Dead game

Posted by Victoria S Dennis on July 25, 2009 at 21:06

In Reply to: Dead game posted by David FG on July 22, 2009 at 18:58:

: : : In reading about the Glen Imaal terriers of Ireland, I repeatedly came across the description of 'dead game' in telling about their hunting skills. My grandfather used to use this same phrase to describe his springer spaniel hunting dogs. My sister says she always assumed it meant the dogs would hunt the game until one of the other was dead. Any hints?

: : Is there anything that indicates that it doesn't just mean "game that is dead rather than alive or wounded"? That seems to be what is meant by all the Google hits I looked at ("hunting dogs" "dead game").

: I think the straightforward explanation is the most likely: that the Glen of Imaal Terrier (as the name indicates) was used to fetch game that had 'gone to earth' and bring it out dead, or chase it from the ground so that the hounds could resume the hunt.

: I am a bit puzzled by the idea of a Springer Spaniel hunting game until it was dead. The purpose of the breed was to 'spring' the game (that is, flush it from cover) so that it could be shot. They were also (and sometimes still are) occasionally used to retrieve the shot game, though bigger, heavier dogs specifically bred for that purpose have traditionally been preferred.

: DFG

My guess is that this is a variant of the phrase "dead keen", and that your grandfather meant that his spaniels were absolutely/completely/convincingly "game", i.e. plucky, spirited, full of fight. (VSD)