# "Sick 'em" Origin **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 7, 2008, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-em-origin/455511 "2008-07-07T02:07:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SharkB8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/977dab/32.png) [@SharkB8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SharkB8)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-em-origin/455511/1 "2008-07-07T02:07:24Z")
My boyfriend just said something non-amusing to me and I told my dog to “sick 'em.” Then I asked my boyfriend what the origin of the phrase was. I thought maybe it meant attack until you make so-and-so sick. Our best guess, then we decided to “dope” it. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-em-origin/455511/2 "2008-07-07T02:09:11Z")
Usually spelled “sic”, it’s a variant of “seek”. ([Cite](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=sic)) ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-em-origin/455511/3 "2008-07-07T02:10:14Z")
It’s “sic.” According to [Answers.com](http://www.answers.com/sic&r=67), it’s a dialect variant of “seek.” ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-em-origin/455511/4 "2008-07-07T02:10:21Z")
[QUOTE=SharkB8] My boyfriend just said something non-amusing to me and I told my dog to “sick 'em.” Then I asked my boyfriend what the origin of the phrase was. I thought maybe it meant attack until you make so-and-so sick. Our best guess, the we decided to “dope” it. Any ideas? [/QUOTE] [I think it’s “sic 'em”](http://www.thefreedictionary.com/sicced) not “sick-em” ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-em-origin/455511/5 "2008-07-07T02:11:41Z")
Good. Now let’s all simulpost on the joke where we requote the OP with “[sic]” inserted. ---
**Author:** ![SharkB8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/977dab/32.png) [@SharkB8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SharkB8)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-em-origin/455511/6 "2008-07-07T02:19:49Z")
Outstanding…thanks guys! ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-em-origin/455511/7 "2008-07-07T06:54:21Z")
When I was a lad, we had different dogs who knew the term well. Say we were moving pigs from one place to another. If one proved uncooperative, a “Sic 'em!” would result in a torrent of all kinds of hell on the recalcitrant pig by the dog\*. We would get them where we wanted. A female collie, Candy, was the absolute best at adjusting porcine attitude. She could clear a five-foot fence with ease and sometimes herded the pigs just for her own enjoyment. Gotta love that. \*Actually, they were mostly “bitches”, but why inject technicalities? We also had a female beagle who would “sing” upon request. “ArooOOOOO”. What could be cooler? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-em-origin/455511/8 "2008-07-07T12:24:40Z")
[QUOTE=Oslo Ostragoth] We also had a female beagle who would “sing” upon request. “ArooOOOOO”. What could be cooler? [/QUOTE] A beagle that would STFU on request. twicks, who wasn’t all that sorry when the next-door neighbor’s fat beagle with bladder-control issues died. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-em-origin/455511/9 "2008-07-07T14:57:41Z")
[QUOTE=Indistinguishable] Good. Now let’s all simulpost on the joke where we requote the OP with “[sic]” inserted. [/QUOTE] All these simulposts make me sic. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-em-origin/455511/10 "2008-07-07T16:16:16Z")
Obligatory _Stand By Me_ reference. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-em-origin/455511/11 "2008-07-07T16:20:45Z")
And then there’s [the t-shirt.](http://www.onehorseshy.com/highbrow/bad_grammar_makes_me_sic?p=onehorseshy.193771580) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-em-origin/455511/12 "2008-07-07T16:27:20Z")
[QUOTE=KneadToKnow] Obligatory _Stand By Me_ reference. [/QUOTE] Remind me, please? ---
**Author:** ![Whiteknight](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whiteknight/32/4962_2.png) [@Whiteknight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiteknight)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-em-origin/455511/13 "2008-07-07T16:29:32Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] Remind me, please? [/QUOTE] Chopper, sic balls. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-em-origin/455511/14 "2008-07-07T18:41:03Z")
[QUOTE=Whiteknight] Chopper, sic balls. [/QUOTE] I’m still blanking. Sorry, it’s been a long time. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-em-origin/455511/15 "2008-07-07T19:30:32Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] I’m still blanking. Sorry, it’s been a long time. [/QUOTE] The junkyard scene. Rumor had it the junkyard owner had trained his dog to sic, I believe the phrase used is, “specific parts of a kids anatomy.” > [@](#): > > Milo: Chopper, sic 'em, Boy! > The Writer: Now he said, “Sic 'em, Boy”, but what I heard was, “Chopper, sic balls!” > Gordie: [Chopper turns out to be a small golden retriever] _That’s_ Chopper? > Teddy: Ha ha ha! Come on, Choppy, bite my ass, Choppy. Bite my ass. Bite shit. Come on Choppy. Sic balls, Choppy. ---
**Author:** ![SharkB8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/977dab/32.png) [@SharkB8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SharkB8)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-em-origin/455511/16 "2008-07-07T20:09:27Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] I’m still blanking. Sorry, it’s been a long time. [/QUOTE] [Chopper, Sic balls!](http://www.videosift.com/video/Chopper-Sic-balls-Steven-Kings-The-Body) Poor Gordon. I guess the leach thought the junkyard keeper was talking to him. ---
**Author:** ![unstrung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a698b9/32.png) [@unstrung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unstrung)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-em-origin/455511/17 "2008-07-07T20:13:54Z")
Although “sic-em” is technically more correct, I really do enjoy thinking of it as “sick-em”, since I tend to warn victims that my dog has rabies just before giving the attack order… ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2008, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-em-origin/455511/18 "2008-07-08T05:10:46Z")
[QUOTE=twickster] A beagle that would STFU on request. [/QUOTE] LOL, yep! Barky beagles are a real nightmare.