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Never said 'dog.'

Posted by ESC on December 17, 1999

In Reply to: West Virginia posted by ESC on December 14, 1999

: : Are there any phrases that originated where you live?

I keep thinking of phrases that are "normal" to me, a native West Virginian raised in a rural area, but are new to city folks. I wanted to add this one to my previous list: "never said dog." If someone leaves without saying goodbye or doesn't have anything to say on a subject, the expressions are: "He left and never said dog." or "She got back from her trip and never said dog." Is this a West Virginia expression or has anyone else heard it elsewhere? We seem to use the word "dog" for a lot of stuff in the U.S. I remember having a discussion with my boss a few years ago. He was born in Iraq but had been in this country for 30+ years. He was still mystified by some phrases. Mr. S. asked what this meant: "the program was dogged with problems." It meant the program was plagued or troubled. And at work this week, I noticed everyone left immediately at quitting time. I said to a coworker, "At 4:30 people take off like scalded dogs." He looked at me with this !?!? expression on his face.

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