Meanings
plural dogs in the manger · plural dogs in mangers
- idiomaticSomeone 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
Origin
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.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Cantonese 生人霸死地
- 生人霸死地 (saang¹ jan⁴ baa³ sei² dei⁶)one who denies to others something that he or she cannot use
Chinese Mandarin 佔著茅坑不拉屎 /占着茅坑不拉屎
- 佔著茅坑不拉屎 /占着茅坑不拉屎 (zhàn zhe máokēng bù lāshǐ)one who denies to others something that he or she cannot use
French Le Chien du jardinier
- Le Chien du jardinierone who denies to others something that he or she cannot use
German Neidhammel
- Neidhammelone who denies to others something that he or she cannot use
Latvian suns uz siena kaudzes (dog on a haystock)
- suns uz siena kaudzes (dog on a haystock)one who denies to others something that he or she cannot use
Polish pies ogrodnika
- pies ogrodnikaone who denies to others something that he or she cannot use
Russian соба́ка на се́не
- соба́ка на се́не (sobáka na séne)one who denies to others something that he or she cannot use
Spanish ni come, ni deja comer, perro del hortelano
- ni come, ni deja comerone who denies to others something that he or she cannot use
- perro del hortelanoone who denies to others something that he or she cannot use
Thai หมาหวงก้าง
- หมาหวงก้าง (mǎa-hǔuang-gâang)one who denies to others something that he or she cannot use
Cite this entry
dog in the manger. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dog%20in%20the%20manger
“dog in the manger.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dog%20in%20the%20manger. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dog in the manger,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dog%20in%20the%20manger.
Source: dog in the manger on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.