dog n Usu |dɔ(ə)g|; also chiefly Nth, N Midl |dɒg, dɑg|; also chiefly NEng, S Midl |dɒɔg, dɔog, dɔᴜg|; infreq |dɔrg, dᴜəg|; rarely |daᴜg| Pronc-spp dawg, dorg Cf Pronc Intro 3.I.6.b
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B Senses.
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21 The catstick n 1 used in the game of cat and dog n. Note: This sense of dog is implied by the name of the game, which is attested in the US from 1883 onwards, and also in Engl dial, but only explicit exx are given here. [By analogy with cat n 3a] chiefly Pittsburgh PA
1963 Keystone Folkl. Qrly. 8.117 Pittsburgh PA, We made our cat about five inches long. . . The dog was about two feet long, with one end trimmed flat on both sides, for about three and a half inches, to ⅜ inch thick. Both were made from a broomstick. Ibid 119 Pittsburgh PA, In the game of Cat & Dog the short piece of broom-handle was the cat—the longer piece the dog. There were many variations of this game as played on the streets of the Morningside section of Pittsburgh. Ibid 120 Johnstown PA, We had a short piece of broom handle, about 3” long pointed at each end. This was the cat, the other piece of broom handle, about 30” long was the dog.
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