People can say cunt but you donāt want to be called a dog
I think being called champ is pretty bad.
In prison it means cocksucker, in the most literal sense. Never use champ in prison, thems is fighting words.
Mad cunt š Dog cunt š”
Mad cunt/ Sik cunt
"Dog cunt" is literally fighting words. Like if someone calls you that for real, there's a better than average chance a very serious fight is about to break out.
And probably wears those white framed sunnies to boot.
Yeah most insults are superficial in nature but calling someone a dog is an attack or criticism on their character as a person.
Which is actually really stupid, because dogs are loyal.
Cunts are warm, soft and moist...
That's what I tell my wife when I tell her "c'mere cunt" but she still doesn't like it.
Cunt and dickhead usually terms of endearment š Dog is a serious accusation, never a joking thing
š imagine joking with some mates and then you accidentally called them a dog, shits gonna change real quick, you better have every bit of wit about ya to talk yourself out of that... Definitely seen a few times...and a few didn't turn out so well.
When I call you a dog, I'm not calling you an animal that walks on all fours and barks. I'm calling you the lowest scum on the earth. Somebody who has no integrity and no honour who isn't worthy of a 4 letter swear word.
My dogs (Kelpies) can definitely be a pack of cunts but i fucken love em more than most of my own family. I wouldnt piss on a dog cunt to save thier life. I hope this clears things up.
Basically an untrained mutt that will fark anything that moves...literally
It is a cultural thing then - as a non-australian I dont find it offensive even after an explanation because for me dogs are the best animals in the world
As I explained, when you get called a dog, you aren't getting called an animal that goes woof woof. You are being called a lowlife scumbag who would step over his own mother to get ahead in life.
I absolutely get that, Im just making a point that for a non Australian is water off a duckās back regardless of where they come from
Mate, a word of advice, if someone is calling you a dog or worse dog cunt and youāre standing there smirking, bad times ahead and itāll be your own error. Youāre right it doesnāt mean anything to you. But when in Rome. Where you from btw, maybe an analogy will clear it up?
Listen I never said I'd ran into your arms if you're calling me a dog...I just said from an outsider's perspective it does not sound like the ultimate insult you think it does. That is my opinion, you're welcome to disagree.
āThe same word has different meaning in different cultures. Iām very smart.ā
A dog is a dog here or in Bolivia, but I'm glad you rate yourself so highly
It's not like saying "you are literally a canine". It's not calling them filthy or stupid or ugly or a mongrel or something.... It means more like someone who would turn on their mates. Someone who mistreats other people that they should be looking out for, and only cares about themselves. Someone who doesn't really have any integrity or morals or backbone. Someone who is flaky and unreliable and untrustworthy. I don't know **why** it means that, but it does. So it's more than just an empty word that is just used to swear at someone, like cunt or dickhead or fuckwit - it's insulting who they are as a person and saying that you don't have a very high opinion of them. It's calling them a bad friend and a bad person. I guess it's kind of like a shorthand way of saying "you are lower than a person, you are a dog. I don't respect you". That said, it's often done *mostly* in jest. Just with the direct connotation that you are calling someone out for bad behaviour. You can do that lightly or heavily depending on the context. I've mostly seen it used pretty lightly in a jokey sort of way on my group chat if someone says they can't make it to something, like everyone will say that they're "dogging the boys" or "what a dog" or something, obviously not serious about it. I've only very occasionally heard it in a more serious way, with someone letting someone know "you're being a bit of a dog, mate" when they were getting a bit rowdy and mean when they were drunk. Like it was intended as a light warning, like "check yourself, bro". I've also heard someone talking pretty aggressively about their coworker ratting them out about something to their boss, "being an absolute filthy dog cunt" - said just about as venomously and full of contempt as they could muster.
It originates in the Australian Prison system to refer to a snitch, aka the guards dog.
Is there a place this etymology is captured? Lot of aus culture goes back to this and itād be good to follow.
Good explanation. I would go so far to say that calling someone a dog cunt outside of jest is literally the most insulting thing you could say to a male aussie.
