Do you know what this expression means? How old are you?
(I just used it while talking to my sidekick, and it turns out that none of the three people in the office – two are about 30 and one at about 35 – had ever heard it before.)
(FTR, none of these three people has ever seen The Maltese Falcon, either – I don’t know if there’s a connection there or not.)
no 33
23, I know what it means.
38, I think I know what it means but I’m not 100% sure. Never use it (obviously).
Absolutely. (39)
We used the term when appropriate in my family growing up, and the Aesop’s fable from whence it came was included in a book I had as a kid.
(Those fables really ought to be required reading. “Dog in the manger,” “sour grapes,” “bell the cat,” “the lion’s share,” etc.)
Well, I know what it means. I’m 58, and Maltese Falcon (Bogart version, of course) is one of my 5 favorite movies.
But I don’t remember hearing that expression in the movie, so if there’s a connection it’s probably coincidental.
Doesn’t the “dog in the manger” concept come from an Aesop’s fable? Are those things being propagated to younger generations any more? There are a lot of useful things in Aesop that are being lost, in my opinion. Anyway, that’s my SWAG about why this concept is unfamiliar to young folks.
Roddy…
On preview, I see the Aesop’s thing pretty well confirmed…
Well, in fairness, I didn’t really think there was a connection with Maltese Falcon – that was just another random WTF moment when I encountered a gap in their cultural literacy.
Yes. I’m 41.
I know it, but I’ve heard it IRL exactly once --I’m doubtful that many people would recognize it if I used it. (Frankly the fun in using expressions that other people don’t get is starting to fade for me… Thank god I’ve still got sex and whisky.)
Oh, and I’m 48.
I remember it from Aesop’s Fables as well. Those were definitely big in elementary school. We even did a play of them–although the dog in the manger wasn’t used.
no 33
I never heard it, I am 41 and I have seen The Maltese Falcon. I don’t recall the phrase being used in the movie. Was it?
Oops, never mind, on preview, I see this thread really moved since I opened it.
Jim
Vaguely, and I’m 25.
Well, I thought I was familiar with Aesop’s fables, but apparently I forgot this one or missed it somehow. (Now probably wouldn’t be a good time to admit I majored in English literature and read voraciously :o Usually.)
I’m 44 and don’t recall hearing anyone reference it (though of course it could’ve gone straight over my head).
Yes, 49. (But I grew up with a book of Aesop’s Fables. I still remember the picture of the dog in the manger!)
Yes, twenty-nine, and I had a book of Aesop’s fables growing up, too.
yes, 33, has seen Maltese Falcon–though I may well have been 30 before I did so–would hesitate to actually use Dog in the manger in conversation for fear of getting it wrong. Chose not to use “cut off one’s nose to spite one’s face” in a recent thread for fear that my vocabulary would be the next topic of discussion, rather than the issues the OP wished to discuss.
I know. I’m 52.
Our daughter, MilliCal, almost certainly knows it – she used to read Aesop’s Fables every night. She’s 10.
Mid 30s
I’ve heard it, I know what it’s supposed to mean, but I never really got the moral from the fable story so I’ve never used that expression myself out of a vague fear I’ll apply it to the wrong situation.
37, and I’m really surprised that everyone doesn’t know it.