Why on earth do people say “they’ll hunt him down like a dog” or other permutations of that concept? You hunt WITH a dog, you don’t hunt a dog. And yet I hear the latter phrase used all the time.
You never had to go looking for a lost/runaway dog before. It sucks because you don’t give until you get an answer and sometimes the answer is the dog is dead. If not dead, you swear under your breath that you’ll kill them yourself next time they runaway like that.
I always assumed the variant “hunt you down like a mad dog” was the original. Since rabies is inevitably fatal and rabid dogs are unpredictable, chasing down a rabid dog was a relentless search with only one possible ending: the dog in question summarily shot.
What she said.
I’ll hunt you down like a mad dog. I take it to mean almost nothing tracks better than a dog, and the dog is going to rip you to shreds. Think prison dogs after an escaped prisoner. Go back a few hundred years if you can’t imagine being ripped to shreds by tracking dogs today.
So does it mean “We’ll hunt you down like we would a mad dog” or “We’ll hunt you down like a mad dog would hunt you down”? Is the mad dog the huntee or the hunter?
Resolved: “I’ll hunt you down like a dog” me = dog. “I’ll hunt you down like a mad dog” you = dog.
Next up : “Wild horses couldn’t drag me away,” but what about domesticated horses specifically trained to drag people away?
Righto. You’re not hunting a dog, you’re hunting like a dog hunts.
Or, you could say “I’d hunt you down with a mad dog”, i.e., give you hydrophobia.
There’s an analogous expression in Russian, “травить собаками”, which is translated as “set the dogs on”, “course with dogs”, “hound”, “bait with dogs”, etc. It carries a similar connotation of a relentless, merciless pursuit.
Interestingly though, the huntsman in this case is the one with the dogs, not the prey.
WAG: “Wild” as in “unmanageable”, not “undomesticated”. If you’re on a horse that goes wild, I imagine you’re getting dragged away whether you like it or not.
I’ve always interpreted it to mean I will hunt you down like I would hunt down a rabid dog. Pretty much what Manda JO said
Here are some cites that suggest the dog is the hunted. Scroll down to the highlighted post.
This thread has left me more confused than before I read it. So is it to hunt as if one were a dog (on the hunt) or to be hunted as if one were a dog (being hunted)? or does it depend on the phrasing?
Historically, in many cultures dogs were considered inferior, debased, dirty animals, not worthy of care or respect - think unwashed curs fighting over scraps fallen from the table. Hence, “I will hunt you like a dog” means I will hunt you without mercy or respect, as if you were some filthy animal.
Could it be that the meaning is completely scewed.
“Hunt someone down like a dog”, have you ever seen a scent hound hunting ?
They are completely relentless, they just keep going and going, the problem for the hunt master is often keeping the dog in sight as the dog is so relentless it will hunt itself into dangerous situations, and still keep going.
What about “hanged like a dog” as used by the pirate Anne Bonney?
cite: Anne Bonny - Wikipedia
and may not be appropriate for GQ.
But I could see it originally meaning, “I am going to hunt you like a dog would hunt you.” but the meaning has changed to “your a dog”
If I were to hear it I just instantly think the hunted is the dog; but I’m 21st century middle aged industrial culture man.
I would suspect the original 18th century agricultural man would mean the hunter is the dog.
So in a sense they are both correct.
About the best we can do is find and ask an 18th century agricultural man. Do we have any Amish here? What do you think?
Contrapuntal’s link has 19th century cites indicating the dog is the hunted.
I’ll send a text to my uncle Ezekiel Swartzendruber and ask him what he thinks. He never goes anywhere without his blackberry.
I think the above really nails it. It’s a contrast to hunting a game animal, where there’s some notion of sporting behavior and “humane killing”. However, when removing a nuisance animal like a dog, there’s no concern whatsoever about a sportsmanlike hunt or humane killing. You just deliver a mortal injury, leave it to die in agony, and let the rats fight over the carcass.