today's lesson: what does phrase 'dog days' mean?

[hensylee]

The Word of the Day for July 28 is:

dog days \DOG-DAYZ\ noun
*1 : the hot sultry period of summer between early July and early
September in the northern hemisphere
2 : a period of stagnation or inactivity

Example sentence:
With the steamy dog days upon us, air conditioners are selling like
hotcakes.

Did you know?
Dogs aren't the only creatures uncomfortable in oppressive heat, so
why does a dog get singled out in "dog days"? The dog here is actually the
Dog Star, which is also called "Sirius." The star has long been associated
with sultry weather in the northern hemisphere because it rises
simultaneously with the sun during the hottest days of summer. In the
ancient Greek constellation system, this star (called "Seirios" in Greek)
was considered the hound of the hunter Orion and was given the epithet
"Kyon," meaning "dog." The Greek writer Plutarch referred to the hot days of
summer as "hemerai kynades" (literally, "dog days") and a Latin translation
of this expression as "dies caniculares" is the source of our English
phrase.

 

[terryj]

I remember when I was small my aunt wouldn't let me go outside without my shoes on until the dew was dried off the grass here in Georgia during dog days. I never understood why. I just did as I was told.

 

[hensylee]

as a little child in countryside Ga, I was told to watch out for 'mad' dogs! I was scared of every dog I saw - or heard.

 

[terryj]

I was told that also. They also said to watch out if a dog was foaming at the mouth because it was mad. Most dogs have some foam around the mouth in the hot Georgia months if they run around at all. My cousin used to brush his teeth and come in my room with foam around his mouth and say he was bitten by a mad dog. Along with all the other things he did to torment me. Hes a school teacher now.