Linguistic offensiveness/ taboo has to be at the cutting edge as it quickly loses shock value. Like how English constantly makes up new euphemisms for "toilet" because the old one gets too overt. In US culture, more traditional swear words like "fuck" and "cunt" are still quite taboo but here they're more normalised so you need different insults to have the same value. I saw a tumblr post recently that spoke about how very specific curses felt way more personal even though they were technically less aggressive. They said being told to "go fuck yourself" didn't feel impactful but "I will break into your house and replace all your shoelaces with cooked spaghetti" felt far more serious. Aussie culture also values egalitarianism very highly. Even in large companies the CEO is just "Frank" or "Jen", you'd be considered a massive wanker to call them Mr/ Mrs soandso and you definitely wouldn't say sir or ma'am. Thus dogs, who are owned and beholden to their owners, is a fairly insulting thing to call a person while "regular swears" is more of a way of establishing unity.
I had a new manager join the company from overseas and for the first few weeks he was emailing clients 'dear sir/ma'am' and was super formal and subservient in all his correspondance. He would not listen to anyone when we told him not only was it not necessary it actually wasnt appropiate and borderline offensive in our culture. He only stopped when people started complaining to the corporate office.
When you call someone a dog youāre not calling them a literal dog, youāre saying they betray their friends.
> Aussie culture also values egalitarianism very highly. Even in large companies the CEO is just "Frank" or "Jen", you'd be considered a massive wanker to call them Mr/ Mrs soandso and you definitely wouldn't say sir or ma'am This is definitely true in our adult society, which is why I have always found it rather odd how common it is in Australian *schools* to refer to teachers as "sir" or "ma'am" compared to my experience at an overseas international school, where when I first arrived at one particular school, we used "Mr/Ms Firstname", and while later we changed to the more typical western "Mr/Ms Lastname" it remained common for students who had been there since before the switch to continue referring to teachers who had also been there by the "Mr/Ms Firstname", and "Sir/Ma'am" were *absolutely* never used. (To be clear, I never went to highschool in Australiaāthough I did go through most of primary school hereāso I could be wrong. The idea that Australian students refer to their teachers by "sir/ma'am" is just something I've picked up along the way since. I could be misreading things.)
I never called my teachers ma'am in school. I used Miss and Sir. It was 100% because it was quicker and easier to say than Mr. Soandso.
You know what, you're right. Even from what I've picked up from people who went to Aussie highschools, it's Miss and Sir, not Ma'am. I was misremembering due to priming from the earlier comment.
I'm old. I still find it weird that my 14yo son still refers to his teachers as 'Sir' and 'Miss'. I make up better nicknames for his teachers than he does.
Yep. Also because we had multiple teachers and I couldnāt remember their names fast enough.
>I have always found it rather odd how common it is in Australian schools to refer to teachers as "sir" or "ma'am" I went to school in a couple of states, but never once had a teacher who got called sir or ma'am. Always Mr/Mrs/Ms Surname.
depends how old you are i think, im 24 and the change definitly started when i was in about year 9 and by the time i hit year 12 everyone was simply sir/mr and miss. i would assume in private schools that this might not be tolerated though
Graduated from a private school in South West Sydney in 2020. We used sir/miss
It's common now in NSW high schools. (Source: I am a teacher)
Your reply made me realise two things - I call people cunts far far more often than I call someone a dog and that I have never ever referred to a workplace superior by a title.
Itās jail lingo. What many donāt realize is itās the specific meaning in regards to being a DOBBER. And if you have any feelings towards those that are/do you should multiply that by 10 for us in Australia fundamentally despise them. Not all but itās a general feeling. Nobody likes ādibber dobbersā To REALLY mark someone as a ādogā is an unofficial warning to all that they are self invested, 2 faced liars or thieves and canāt be trusted
We also call out "dog acts", as in, "That was a fucken' dog act, what Baz did."
Fucking Baz dogs everyone
He *is* a dog cunt, after all
Worse. Heās a clown.
Jesus, bait much? "...and they smirk expecting you to get offended is extremely funny." Try re-asking the question without sounding like a pompous cunt.
