# If someone says "He's a bird dog" . . . **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 2, 2010, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195 "2010-11-02T11:17:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/1 "2010-11-02T11:17:49Z")
. . . what do you assume about the person in question? Crap I mean to post a poll but messed it up. Just post your answers below please. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/2 "2010-11-02T11:37:34Z")
A guy whoā€™ll try to steal another guyā€™s woman. In the UK Iā€™ve heard ā€œblack chickenā€ to mean the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/3 "2010-11-02T11:41:34Z")
Iā€™ve never heard the phrase, but I would guess it to mean something about his sexual habits, and not too complimentary. A guy looking to get laid (who may or may not be successful at it), probably often and with different women, who doesnā€™t respect a one of 'em. Am I close? ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/4 "2010-11-02T12:59:42Z")
Iā€™ll post the answer later. šŸ™‚ I just want to see what the majority of people say first, since I just had a disagreement with someone over what this phrase usually means. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/5 "2010-11-02T13:05:30Z")
Iā€™ve always heard it this way. ā€œHe is a bird dogā€ = He is overtly interested in other women, more brazenly than usual, but isnā€™t particularly aggessive about it. He points like a bird dog. ā€œHe is a hound dogā€ = He is always agressively sniffing around other women. More agressive about it than a bird dog, who only points for the most part. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/6 "2010-11-02T13:10:22Z")
To the best of my memory the only reference to ā€œbird dogā€ as it relates to women is from the Everly Brothers song. There it would suggest somebody skulking around and meddling with another maleā€™s girl friend. IIRC the line is ā€œHey, Bird Dog, get away from my quailā€¦ā€ The only other usage even close is ā€œthat dog wonā€™t huntā€¦ā€ and that has little if anything to do with female friends. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/7 "2010-11-02T13:10:58Z")
Wow, when I was selling cars, a bird dog was someone who brings you a lead or a tip for a sale. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/8 "2010-11-02T13:14:15Z")
I only know it from the song, where heā€™s ā€œa joker thatā€™s aā€™tryinā€™ to steal my honey.ā€ Canā€™t say Iā€™ve ever actually heard someone say it in conversation. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/9 "2010-11-02T13:23:14Z")
Someone who will actively try to steal another guyā€™s woman, often a friendā€™s woman. We also used the verb ā€œbird doggingā€ in college, as in ā€œSlick is totally bird dogging the Cheeseā€ meaning that Slick is currently hitting on the Cheeseā€™s woman. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/10 "2010-11-02T13:39:14Z")
Iā€™ve never heard the term used as meaning ā€œphilandererā€ā€“thatā€™s usually ā€œhound dogā€ in my experience. I did use the term ā€œbird-doggingā€ anthropomorphically in a paper I wrote once. My intended meaning was ā€œdoing reconnaissanceā€, specifically flushing Blacks and Republican leaders out of buildings during the NYC draft riots of 1863. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/11 "2010-11-02T13:42:59Z")
I just couldnā€™t leave well enough alone: [Everly Brothers: Bird Dog Lyrics](http://www.metrolyrics.com/bird-dog-lyrics-everly-brothers.html) [The Everly Brothers - Birddog](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mtk8avftB1U) ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/12 "2010-11-02T13:46:18Z")
Without reading any other replies, I think of a spy. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/13 "2010-11-02T13:47:40Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > A guy whoā€™ll try to steal another guyā€™s woman. > > In the UK Iā€™ve heard ā€œblack chickenā€ to mean the same thing. I believe that the current term is ā€œass bandit.ā€ ---
**Author:** ![palindromemordnilap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@palindromemordnilap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/palindromemordnilap)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/14 "2010-11-02T14:29:56Z")
Since I havenā€™t heard the phrase before, I guess I would think the person saying it misspoke, and either meant a ā€œhound dogā€ or ā€œbull dogā€, the latter of which is equivalent to ā€œpit bullā€. So I would probably be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/15 "2010-11-02T15:19:50Z")
I have heard it two ways - one, as in the Everly Brothers song - a girlfriend stealer. Second, as a speeder to follow on a highway - heā€™s flushing out the cops, so you can safely speed a quarter mile behind him until he gets pulled over. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/16 "2010-11-02T15:20:23Z")
He has a soft mouth, and possibly webbed feet. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/17 "2010-11-02T15:20:45Z")
Iā€™d have no idea, never heard the phrase. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/18 "2010-11-02T15:40:50Z")
Back in the days when I worked in a Telco switching control center, we called techs ā€œbird dogsā€ when they hunted down and fixed a particularly pesky hardware or software trouble. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/19 "2010-11-02T15:44:53Z")
Iā€™ve never heard the phrase, so all Iā€™d assume is that youā€™re talking about a dog that is of a breed that was bred to hunt birds. > [@tdn](#): > > I believe that the current term is ā€œass bandit.ā€ Really? Thatā€™d mean ā€˜gay manā€™ to me. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/20 "2010-11-02T15:50:39Z")
> [@scifisam2009](#): > > Really? Thatā€™d mean ā€˜gay manā€™ to me. Women have asses too! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195.md?page=2)