Origin and history of dogs

"to attack persistently, worry, pester," 1790, from badger (n.), based on the behavior of the dogs in the medieval sport...A badger is put into a barrel, and one or more dogs are put in to drag him out....When this is effected he is returned to his barrel, to be similarly assailed by a fresh set of dogs....

Phrase to rain cats and dogs is attested from 1738 (variation rain dogs and polecats is from 1650s), of unknown origin and...Probably rather an extension of cats and dogs as proverbial for "strife, enmity" (1570s)....

that "there is a town in Pachynus, a promontory of Sicily, (called Meleta,) from whence are transported many fine little dogs...jewels of women; but now the said town is possessed by fishermen, and there is no such reckoning made of those tender little dogs...Thomas Brown, "Biographical Sketches and Authentic Anecdotes of Dogs," Edinburgh, 1829]...

The breed of spotted dogs so called from 1893, short for Dalmatian dog (1810), presumably named for Dalmatia, but dog breeders...They were popular in early 1800s as carriage dogs, trotting alongside carriages and guarding the vehicles in owner's absence...being so universally known both in Town and Country, needs a bare mention: how long it has been the fashion to keep these dogs...

mid-14c., questen, "to seek game, hunt" (in reference to dogs, etc.), from quest (n.) and from Old French quester "to search...Of hunting dogs, "to bark, bay," as when on the scent of game, mid-14c., hence the questing beast, fabulous animal in Arthurian...

the Mediterranean, among the Greeks and Romans of antiquity, closer contact with sharks had left an impression of vicious dogs...[Tom Jones, "The Xoc, the Sharke and the Sea Dogs," in "Fifth Palenque Round Table, 1983," edited by Virginia M....

where it is indigenous), from Latin Insula Canaria "Canary Island," largest of the Fortunate Isles, literally "island of dogs...Supposedly so called "from its multitude of dogs of a huge size" (Pliny), but perhaps this is folk-etymology, and the name...

"pivoted piece designed to fit into the teeth of a ratchet-wheel, permitting the wheel to rotate in one direction but not in the other," 1650s, rochet, from French rochet "bobbin, spindle," from Italian rocchetto "spool, ratchet," diminutive of rocca "distaff," possibly from a Ge

early 13c., chateren "to twitter, make quick, shrill sounds" (of birds), "to gossip, talk idly or thoughtlessly" (of persons), earlier cheateren, chiteren, of echoic origin. Compare Dutch koeteren "jabber," Danish kvidre "twitter, chirp." Of teeth, "make a rattling noise from col

Middle English folwen, from Old English folgian, fylgian, fylgan "to accompany (especially as a disciple), move in the same direction as; follow after, pursue, move behind in the same direction," also "obey (a rule or law), conform to, act in accordance with; apply oneself to (a