# junkyard dog

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/junkyard-dog
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

An animal or person with an especially nasty and combative demeanor.

## Examples

- He acts like a junkyard dog when he loses a game.
- The manager became a real junkyard dog during the meeting, attacking every suggestion the team made.
- Despite his professional appearance, he revealed himself to be a junkyard dog, fighting every minor point with unnecessary aggression and hostility.

## Origin

From junkyard + dog. The literal sense of the compound was popularised in 1973 by the Jim Croce song Bad, Bad Leroy Brown, which employed the animal as a benchmark for the protagonist's temperament.

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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.