hot-dog
UK[ˈhɒt dɒɡ]US[ˈhɑːt dɔːɡ]
n
A cooked sausage, typically a frankfurter, served in a long, soft roll.
n
A person who performs showy, skillful, or dangerous stunts, especially in sports or surfing.
v
To perform showy or skillful stunts, especially in a sport.
Morpheme Breakdown
hot
dog
hot
sense
dog
sense
Etymology
The term "hot dog" is an American English compound from the late 19th century. The "hot" element straightforwardly refers to the heated sausage. The "dog" element has a more colorful history, stemming from popular slang and cartoons of the era that humorously compared the sausage to a dachshund or playfully alluded to dubious meat sources. This whimsical naming logic transformed a simple food item into an enduring cultural icon. The later figurative senses, referring to a show-off in sports, extend from the idea of something flashy or attention-grabbing, much like the prominent street food.
Analysis
Structure: hot (sense) + dog (sense)
- hot: From Old English hāt ("hot, fervent"). In this compound, it describes the temperature of the cooked sausage.
- dog: From Old English docga ("dog, powerful breed"). Its use here is a humorous or slang reference, likely from early suspicions about the meat's contents.
Examples
He bought a hot-dog with mustard and onions from the vendor.
The young surfer was a real hot-dog, attempting risky maneuvers to impress the crowd.
The skateboarder liked to hot-dog on the half-pipe during competitions.