# Where did the "dog ate my homework" excuse originate? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 16, 2011, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-dog-ate-my-homework-excuse-originate/567861 "2011-01-16T21:05:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-dog-ate-my-homework-excuse-originate/567861/61 "2011-10-17T01:27:51Z")
Roger Zelazny and Philip K. Dick had to rewrite **Deus Irae** because PKD’s cat pissed on the manuscript. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-dog-ate-my-homework-excuse-originate/567861/62 "2011-10-17T01:52:07Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > “The dog went on my homework.” > [@Jake](#): > > I think the line was “My dog pead on it” The dog pored over my homework? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-dog-ate-my-homework-excuse-originate/567861/63 "2011-10-17T02:00:23Z")
> [@Daylate](#): > > I remeber using this excuse once in the fourth grade back in 1938. The teacher, who was a real gentleman, let it slide. Do you really expect us to believe that you are 83 when, as this wikipedia page points out no human has lived past 78? ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-dog-ate-my-homework-excuse-originate/567861/64 "2011-10-17T03:43:18Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Do you really expect us to believe that you are 83 when, as this wikipedia page points out no human has lived past 78? :mad: :shakes fist: ---
**Author:** ![Vashbul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Vashbul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vashbul)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-dog-ate-my-homework-excuse-originate/567861/65 "2011-10-17T03:45:03Z")
“The dog ate it” was a joke that grade-schoolers of my day (early 60s) used; an example of what a desperate and stupid kid might think he could away with. I don’t know of anyone who actually tried it. I think David Letterman had a lot to do with popularizing the phrase in the 80s - he said it a few times, and I remember thinking, “hey, I thought we were the only ones who said that”. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-dog-ate-my-homework-excuse-originate/567861/66 "2011-10-17T09:41:13Z")
When I worked at the issuing counter in a public library someone, very shamefully, returned a dog chewed book called “Svält” (starvation in English). ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-dog-ate-my-homework-excuse-originate/567861/67 "2011-10-17T22:42:04Z")
Newton was working on, maybe not his homework, but, you know Newtonian stuff, when [this little fire](http://www.google.com/imgres?q=oh+thou+knowest+not+what+thou+hast+done&um=1&hl=en&safe=off&client=safari&sa=N&tbo=d&tbm=isch&tbnid=J9c1jcx7BM_b7M:&imgrefurl=http://calvy.wordpress.com/2010/07/19/diamond-newtons-dog/&docid=nhG2uDMAccprYM&imgurl=http://calvy.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/isaac_newton_labratory_fire.jpg%253Fw%253D458%2526h%253D317&w=458&h=317&ei=kKycTvmjO4j00gGdpNyQCQ&zoom=1&biw=1024&bih=690) broke out, started by a candle knocked-over by a dog. Newton’ cried out, apocryphally, “oh Diamond, oh Diamond, though little knowest the damage though hast done!” When his publisher complained, he might have repeated the story. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-dog-ate-my-homework-excuse-originate/567861.md?page=3)