What does the saying dog days mean?

The “Dog Days” of summer are from July 3 to August 11 each year. They’re usually the hottest and most unbearable days of the season. We often hear about the “Dog Days” of summer, but few know where the expression originated. Some think it’s a reference to the hot, sultry days that are “not fit for a dog.” Others suggest it’s the time of year when the extreme heat drives dogs mad. But where does the term come from? And what does it have to do with dogs? You may be surprised to see is has to do with the stars! Read on.

The “Dog Days” Expression Explained

The constellation Canis Major, the Greater Dog.

The phrase is a reference to Sirius, the Dog Star. During the “Dog Days” period, the Sun occupies the same region of the sky as Sirius, the brightest star visible from any part of Earth. Sirius is a part of the constellation Canis Major, the Greater Dog.

In the summer, Sirius rises and sets with the Sun. On July 23rd, specifically, it is in conjunction with the Sun, and because the star is so bright, the ancient Romans believed it actually gave off heat and added to the Sun’s warmth, accounting for the long stretch of sultry weather. They referred to this time as diēs caniculārēs, or “dog days.”

Thus, the term Dog Days of Summer came to mean the 20 days before and 20 days after this alignment of Sirius with the Sun—July 3 to August 11 each year.

Summer heat is due to the Earth’s tilt

While this period usually is the hottest stretch of summer, the heat is not due to any added radiation from Sirius, regardless of its brightness. The heat of summer is simply a direct result of the Earth’s tilt.

During summer in the Northern Hemisphere, the tilt of the Earth causes the Sun’s rays to hit at a more direct angle, and for a longer period of time throughout the day. This means longer, hotter days.

What do the “Dog Days” of summer mean to you?

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1. The period in the summer often thought to be hottest, usually considered to be July 3 to August 11. In ancient times, people associated the heat during this period with the concurrent rising of Sirius, nicknamed "the dog star." The phrase is a translation of the Latin dies caniculares, meaning "dog star days." As a kid, I loved lounging in the swimming pool during the dog days of summer.

2. By extension, a period of lethargy, inactivity, or stagnation. We're in the dog days of our fiscal year, and unfortunately we'll just have to make up for it during the holiday season.

Hot, sultry summer weather; also, a period of stagnation. For example, It's hard to get much work done during the dog days, or Every winter there's a week or two of dog days when sales drop dramatically. The term alludes to the period between early July and early September, when Sirius, the so-called Dog Star, rises and sets with the sun. The ancient Romans called this phenomenon dies caniculares, which was translated as "dog days" in the first half of the 1500s.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

1. Dog days are the hottest days of the year that occur in July and August in the northern hemisphere. In the country, midsummer marks the final burst of activity before the lazy, dog days of July and August. Note: The ancient Romans named these days `dies caniculares' or `dog days' because the Dog Star, Sirius, could be seen in the morning sky at this time of year. They believed that the combination of Sirius and the sun produced very hot weather.

2. The dog days of something is the end of the period in which it exists, when it is no longer successful or popular. He was a minister in the dog days of John Major's government.

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

The hottest days of summer. This cliché is a literal translation from the Latin caniculares dies. The ancient Romans ascribed the apex of summer heat to the ascendancy of the dog star, or Sirius. The brightest star in the heavens, it is located in the constellation Canis Major, meaning “big dog.” Although modern meteorologists may scoff, the term has survived for nearly two thousand years.

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In the winter I warmed myself in the sun, under the porch of the Hôtel de Sens, and I thought it very ridiculous that the fire on Saint John's Day was reserved for the dog days. At sixteen, I wished to choose a calling.

Today's man and woman need to experience more of the dog days to recover and benefit from a simpler way of life.

For the rest of us, the dog days of summer arrive, as you might expect, with no such sense of urgency.

WHY are the very hot days in July and August known as the dog days? - Marcus Foster, Downham Market, Norfolk THE ancient Romans noticed that the hottest days of the year - late July and early August - coincided with the appearance of Sirius, the Dog Star, in the same part of the sky as the sun.

The dog days of summer are anything but slow at Trump Plaza where sales are moving as fast as construction of the new 40-story luxury residential tower that soars above the New Rochelle skyline.

These scotties get you through the dog days of winter.

During the dog days of summer (although technically over August 11, when Sirius, the Dog Star, stopped rising at the same time as the sun), let's take time out for a chuckle or two.

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2. By extension, a period of lethargy, inactivity, or stagnation. We're in the dog days of our fiscal year, and unfortunately we'll just have to make up for it during the holiday season.

2. The dog days of something is the end of the period in which it exists, when it is no longer successful or popular. He was a minister in the dog days of John Major's government.

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Heat is part and parcel of the dog days, which are generally recognized to be early July to mid-August.

CWMBRAN Scene Cinema 01633 866621 Brave (PG) Fri 2pm, Sat/Sun/Tue-Thu 1pm (Sat/Tue-Thu), 3pm; Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (U) Fri 2pm, Sat/Sun/Tue-Thu 3pm; Dr Seuss' The Lorax (U) Fri 2pm, Sat/Tue-Thu 1pm, 3pm (Sat/Tue), Sun 3pm; Ice Age 4: Continental Drift (U) Sat/Tue-Thu 1pm; The Three Stooges (PG) Wed/Thu 3pm.

I sincerely hope that other "Dog Days" experiences in the faith will be just as positive.

PAPERBACKS 1 Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer 2 The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest, Stieg Larsson 3 The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson 4 The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown 5 The Girl Who Played With Fire, Stieg Larsson 6 The Snowman, Jo Nesbo 7 The Slap, Christos Tsiolkas 8 Her Fearful Symmetry, Audrey Niffenegger 9 The Book Thief, Markus Zusak 10 The Help, Kathryn Stockett HARDBACKS 1 The Red Queen, Philippa Gregory 2 The Power, Rhonda Byrne 3 Started Early, Took My Dog, Kate Atkinson 4 The Cobra, Frederick Forsyth 5 The Secret, Rhonda Byrne 6 The Road To Rome, Ben Kane 7 Room, Emma Donoghue 8 Dog Days: Diary Of A Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney 9 Zog, Julia Donaldson 10 From The Dead, Mark Billingham

The dog days of summer are anything but slow at Trump Plaza where sales are moving as fast as construction of the new 40-story luxury residential tower that soars above the New Rochelle skyline.

In August, ancient Egyptians watched the bright star Sirius rise just before dawn in the constellation Canis Major, which means "big dog." They called these hottest days of summer "The Dog Days." You can celebrate with a "Dog Days of Summer" party.