{"id":4619,"date":"2022-06-27T17:46:32","date_gmt":"2022-06-27T17:46:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=4619"},"modified":"2022-06-27T17:46:32","modified_gmt":"2022-06-27T17:46:32","slug":"dog-eat-dog-world-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/dog-eat-dog-world-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Dog Eat Dog World \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Are you looking for a way to describe a competitive environment? You could say you\u2019re operating in a \u201c<em>dog eat dog world.\u201d<\/em> This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n<h2>Meaning<\/h2>\n<p><strong>The expression \u201c<em>dog eats dog world<\/em>\u201d means a very competitive environment. Most people use it to describe the business world and people operating in their industry. For example, the tech space is a <em>dog-eat-dog world<\/em>, and if you don\u2019t keep up with trends, your company falls apart.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A \u201c<em>dog-eat-dog world<\/em>\u201d refers to an industry where everyone is competing for the same thing, and they are willing to use an unfair advantage to get what they want.<\/p>\n<p>It means that someone is willing to get ahead at your expense and place you in danger to allow themselves to succeed. It can refer to an environment lacking ethics where people will do anything to get ahead, at any cost.<\/p>\n<h2>Example Usage<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cMan, it\u2019s a dog eat dog world out there in the press pit. Everyone is jockeying for position, and if you aren\u2019t firm with people, they walk all over you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe live in a dog eat dog world, my friend. If you don\u2019t stay ahead of the pack, then sooner or later, someone\u2019s going to have you for breakfast.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a dog eats dog world, my brother. If you aren\u2019t willing to do it, ten people behind you will.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur business operates in a dog eat dog world. The environment is hostile, and new companies find it hard to build market share.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a dog-eat-dog world, and nothing will change it. People only look out for themselves nowadays.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis dog eat dog world is starting to get on my nerves. I think I need to move out into the country to escape.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you think it\u2019s a dog eat dog world, you\u2019re right. I haven\u2019t ever seen such a competitive environment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-4620\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Dog-Eat-Dog-World.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"151\" height=\"171\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-4621\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Dog-Eat-Dog-World2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"175\" height=\"175\" srcset=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Dog-Eat-Dog-World2.jpg 168w, https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Dog-Eat-Dog-World2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Dog-Eat-Dog-World2-120x120.jpg 120w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 175px) 100vw, 175px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Origin<\/h2>\n<p>The expression \u201cdog eats dog world\u201d comes from a contradiction of the Latin proverb \u201ca dog does not eat the flesh of a dog.\u201d The earliest version of the English version of the saying appeared in print in 1543. However, the quote thought responsible for the modern phrase comes from Thomas Fuller, in his book \u201cGnomologia,\u201d published in 1732.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDogs are hard drove when they eat dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The modern spelling and format of the saying were in circulation in language as a popular expression by the 1800s. Language experts are unsure of the exact origin of the modern phrase or when it first appeared in print.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"DOG EAT DOG WORLD MENTALITY\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EF4JTgvYvaw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Phrases Similar to Dog Eat Dog World<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Eye for and eye, tooth for a tooth.<\/li>\n<li>Crabs in a bucket.<\/li>\n<li>Looking out for numero uno.<\/li>\n<li>It\u2019s all about me.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Phrases Opposite to Dog Eat Dog World<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Cooperative environment.<\/li>\n<li>Collaborative effort.<\/li>\n<li>Support at every turn.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Dog eat dog world.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Ways People May Say Dog Eat Dog World Incorrectly<\/h2>\n<p>The expression \u201cdog eat dog world\u201d has nothing to do with dogs. The \u201cdogs\u201d in the saying are other companies, people, or adversaries that compete with you in life. By saying \u201cdog eat dog,\u201d it means that you can\u2019t rely on anyone. It has nothing to do with implying cannibalism.<\/p>\n<h2>Acceptable Ways to Phrase Dog Eat Dog World<\/h2>\n<p>You use the expression \u201cdog eat dog world\u201d to describe a competitive environment where some people have an unfair advantage over others. A dog eat dog world is similar to other sayings like \u201csurvival of the fittest.\u201d Some dogs are bigger and more vicious than others, and they eat the weak.<\/p>\n<p>The phrase suits social and professional use. You could say that you don\u2019t feel any sense of community around where you live, and it\u2019s just a dog-eat-dog world with violence everywhere. Or you could say your business competes in a dog-eat-dog world where everyone is trying to get ahead. The saying means that you are navigating a treacherous environment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-2\">Are you looking for a way to describe a competitive environment? You could say you\u2019re operating in a \u201cdog eat dog world.\u201d This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression. Meaning The expression \u201cdog eats dog world\u201d means a very competitive environment. Most people use it to describe the business world and people [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4619"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4619"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4619\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5074,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4619\/revisions\/5074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}