let sleeping dogs lie

Slang Dictionary

dog definition


  1. n.
    a foot. (Usually plural.) : I gotta get home and soak my dogs.
  2. n.
    an ugly girl. (Rude and derogatory.) : I'm no dog, but I could wish for some changes.
  3. n.
    something undesirable or worthless; merchandise that no one wants to buy. : Put the dogs out on the sale table so people will see them.
  4. n.
    dog dung. (See also dog-doo.) : There's some dog on the lawn.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

let sleeping dogs lie

Allow inactive problems to remain so, as in Jane knew she should report the accident but decided to let sleeping dogs lie. This injunction to avoid stirring up trouble was already a proverb in the 13th century. It alludes to waking up a fierce watchdog and has been stated in English since the late 1300s.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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