Man's best friend: Difference between revisions
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"'''Man's best friend'''" is a phrase referring to domestic [[dog]]s, referring to their close relations, loyalty and companionship with [[human]]s in many societies. |
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==History== |
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According to the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'', the first known use of the phrase in English dates to 1841. It came at a time of shifting public opinions about dogs. Prior to the 18th century, references to dogs in the English-speaking world were often unflattering or negative, as they were seen largely as [[work animals]] for hunting or guarding, or as dangerous pests. By the mid-18th century, perceptions of dogs became more positive as they were increasingly kept as household [[pet]]s. By the mid-19th century, dogs were idealized as faithful companions, gaining a reputation as "man's best friend".<ref>{{cite web |url= http://public.oed.com/aspects-of-english/word-stories/dog/ |title= The dog: man’s best friend? |last1= Paton |first1= Bernadette |date= 2013 |website= www.oed.com |publisher= [[Oxford English Dictionary]] |accessdate=July 5, 2013}}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | The popularization of the term is said to have occurred in a courtroom speech in 1870{{whom|date=June 2013|reason=Who said that it occurred there?}} by [[George Graham Vest#Old Drum|George Graham Vest]], in [[Warrensburg, Missouri]], who said, "The one absolutely unselfish friend that a man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him and the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog."{{cn|date=June 2013}} The phrase was later shortened to "man’s best friend".{{cn|date=June 2013}} Vest's speech came at the closing of a trial, in which he was representing a farmer who was suing for damages after his dog Old Drum was shot{{Vague|date=November 2010|Reason=W/ a gun, one presumes, but more to the point, injured or killed? The difference is a significant part of the context of the coinage.}} by a neighbor.<ref>{{cite web|last=Coren |first=Stanley |url=http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/canine-corner/200910/man-s-best-friend-is-his-dog-the-senator-the-dog-and-the-trial |title="A Man's Best Friend is his Dog": The Senator, the Dog, and the Trial |publisher=Psychology Today |date=2009-10-21 |accessdate=2010-09-27}}</ref><ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=z0QFKpI6p7AC&pg=PA266&lpg=PA266&dq=Trial+of+Old+Drum+George+Vest&source=bl&ots=e7n33nVKnr&sig=0mTv1qYMXP4OZU2MzfeUaHrCD6M&hl=en&ei=YtSgTKeJJMKBlAfGidXsAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CDgQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=Trial%20of%20Old%20Drum%20George%20Vest&f=false The Trial of Old Drum] – New York Times Television Review – June 9, 2000</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.pitch.com/plog/2010/03/i-70_in_missouri_not_just_billboards_and_trucker-oriented_porn.php |title=I-70 in Missouri: Not just billboards and trucker-oriented porn |last=Martin |first=David |date=March 8, 2010 |work=[[The Pitch (newspaper)|The Pitch]]}}</ref> |
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== Works so titled == |
== Works so titled == |
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Revision as of 20:15, 5 July 2013
"Man's best friend" is a phrase referring to domestic dogs, referring to their close relations, loyalty and companionship with humans in many societies.
History
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first known use of the phrase in English dates to 1841. It came at a time of shifting public opinions about dogs. Prior to the 18th century, references to dogs in the English-speaking world were often unflattering or negative, as they were seen largely as work animals for hunting or guarding, or as dangerous pests. By the mid-18th century, perceptions of dogs became more positive as they were increasingly kept as household pets. By the mid-19th century, dogs were idealized as faithful companions, gaining a reputation as "man's best friend".[1]
The popularization of the term is said to have occurred in a courtroom speech in 1870[according to whom?] by George Graham Vest, in Warrensburg, Missouri, who said, "The one absolutely unselfish friend that a man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him and the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog."[citation needed] The phrase was later shortened to "man’s best friend".[citation needed] Vest's speech came at the closing of a trial, in which he was representing a farmer who was suing for damages after his dog Old Drum was shot[vague] by a neighbor.[2][3][4]
Works so titled
- A 1935 film about a boy and his dog.
- A 1951 animated short film starring Goofy.
- A 1993 horror film starring Ally Sheedy and Lance Henriksen.
- A 1980 musical album by Livingston Taylor.
- A 1998 award winning animated short film written, Directed, and animated by Ben Gluck.
- A 1999 TV series by Television Broadcasts Limited in Hong Kong.
- An animation episode made for the 2003 series Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon".
- A 2006 Japanese comic (yaoi manga) by Kazusa Takashima.
References
- ^ Paton, Bernadette (2013). "The dog: man's best friend?". www.oed.com. Oxford English Dictionary. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
- ^ Coren, Stanley (2009-10-21). ""A Man's Best Friend is his Dog": The Senator, the Dog, and the Trial". Psychology Today. Retrieved 2010-09-27.
- ^ The Trial of Old Drum – New York Times Television Review – June 9, 2000
- ^ Martin, David (March 8, 2010). "I-70 in Missouri: Not just billboards and trucker-oriented porn". The Pitch.
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