dog in the manger en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
From a Greek fable about a dog preventing other animals from eating the hay in a manger, even though as a carnivore it could not eat the hay itself. Although the story was ascribed to Aesop's Fables in the 15th century, no ancient source does so. The phrase first appears in the writings of Diogenianus.
Meanings
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(idiomatic) Someone who denies to others something that the denier cannot use.
No adjective is strong enough for characterizing this wicked dog-in-the-manger policy. From various sources I hear tales of such wanton destruction of nations' property in all parts of India.
1930, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, “Notes on the Way to Dandi”, in Non-Violent Resistance, page 246:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| dogs in the manger | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| dogs in mangers | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Translations (10)
fr Le Chien du jardinier (one who denies to others something that he or she cannot use) · pl pies ogrodnika (one who denies to others something that he or she cannot use) · cmn 佔著茅坑不拉屎 /占着茅坑不拉屎 (one who denies to others something that he or she cannot use) · de Neidhammel (one who denies to others something that he or she cannot use) · lv suns uz siena kaudzes (dog on a haystock) (one who denies to others something that he or she cannot use) · ru соба́ка на се́не (one who denies to others something that he or she cannot use) · th หมาหวงก้าง (one who denies to others something that he or she cannot use) · yue 生人霸死地 (one who denies to others something that he or she cannot use) · es perro del hortelano (one who denies to others something that he or she cannot use) · es ni come, ni deja comer (one who denies to others something that he or she cannot use)