buy a dog and bark oneself

present singular third person buys a dog and barks oneself · participle present buying a dog and barking oneself · participle past bought a dog and barked oneself · past bought a dog and barked oneself · alternative have a dog and bark oneself · alternative keep a dog and bark oneself

1. idiomaticinformalTo do something that one has hired someone else to do.

   "We could indeed," I said, "but I'm left wondering why you'd buy a dog and bark yourself. What are you up to?"

   2016, Helen Callaghan, Dear Amy, →ISBN, page 164

   3 more examples

   Don't buy a dog and bark yourself. Corporate sales are complex and risky. Appoint experienced advisers and get them to manage the process under your I Information.

   2009, QFinance: The Ultimate Resource, →ISBN, page 412

   "Me, cook?" Berties lip curled. "I've Flo. You don't buy a dog and bark yourself. Why'd you want to know that anyway?”

   2013, Patrick Taylor, Fingal O'Reilly, Irish Doctor: An Irish Country Novel, →ISBN

   A large board doing its own selection is not buying a dog and barking itself, it is hiring a surgeon and operating itself.

   2016, Douglas Board, Choosing Leaders and Choosing to Lead, →ISBN