hair of the dog
An alcoholic drink, particularly when taken the morning after to cure a hangover.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He drank a beer as hair of the dog.”
“After the party, she woke up with a headache and tried hair of the dog to feel better.”
“Groaning at the kitchen table, he poured himself whiskey as hair of the dog, convinced it was the only cure for his throbbing hangover.”
first recorded 12th c.
The term is an ellipsis of the phrase "hair of the dog that bit one," referencing a folk remedy for rabies that involved placing hair from the offending animal into the wound. While the principle of curing like with like has appeared across various cultures, the metaphorical application of the phrase to a hangover treatment is recorded at least as early as the 16th century.
The practice of seeking a cure for one's condition in the source of one's distress dates to antiquity. An early form of the expression appears in the Ugaritic text KTU 1.1114, line 29, in which the chief god i/el consumes the hair for his health. According to A Primer on Ugaritic, published by Cambridge University Press in 2007, the usage was in turn a borrowing from Akkadian. Further details regarding the historical prevalence of the concept are maintained by Wikipedia.
- 01
bad hair day
A day when things seem to be unmanageable or go wrong.
- 02
barnet
[Cockney slang]hair
- 03
buy a dog and bark oneself
To do something that one has hired someone else to do.
- 04
call off the dogs
To ease up on after inflicting great punishment.
- 05
cat and dog life
An unhappy married life marked by arguments and disagreements.
- 06
curl someone's hair
To frighten, dismay, or excite someone thoroughly.
- 07
dog and cat
A team comprising one male and one female, either working as associates or having one as the second-in-command to the other.
- 08
dog and pony show
Any presentation or display that is overly contrived or intricate, while lacking real substance.
Last updated August 10, 2026