# What is a "dog-end?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 20, 2008, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dog-end/457129 "2008-07-20T04:23:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2008, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dog-end/457129/1 "2008-07-20T04:23:35Z")
In “Aqualung” by Jethro Tull: “Leg hurting bad…as he bends to pick a dog-end.” What is this supposed to mean? I have never heard that term outside of that song. Is it British slang? ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2008, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dog-end/457129/2 "2008-07-20T04:51:29Z")
A cigarette butt. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2008, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dog-end/457129/3 "2008-07-20T04:57:03Z")
Also a Love and Rockets song: > [@](#): > > Stuck at the dog-end of a day gone by, boy > Stuck at the dog-end of a day gone by > Stuck at the dog-end of a day gone by, boy > Don’t let the smoke get in your eyes ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2008, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dog-end/457129/4 "2008-07-20T15:19:10Z")
[QUOTE=yabob] A cigarette butt. [/QUOTE] Yes, and it is British slang. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2008, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dog-end/457129/5 "2008-07-20T15:24:12Z")
[QUOTE=susan] Also a Love and Rockets song: [/QUOTE] I think it would be more common in the UK to say “the fag-end of the day” with “fag-end” meaning the same as “dog-end”, but as Love and Rockets were mostly aiming at the US market I can understand why they would have gone for “dog-end”. ---
**Author:** ![Daithi\_Lacha](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daithi_lacha/32/5430_2.png) [@Daithi\_Lacha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daithi_Lacha)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2008, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dog-end/457129/6 "2008-07-20T15:35:33Z")
I’ve noticed that Terry Pratchett (Discworld)always uses “dog-end.” ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2008, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dog-end/457129/7 "2008-07-20T15:52:49Z")
[QUOTE=Daithi Lacha] I’ve noticed that Terry Pratchett (Discworld)always uses “dog-end.” [/QUOTE] Actually, come to think of it, it’s probably a regional thing. ---
**Author:** ![biggeorgec](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ab992/32.png) [@biggeorgec](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biggeorgec)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dog-end/457129/8 "2012-12-05T16:14:11Z")
Hi, Its all of these things - mostly Brit Slang - but its also a really stupid towel holder - take a look at [www.dog-end.co.uk](http://www.dog-end.co.uk) - funny idea. I think its also a device used to help dogs dragging their tails! Cheers G ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dog-end/457129/9 "2012-12-05T16:37:44Z")
You don’t hear it much as it’s the lip end of a smoked hand-rolled. In America, a similar but different thing would be a “roach”. ---
**Author:** ![sidecar\_jon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@sidecar\_jon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sidecar_jon)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dog-end/457129/10 "2012-12-05T17:10:22Z")
Good to see someone is still listening to Tull! and latter on in the song a “bog” is a toilet (public rest room in that case) ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dog-end/457129/11 "2012-12-05T17:33:50Z")
From [Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos](http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080324161659AAdMDMf) > [@](#): > > It’s from the 1920s and it’s a corruption of “docked end”. > Example: A cigarette that has been nipped off and kept for later. > > Source: Partridge’s Dictionary of Slang I would have thought that “dog end” could be the end of anything mostly used up, and thought I’d read it used that way, but once again, with etymology, what seems to make sense probably isn’t true. ---
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dog-end/457129/12 "2012-12-05T22:27:50Z")
for years I thought it was “…as he bends to pet the dog and goes down to the park and warms his feet…” since playing it in a band I have been enlightened of the proper. lyrics. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dog-end/457129/13 "2012-12-05T22:55:44Z")
And from the same album, I didn’t know that a “Cheap Day Return” was a type of transportation ticket until I watched an episode of The Good [del]neighbors[/del] Life. (Nor what “All Mod Cons” were other than a Jam album, until I saw another episode of that show, but I digress.) ---
**Author:** ![\_Tamar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/fbc32d/32.png) [@\_Tamar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_Tamar)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dog-end/457129/14 "2012-12-06T01:22:12Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > In “Aqualung” by Jethro Tull: > > “Leg hurting bad…as he bends to pick a dog-end.” > > What is this supposed to mean? I have never heard that term outside of that song. Is it British slang? It means a cigarette butt that is long enough to relight, probably one that has been bent before being thrown on the ground. Yes, it’s British slang. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dog-end/457129/15 "2012-12-06T01:31:36Z")
> [@sidecar\_jon](#): > > Good to see someone is still listening to Tull! Well, they were four years ago, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dog-end/457129/16 "2012-12-06T02:05:10Z")
> [@biggeorgec](#): > > Hi, > > Its all of these things - mostly Brit Slang - but its also a really stupid towel holder - take a look at [www.dog-end.co.uk](http://www.dog-end.co.uk) - funny idea. > > I think its also a device used to help dogs dragging their tails! > > Cheers G Spam? I almost didn’t recognize it as such except for the “funny idea” part. Surely no real person would think that was funny.