mad-dog
Americanverb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of mad-dog
An Americanism dating back to 1985–90
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Hurley’s mad-dog histrionics on the sideline will drive him nuts, alienate refs and cause his players to shake their heads.
From Los Angeles Times
When ignorance mixes with mad-dog hatred the results are combustible.
From Salon
The mad-dog greed of corporate America, the finance industry, and the "too big to fail" banks coupled with nonsensical free-market fundamentalism to initiate a bipartisan deregulatory agenda and the slashing of social services.
From Salon
Ethan’s face relaxes, his eyes soften, like he has lost his mad-dog bead of concentration.
From Literature
His innate sweetness in the face of such mad-dog cruelty is more of a mystery, one we’ll look forward to puzzling out in his next adventure.
From New York Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
