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

"Being the topic of every discussion for such a long period of time was overwhelming and extremely damaging to people's social and emotional well-being," says Clinton Schultz, a Gamilaroi/Gomeroi man, psychologist and Director of First Nations Strategy at the Black Dog Institute.

From BBC

She said the black dog "came running towards them".

From BBC

And the Barghest was a spectre who took the form of a bear or a black dog with large, flaming eyes as big as saucers.

From BBC

I left my own black dog behind on my way to Cannes, so there was no way I wasn’t committing to this one.

From Los Angeles Times

Kodi the griffon mix, who plays Cosmos in the Swiss comedy-drama, narrowly beat Xin, a sighthound who instead wagged away with the Grand Jury Prize for the Chinese drama “Black Dog.”

From Seattle Times