# 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:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/21 "2010-11-02T15:53:51Z")
If I heard somebody called a bird dog, I’d think of the Everly Brothers song and assume they were chasing somebody else’s girlfriend. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/22 "2010-11-02T16:19:39Z")
> [@scifisam2009](#): > > I’ve never heard the phrase, so all I’d assume is that you’re talking about a dog that is of a breed that was bred to hunt birds. And, by extension, some guy who is going after your bird, or English slang for girl. At least that’s what I thought when I first heard the Everly Brother’s song. It fits; even the song uses “quail” to mean girlfriend, but I think that was an Everly poetic invention, not common slang. And calling a guy a dog is slightly less than complimentary. ---
**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, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/23 "2010-11-02T16:28:16Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Women have asses too! A common British term for gay man is bum bandit (derogatory, but too silly to be truly offensive most of the time), so people hearing ass bandit would think it was the American equivalent. > [@Musicat](#): > > And, by extension, some guy who is going after your bird, or English slang for girl. At least that’s what I thought when I first heard the Everly Brother’s song. It fits; even the song uses “quail” to mean girlfriend, but I think that was an Everly poetic invention, not common slang. > > And calling a guy a dog is slightly less than complimentary. That does make sense, but it’d have to be used in context for me to pick up on it; there was no context in the OP. I didn’t know bird was ever used to mean woman in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/24 "2010-11-02T16:38:13Z")
> [@scifisam2009](#): > > I didn’t know bird was ever used to mean woman in the US. I don’t think it was ever common US slang, but around Everly Brothers’ peak, there was enough across-the-pond cultural exchange that it was understood. At least I wasn’t confused by the reference in 1958. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/25 "2010-11-02T17:48:47Z")
The Everly Brothers had it right; I knew what it meant from the time I was about thirteen and that predates the Everly Brothers recording. It was a fairly common expression way back when. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/26 "2010-11-02T18:11:08Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > I don’t think it was ever common US slang, but around Everly Brothers’ peak, there was enough across-the-pond cultural exchange that it was understood. At least I wasn’t confused by the reference in 1958. > [@LouisB](#): > > The Everly Brothers had it right; I knew what it meant from the time I was about thirteen and that predates the Everly Brothers recording. It was a fairly common expression way back when. [Webster’s lists that usage in 1913.](http://machaut.uchicago.edu/?resource=Webster%27s&word=bird&use1913=on&use1828=on) ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/27 "2010-11-02T18:20:28Z")
A pussy hound. ---
**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, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/28 "2010-11-02T19:11:39Z")
Interesting. I think the only time I’ve ever heard the term was on an episode of MASH. It was the episode where two spies (Col. Flagg was one of them) were spying on each other. One of them said that he was going to bird dog the other. Hawkeye replied “You do, and you’ll clean it up.” ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/29 "2010-11-02T20:04:46Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > [Webster’s lists that usage in 1913.](http://machaut.uchicago.edu/?resource=Webster%27s&word=bird&use1913=on&use1828=on) Well, I don’t predate that. ---
**Author:** ![born\_too\_late](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba9def/32.png) [@born\_too\_late](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/born_too_late)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/30 "2010-11-02T20:28:21Z")
> [@LouisB](#): > > Well, I don’t predate that. I see what you did there. ---
**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, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/31 "2010-11-02T23:08:04Z")
> [@campp](#): > > Wow, when I was selling cars, a bird dog was someone who brings you a lead or a tip for a sale. I’ve never heard this definition before, and I got into an argument on Twitter about which usage was better known - a sales lead or a girl chaser. I was just curious to know what the Dopers thought. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/32 "2010-11-03T01:01:49Z")
On the Beverly Hillbillies, Jethro said to Uncle Jed, whom he believed was trying to steal a woman from him “No bird-doggin’!” Definitive, I’d say. Best wishes, hh ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/33 "2010-11-03T01:05:49Z")
> [@campp](#): > > Wow, when I was selling cars, a bird dog was someone who brings you a lead or a tip for a sale. This is what I thought as well (but in the more general business sense, not just car sales). ---
**Author:** ![Orange13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a88e57/32.png) [@Orange13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orange13)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195/34 "2010-11-03T06:42:13Z")
In the construction industry, a foreman or engineer who hovers around constantly watching or micromanaging tradesmen is known as a bird dog. I guess this goes along with the concept of bird dog as spy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-says-hes-a-bird-dog/559195.md?page=1)