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Anonymous Posted 11 years ago
Grammar

The phrase 'dog eat dog'

Why isn't it 'dog eats dog' ('eats' with an s)?

Thanks
  

Top answer

'Dog eat dog' is idiomatic. We just all say it that way for no real reason. It's based on the Latin 'canis canem edit', which in fact means ''dog eat s dog' .

— Clive

  • 'Dog eat dog' is idiomatic.
  • We just all say it that way for no real reason.
  • It's based on the Latin 'canis canem edit', which in fact means ''dog eat s dog' .
  • Clive
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4 Answers
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'Dog eat dog' is idiomatic. We just all say it that way for no real reason.

It's based on the Latin 'canis canem edit', which in fact means ''dog eats dog'.

Clive
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The phrase hyphenated. It is used as a modifier.

It's a dog-eat-dog world.
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Anonymous Why isn't it 'dog eats dog' ('eats' with an s)?Thanks
Because it is an adjective phrase; it's not verbal.
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