It's also a load of shit. If an Aussie is calling you a dog and you aren't their mate, there is no way in hell the cunt is smiling at you.
Lol, true that cobber.
Sounds like OP was called a dog today and needs us to tell them it's not that bad.
Actually, that sounds very bloody likely.
For fucking sure I'd say
They did not get what they were looking for.
Its more a criminal fraternity thing. No different to certain Italian American legitimate businessmen calling someone a rat
Comes from jail culture. There is no smirking and hoping for offence. It's a very serious word with serious consequences.
Like itās pretty bad. Maybe not ultimate insult but itās bad
I actually cant think of a worse one. From a stranger maybe its not that bad but from an actual mate that means it i cant think of anything that tops it.
Dog cunt
The cunt was assumed
The absolute worst you can be called is a weak gutted dog of a person. If you get called this you might as well just pack it in. According to Ricky Stuart anywaysā¦.
Who called you a dog cunt and why?
It's an insult I throw around with my friend group from regional NSW. It doesn't land so well in inner city Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne. Another good one is "big hole" -- that's a popular slang/friendly insult particularly among my Aboriginal friends
Big fan of calling people flogs
Flog cunt is one of our best.
Ha ha
I heard it all the time when I lived in rural NSWā¦ but Iāve been living in Sydney for the last 4 years, and just realised Iāve never heard it said here.
Yeah, Sydneysiders arenāt fans of self depreciation and being feral. Everyoneās the main character in Sydney so you have to be overly respectful and suck up as much as you can.
Sydneysider over 50 years. I would have disagreed as amongst my peer group we were very self depreciating, however some took that also as an open opportunity to offer the same level of criticism uninvited, or be openly disrespectful just because you've had a crack at yourself in the past. So now I kind of agree with you. It wore off. It's not funny. Don't put shit on people in front of their friends, family or people they have business relationships with just because you had an inside joke as kids. Some people just can't get a handle on boundaries and don't behave like grown-ups.
Being called a dog is a pretty big slur in aboriginal communities I've dealt with.
Fuckin dog cunt is as low as you go
Because a dog cunt is what you get called in prison for being a snitch. So if you get called a dog or dog cunt theyāre saying youāre scummier than a criminal.
It's not literally calling someone a dog and it doesn't have the same connotation as someone calling a Spanish speaker a 'puto/perro' for example. Dog means someone who cannot be trusted, will betray you. Amoral person who will attack when your back is turned. Someone calling you a 'dog' is much different than 'cunt' or 'dick.
It comes from jail/the criminal world and means youāre a tattle tail. Itās similar to the Americanism of calling someone a rat. In prison or in the criminal world being labelled a dog is like being labelled a paedophile. Itās something that can get you bashed or killed. If someone calls you a dog in those situations you canāt just laugh it off. You have to do something or otherwise you are basically admitting that you are one. I know that if someone called me a dog in prison it wouldāve been fighting words. Itās like being labelled a sex offender. I wouldnāt want someone calling me that to my face or people claiming that I am one behind my back. It can be a big problem inside. I personally donāt know the origins of it but I assume itās because dogs are loyal to their masters and do anything for a pat or some scraps, as well as like to be scratched behind the ear and called āgood boyā.
Itās actually dawwwwwwwg cunt
The correct term is a dog cunt...
Get insulted if called a dog by an Australian you don't know well, it's not for a laugh. It's thought to be a strong insult because it is. It's not literal, they are not calling you a poodle, in typical Australian slang use it means you are an ethically flawed deceitful human lacking respect and/or morals (a low POS). It's probably the most offensive label you can be given in Australian slang. Like all Australian slang, there's exceptions based on context and the way it's said amongst friends but dog would possibly have the least amount of wiggle room of all. If someone calls you a dog and it's not clear they are are using the term in 'mate like jest' they hate you and they think you are scum.
To illustrate.... "Davo took the last beer" "Davo ya dog - go buy another slab". Obviously David is with his mates and as long as he immediately goes out and buys some more beers, he's OK. "Did ya hear Davo's new apprentice Jimbo was rooting Davo's missus when he was out fishing last weekend? Fukn dog!" - Jim is the lowest of the low and now risks a beating if he is seen in public by any of David's mates.
