proverb · Words worth keeping
As sick as a dog.
As sick as a dog.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The phrase compares being very sick with a dog. It gives illness or upset an emphatic expression in the supplied reading.
What the words are saying
The animal comparison intensifies the description without identifying symptoms or a cause. A responsible explanation treats it as language rather than a diagnosis. It does not establish animal biology or prove that every use refers to the same physical condition.
Everyday example
A reader recognises that a speaker feels very unwell without inferring a particular disease.
When to use it
Use it to explain an emphatic description with the condition unspecified.
What it does not mean
No illness diagnosis, severity measure or animal fact is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 731; PDF page 105
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.