phrases, sayings, idioms and expressions at

Walking the Dog

Posted by Smokey Stover on July 15, 2008 at 14:38

In Reply to: Walking the Dog posted by Grizvet on July 15, 2008 at 08:04:

: Not a question, but an answer to Chris and others who do not know the meaning or origin of the expression, "Walking the Dog":

: The phrase goes all the way back to 1917, when Shelton Brooks published "Walking the Dog," a dance song that gave its name to a dance and a dance step. The phrase has since taken on meanings of high stepping, looking fancy, doing well, moving fast, etc. "Moving fast," in particular, captures its most common usage in the last three-quarters of the 20th century, as in "He was really walkin' the the dog when he went past."

Thanks, grizvet, for your explanation. I have rarely heard this expression, but it's an interesting and plausible explanation. Incidentally, if you hear the expression, "Keep on truckin'!" it, too, has its origin in a once-popular dance, in this case, the truck.
SS

© 1997 – 2024 Phrases.org.uk. All rights reserved.