put on the dog

verb

To dress up; to make a show of wealth and/or importance; to be pretentious.

Similar
put on airs
First used 19th c.
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Meanings

verbput on the dog (third-person singular simple present puts on the dog, present participle putting on the dog, simple past and past participle put on the dog)

present singular third person puts on the dog · participle present putting on the dog · alternative put on dog

  1. colloquialdatedidiomaticTo dress up; to make a show of wealth and/or importance; to be pretentious.First known use 19th c.

    If she softened her natural vowels a fraction in keeping with her role as a Protestant lady, she did not put on dog or act in a snobbish manner.

    1985, Peter Carey, Illywhacker, Faber & Faber, published 2003, page 94

    Synonyms: put on airs

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo dress up; to make a show of wealth and/or importance; to be pretentious.

Similar
put on airs

Translations

Esperanto fanfaroni
  • fanfaronito be pretentious
Cite this entry
APA

put on the dog. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20on%20the%20dog

MLA

“put on the dog.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20on%20the%20dog. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “put on the dog,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20on%20the%20dog.

Source: put on the dog on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.