# wag the dog

idiom

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

## Meaning

To divert negative political attention by use of a military operation.

## Examples

- The president tried to wag the dog to hide his scandal.
- Leaders often wag the dog when they face a major crisis at home.
- Does the navy really need to wag the dog during this peaceful month?
- Critics claimed the sudden military intervention was just an attempt to wag the dog during the election campaign.
- The government announced a sudden border dispute to wag the dog after the news of the bribery case broke.
- Voters worried the prime minister would wag the dog by starting a small war to improve his low approval ratings.
- By initiating a conflict abroad, the administration hoped to wag the dog and distract the public from the failing domestic economy.

## Origin

The idiom is derived from the expression *the tail wags the dog*, a reversal of natural order first appearing in the 1858 play *Our American Cousin*. While the longer metaphor for the minor part controlling the whole has nineteenth-century roots, the shortened form entered the political lexicon following the 1997 film *Wag the Dog*.

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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.