sleeve dog

noun

1. a very small Pekingese, usually under six pounds in weight and less than six inches (15 centimeters) tall.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sleeve dog¹

First recorded in 1890–95; so called because members of the Chinese and Japanese imperial courts carried such dogs in the voluminous sleeves of their garments

Example Sentences

She held in her arms her Chinese sleeve dog, a once-prized pet that had fallen from favor and was now only to be met whining upward for a little love at every passer in the corridors, and it sprawled leaf-brown across her white frock, wriggling for joy at the unaccustomed embrace.

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The "sleeve dog" and the "chin dog" are common and appropriate appellations in the East.

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