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Origin of "hair of the dog"

Posted by James Briggs on November 02, 2003

In Reply to: Origin of "hair of the dog" posted by Ernest.Dreer. on November 02, 2003

: I would like to know if any of you have an idea of where the saying " Hair of the dog" came from. Cheers!!!

The 'hair of the dog' is part of a longer expression - 'the hair of the dog that bit you'. This goes back to the old belief that the hair of a dog that bites someone could be used as an antidote against the bad effects of the bite. By extension, another drink or two after a drinking binge would be the cure for a hangover.

See also: the meaning and origin of 'hair of the dog'.

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