# hair of the dog

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/hair-of-the-dog
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

An alcoholic drink, particularly when taken the morning after to cure a hangover.

## Examples

- 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.

## Origin

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.

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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.