Un temps de chien

Literal Translation

A dog’s weather

Actual Meaning

Bad weather

Etymology

This expression is linked to the place that dogs used to occupy in society. Until the 19th century, dogs were considered dirty, impure and even dangerous. Despite the services they could provide, they were often mistreated and were not allowed to sleep under the same roof as humans, regardless of the weather conditions. In fact, we say ‘treat someone like a dog’ to express that we are mistreating someone. ‘A dog’s life’ also refers to the difficult existence of canines.

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