"blew dog" & "the skinny"

[RedDog]

Just found out about the Straight Dope - very interesting, informative and, quite often, comical.
There are 2 questions I have:

1. I’ve heard the phrase “What’s the skinny on…” or “Give me the skinny on the such & such…” - where did it evolve from and/or what exactly does it mean?
2. Another phrase I’ve heard before: “He blew dog”. What exactly does that phrase mean & how did it originate?
   Thanx,
   RedDog

(Hey Chief Scott, Thanx for the directorial assistance - As you probably have guessed, this whole thing is new to me - and I’m having a great time reading all the stuff)

[Trion]

Hello RedDog and welcome.

The Miriam-Webster Online Collegiate Dictionary dates your use of the word “skinny” to 1938.

I’ve found a phrase origin website which tells me the following:

What’s the skinny

Meaning: What is the story, what is going on, what is happening, what is the background.
Example: What’s the skinny on this White water thing?
Origin: This is a shortened version of the “skinny naked truth” which comes from W.W.II. Skinny in this case meaning “resembling skin” and being redundant with naked. This phrase literally is asking for the naked, unobscured truth.
Thanks to John Gold

Alternatively,

Skinny is defined as inside information. Hence “what’s the skinny” literally asks what is the inside information. This definition may derive from the “skinny naked truth”.

The web site is here.

I can’t help you with “blew dog”. I’ve never even heard that one before.

[ChiefScott]

See RedDog?

Not too tough and you got at least .5 of your answer!