dog Latin

American  

noun

1. mongrel or spurious Latin.

2. a jargon imitating Latin.

---

dog Latin British  

noun

1. spurious or incorrect Latin

---

Etymology

Origin of dog Latin

First recorded in 1760–70

Example Sentences

Who ever bought, who ever read, those cloudy tomes in dog Latin?

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 15, No. 87, January, 1865 by Various

No hotch-potch here of dog Latin and Levantine Greek, but plain straight English, cool and fresh in the mouth.

From England by Fox, Frank, Sir

Excellent dog Latin," said Jacques; "and literally translated it signifies: 'Gold from the Governor, Tobacco from the South Side, Asinarian strategy Has brought into his chambers.'

From The Youth of Jefferson A Chronicle of College Scrapes at Williamsburg, in Virginia, A.D. 1764 by Anonymous

It's wonderful how well this jolly dog gets on, with his dogmas and dog Latin together.

From Punchinello, Volume 1, No. 04, April 23, 1870 by Various

The wit is not enough to carry on the joke through 108 letters, carefully composed in Teutonic dog Latin by the best Latinists north of the Brenner.

From Lectures on Modern history by Acton, John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, Baron