# dog that caught the car

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/dog-that-caught-the-car
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A person who has unexpectedly attained an aspirational goal and is now unsure what to do with it.

## Examples

- He got the promotion, but now he is like a dog that caught the car.
- You look like a dog that caught the car now that you own the company.
- After winning the election, the candidate felt like a dog that caught the car, realizing he had no plan for governing.
- She spent years trying to buy this huge house, but now she feels like a dog that caught the car because the maintenance is overwhelming.
- After his video went viral, the young artist felt like a dog that caught the car when he realized he had to manage thousands of new customers.
- Having finally acquired the massive corporation he spent decades chasing, the executive felt like a dog that caught the car, paralyzed by the sudden weight of his own ambition.

## Origin

Derived from the canine instinct to pursue passing motor vehicles, the majority of which travel at a velocity and distance that preclude a successful capture. The idiom contemplates the predicament of an animal that has achieved a goal for which it possesses no further instructions.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.