hotdog
UK[ˈhɒt dɒɡ]US[ˈhɑːt dɔːɡ]
n
A cooked sausage, typically a frankfurter, served in a long, soft roll.
n
A person who is skilled in a particular activity and who performs showy or dangerous stunts to impress others.
Morpheme Breakdown
hot
dog
hot
dog
Etymology
The term "hot dog" is a classic American English compound. The "hot" element straightforwardly describes the heated state of the sausage. The "dog" component has a more colorful history, stemming from late 19th-century American slang where "dog" humorously referred to the sausage itself. This usage may have been influenced by German immigrants' frankfurters, with playful cartoons depicting dachshund-shaped sausages, cementing the canine connection. The term evolved from a joking reference to the contents of the sausage to its now universal designation for the fast-food item, and later extended metaphorically to describe a show-off performer.
Analysis
Structure: hot + dog
- hot (Old English): From Old English hāt, meaning "having a high temperature, burning, fiery." In this compound, it describes the temperature of the cooked sausage.
- dog (Old English): From Old English docga, meaning "a powerful breed of dog." In this compound, it humorously refers to the sausage, likely due to early suspicions about its ingredients or its resemblance to a dachshund.
Examples
He bought a hotdog with mustard and onions from the street vendor.
She's a real hotdog on the snowboard, always attempting risky jumps.
The baseball game isn't complete without eating a hotdog in the stands.