# three-dog night

idiom

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

## Meaning

A very cold night.

## Examples

- It is a three-dog night, so please bring another blanket.
- Turn up the heater because tonight feels like a three-dog night.
- My grandmother always calls a freezing winter evening a three-dog night.
- The temperature dropped so low that we called it a three-dog night and stayed inside by the fire.
- You should probably wear your thickest coat because the weather report says it will be a three-dog night.
- The hikers realized it was a three-dog night when they saw frost forming on the inside of their tent.
- After the heating system broke down in the middle of January, the family spent a three-dog night shivering under every spare rug they could find.
- As the blizzard howled outside, the family huddled together, fully aware that this was truly a three-dog night.

## Origin

Attributed to a saying among the Eskimo, the term describes a night of such low temperature that one would require three sled dogs in the igloo to provide sufficient warmth. The phrase relies upon the heat of the pack to survive particularly frigid conditions, where a single dog is deemed a social comfort but three are a thermal necessity.

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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.