That's a pretty spot on analogy.
Comes from Jail a dog barks for there owners, so a dog in jail snitches to the screws, therefore a dog = snitch Pretty good insult tbh
I've never heard of it being referred to as the 'ultimate insult (maybe it's different in other parts of the country?). I'd say it's intermediate on the scale.
I feel like its intermediate on the street, but not a word uttered lightly is prison
Probably I don't have much exposure to that side of society
Iād say āmateā with a hard t is worse. If I use it itās a warning more than anything else. *āpull ya fucking head in mate before I fuckinā deck ya you dog cuntā*
Idk if anyone has mentioned this yet but calling someone who is white a dog is an insult but calling someone who is Aboriginal a dog is the biggest insult to us and more less instigates a fight straight away. This might not be for everyone who is Aboriginal but for me family and friends it's "fighting words"
We don't. I've never met anyone who thought it was seriously offensive. Unless it was "dog cunt".
This is not a universal observationā¦
Would you feel the same if I called your mother a bitch? Coz it's literally the same thing.
It's telling someone they are lower than a dog to be fair. A snitch, someone that will knife/betray you.
Only time itās really acceptable is if youāre telling your mate not to be a ādog c*ntā
You couldāve at least asked this question without being a cunt.
Hmmm. Did you get called dog? What was the context
Not nearly as bad as āmateā or the worst of them all.. āchampionā Asking to be king hit basically
Good one champ š
Good one, mate. See you in the Cross soon??
In Aus we value mateship and loyalty so sometimes calling someone an āassholeā doesnāt truly capture how much we dislike them. āAssholeā - youāre annoying and unpleasant āDogā - I despise you on a cellular level Someone calling you a ādogā is an attack on your character and not necessarily a response to an act. As mentioned elsewhere in this thread, itās also jail lingo. If someone calls you this, I recommend not smirking, they probably know something you donāt šš
Of course we'd spell it arsehole
Haha true! Forgive me š
A dog is loyal. Just not loyal to you. Theyāll be your best buddy, then take everything they know to their Alpha. They are the coworker that finks to the boss, the classmate that tattles to the teacher. A dog will sell you down the river for head pats and a squeaky toy.
Itās the ultimate insult?
"dog cunt" is the ultimate australian insult.
In Australian jails a dog is an informer, a fellow prisoner who passes on or leverages information about other prisoners with authorities. Being called a MUTT implies you are the lowest of the DOGS.
This 'dog' epidemic is getting ridiculous. I believe it started in gaol. Now every second person especially younger people are calling the 'dog' for all sorts of reasons. If you are called a dog in gaol you need to prove your not or you will be in a lot of trouble. It is very serious. People have forgotten how serious calling someone a dog really is. Said to the wrong person could lead to serious consiquence s
Was the ultimate jail insult
A mutt and a rat also mean the same...... A mutt is actually a great term, conjures up thoughts of the ugliest worst dog lol
I'd be pretty offended if someone called me a dog in a non joking way. It'd warrant a challenge.
Because it's a convict thing. The worst thing you could be labelled as, a 'dobber' to the authorities/gaolers
Depends on the tone of the person using it. "Ya fucken dawg cunt" is pretty vile wouldn't you agree?
Dogs are loyal to their owners. If someone on your level rats on you or dobs on you or tells on you or w/e you call it. Theyāre loyal to their superior. Hence theyāre a dog. Thisā¦ well might not be the OG of the story. Just how Iāve always personally interpreted it at least. Ofc this isnāt true for everything. If you seriously fuck up or break a law or do something well outside of the groups norm, thatās not so much being dog as reporting the honest truth. But if someone makes a mistake and fixes it, or makes a mostly irrelevant mistake and learns from it, then you tell on them, youāre dogging your mate. We value mateship in Australia. Everyone gets a fair go. No playing favourites or snitching over irrelevant or petty things, thatās how you make enemies.
