{"id":3277,"date":"2022-05-09T21:29:54","date_gmt":"2022-05-09T21:29:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=3277"},"modified":"2022-05-09T21:29:54","modified_gmt":"2022-05-09T21:29:54","slug":"the-quick-brown-fox-jumps-over-the-lazy-dog-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/the-quick-brown-fox-jumps-over-the-lazy-dog-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over the Lazy Dog \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you know what a pangram is? It\u2019s a word or phrase using nearly all the letters in the English language. One of the only sayings using all of the letters is \u201cthe quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s right, count them if you want. You\u2019ll find all 26 letters present in the phrase. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

The expression \u201cthe quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog<\/em>\u201d doesn\u2019t have any specific meaning. Unlike other idioms, this phrase doesn\u2019t have any explanation, nor is it frequently used in conversation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It serves as a lesson in English and computer typing. Phrases that use almost all the letters of the English alphabet are \u201cpangrams<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are several pangrams in English, but the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog<\/em> and is one of the only pangrams using all 26 letters in the alphabet.<\/p>\n

Other examples of pangrams that achieve this feat are the following.<\/p>\n

\u201cPack my box with five dozen liquor jugs<\/em>.\u201d This saying contains 32-letters and all the letters in the alphabet.<\/p>\n

\u201cA mad boxer shot a quick, gloved jab to the jaw of his dizzy opponent<\/em>.\u201d This pangram contains all the letters in the alphabet and uses 54 letters in total.<\/p>\n

The most common use of pangrams is for teaching students typing skills. They\u2019ll use the pangrams to familiarize themselves with the keyboard layout. As a result of practicing the pangrams, they will eventually learn to type without looking at the keyboard.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

\u201cThe quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Origin<\/h2>\n

The origin of the expression \u201cthe quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog\u201d comes from The Mainland Mercury newspaper in June 1885. The saying is nearly 150-years old, and the newspaper ran a piece with the expression appearing as follows.<\/p>\n

\u201cA favorite copy set by writing teachers for their pupils is the following because it contains every letter of the alphabet: \u2018A quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.\u2019 \u201c<\/p>\n

This iteration of the phrase uses \u201cA\u201d instead of \u201cThe.\u201d That means the original term misses three of the letters in the English language. The addition of \u201cThe\u201d to the saying means that it uses every letter in English in the expression.<\/p>\n

The earliest use of the modern pangram comes from \u201cThe Queenslander\u201d newspaper in June 1887, where it appears as follows.<\/p>\n

\u201cSolutions of Nuts to Crack in Queenslander of 4th June:\u2014I. Jubilee. II. The quick brown fox jumps over a lazy dog.\u201d<\/p>\n