Origin of the term "dogging"
There's a lot of controversy about where exactly the term "dogging" comes from.
Here we'll try to investigate some of the possible answers.
Dogging = watching or following
The word "dogging" has always had the connotation of following or watching.
Here's a quote from Moby Dick:
I said nothing to Queequeg of his being behind, but passed on with my
comrade, anxious to see whether the stranger would turn the same corner that we
did. He did; and then it seemed to me that he was dogging us, but with
what intent I could not for the life of me imagine.
This sense comes from the idea of a hunting dog following closely its prey. So
some people have surmised that "dogging" comes from the idea of people
"doggedly" watching people having sex in public, or perhaps searching out people
having sex in people. According to an article in the
Sunday Herald:
The term dogging originated in the early 1970s to describe men who spied on
couples having sex outdoors – these men would “dog” the couples’ every move and
watch them.
Sex Outdoors = Like Dogs?
Some people suggest that the term "dogging" comes from the fact that people are
having sex outdoors without concern if others are watching, similar to how dogs
might have sex in a park setting.
"Doggery" = rabble, mob
The word "doggery" has several meanings, including "mischievous" or "rabble,
mob". Dogging is both mischievous and often involves a group ("mob") of people
watching, this may be a related idea.
Walking the dog?
According to an article at Nerve.com:
Others say "dogging" is called such because when lascivious limeys are caught in
flagrante delicto al fresco, they brush the grass off their knees and insist
they were simply "walking the dog."
We find this explanation, though funny, highly dubious. This is more "folk
etymology", an explanation invented after the fact to explain where the word
comes from.
Not American
The origin of "dogging" is definitely British. In American slang, the term
"dogging" means something quite different: criticizing someone. Here are some
examples of the word in this sense:
Criticizing another woman's looks makes you look and feel totally insecure. It
also makes you paranoid–if you do it to them, you'll automatically assume
they're doing it to you. Dogging each other keeps us divided, and
therefore defeated.
But I can't be mad at ya
Cause there's something that you don't know
That when your gone I do my own thing
Can I catch a bone? Why you dogging me? - song lyrics, Kandi
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