black dog

American  

noun

Informal.

1. melancholy; despondency; the blues.

   The black dog is over him.

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black dog British  

noun

1. informal depression or melancholy

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Etymology

Origin of black dog

First recorded in 1700–10

Example Sentences

The Swiftie trail runs from the Black Dog pub in South London, made famous by her song with the same name, to a club in North London that was a secondary filming location for the Opalite video.

From The Wall Street Journal

He previously told The Times his epiphany came during a road trip in 1979, when he rescued a stray black dog in apparent distress in the Angeles National Forest.

From Los Angeles Times

The door would shut, the black dog would guard it on the other side, and who knew how long it would be before it opened again?

From Literature

He could almost sense the black dog waiting for him to knock, and if he did, there was no telling what the dog would do.

From Literature

His mom had made it to the kitchen, but the black dog followed her and stayed by her side all night.

From Literature