eat one's own dog food
To use or consume the economic goods or services that one is producing; to be part of a closed household economy.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The software company makes its employees eat their own dog food.”
“Before releasing the app to customers, the developers spent a month eating their own dog food to find bugs.”
“The farm had long prided itself on eating its own dog food, growing every vegetable and raising every animal that graced its table.”
From dog food (“beta software”).
- 01
abound in one's own sense
To follow one’s own inclinations and opinions.
- 02
ace up one's sleeve
A surprise advantage of which others are not aware.
- 03
act one's age
To behave in a manner appropriate to one's age.
- 04
act one's age, not one's shoe size
Synonym of act one's age (“to behave in a mature manner; to avoid being childish”).
- 05
afraid of one's own shadow
Exceptionally timid.
- 06
air one's dirty laundry in public
To reveal one's sordid secrets to the public.
- 07
air one's dirty linen in public
Synonym of air one's dirty laundry in public.
- 08
albatross around one's neck
A characteristic, possession, associate, or previous deed that hinders one's ability to succeed.
Last updated August 10, 2026