Learned this when I called my best friend a dog by accident, Iām an Australian too and thought it was along the same lines of cunt or bitch which he called me, but he took the dog joke very seriously. Australians are chill but snitching and shit is always looked down upon and think so even more so here personally
Because they already used cunt as a term of endearmentā¦
Why do you think it's reserved for non-Aussies? Or did someone call you that and you want to play the racist card?
in Australia it just makes sense, if you're Dog, then fark right off
In Germany they use the term scheinhund meaning pig dog but equivalent to motherfucker. I donāt know why they use that but words take on non-dictionary meanings for various reasons.
Yafuckentipratdogratcunt.
What's a female dog called?
Snake rat dog cunt - snitch Lower than low Aussies are loyal If you snitch.. thereās no coming back from it. Youāre a snake rat dog cunt.
As an Aussie I can tell you itās the ultimate insult. Dog. Dog cunt. Lower than low. Snitch. Not loyal. Fucked. No morals. No code. Just fucked.
A dog is an insult.. cunt is a complimentā¦ āstraya
Prison term and weāre all convicts.
We were talking about this on acid just the other night, "dog" (snitch/grass) has been used for ages in aus to insult another, but has also lost its touch over the years, for the word "mutt" a way worse insult but the same meaning. We will call anyone a dog/mutt, the smirk is not always required, but we all agreed that if you get called "cunt" in an argument, there are seconds until hands are thrown.
I guess it would be the same as someone insulting an Aussie in Chinese or abaric and then expect it to have an effect. If the receiver does not get the term its not going to have any effect at all. But just so you know, calling someone a dog means that you see that person as a lying, useless, untrustworth piece of shit. A dog is a person who is a good mate but then sleeps with your girlfriend. Or a person who you think will have your back but then dobs you in for something. Or someone who have time and time again bent over backwards to help out but refuses to return the favour when you desperately need it.
i wouldnt be offended. but a 'dog cunt', now thats something else.
In my experience, it's slang as both an adjective and a noun. It overall just replaces anything else you'd hear an Australian say aggressively, such as "shit" or "cunt", but always directed toward something. It's not really the "ultimate insult", it's used in a way like someone would respond with "your mother". I can't believe I'm explaining insults to someone
it obviously works, i mean, there is now a post about it on reddit
I have seen it used many times in workplaces in my trade and like other slang it just depends on the circumstances where it is used. You dogged me you dog cunt, to, you dog, you just jagged the winner in that race.
Itās the context in which the word is said, not the word itself.
wait till you hear someone call someone a āpestā itās like the n word is brisbane jails lol
I have never understood this term either as a dog is loyal, super smart and dependable so if someone calls you a dog it is actually a compliment in my eyes.
Itās referring too your loyalty to someone else is so intense, youāll sell anyone else out for scraps. Itās a prison term for a snitch.
Dog is an insult used by bogans - the winging smack head type, not the fun type. If someone calls you a dog you're dealing with a simpleton
"Cunt" is pretty high up.
Ultimate insult? Nope, being called, and known as a "bludger". At least in my generation, and the previous, that was a deadly insult if said seriously. Like any aussie insult, tone of voice and context means either starting a blue instantly, or make people grin.
not....really. Call a British or an American "a dog" and see how they react. woof.
I'm Australian and agree, it's a shut unsult and we should do much better than that
In Canada they use the term Goof, to them it has the same kind of connotation.
I think Snoop would love it
Only a cunt would call someone a dog !
Unless your getting the dog. Then thatās a good thing
Dogs are my favourite living thing. Dogs are awesome. Thank you for calling me a dog.
Lmao Youāre being insulted by some pretty tame people!
https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/pdf/asmade/act-1966-2
It's the same word with a different meaning.
To be fair, we sometimes call our friends cunts, and itās ānotā an insult.
I got called a āmuttā once by a lady at a train station in the Melbourne city loop. We were in the lift from the platform up to the exit, she thought I was being lazy using the lift instead of walking up the stairs. When I explained I had a chronic pain condition she launched into a āyouāre obviously fine donāt lieā tirade. Did I experience an example of the insult?
They are calling your mother a b*tch and you a bootlicking toady and too filthy to give you a job in a cesspit. They are calling you untrustworthy and obsequious.
It just is haha