tail wagging the dog

noun

A minor or secondary part of something which is controlling or dominating the whole or the main part.

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Meanings

noun
  1. idiomaticA minor or secondary part of something which is controlling or dominating the whole or the main part.

Origin

First used in the 1858 play Our American Cousin. The shortened form wag the dog, with a political sense, was popularized by the film Wag the Dog (1997). For the verb phrase, see the tail wags the dog.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish häntä heiluttaa koiraa
  • häntä heiluttaa koiraaTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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