What it means
A tidy, cleaned-up way to say something’s absolutely brilliant. It’s basically a softened version of the dog’s bollocks, so you can big up a car, a meal, a pub, or whatever else is top tier without sounding too rude.
Usage examples
"That new burger gaff is the dog's. Thought it’d be bang average, but it’s lush and even Dave quit moaning for a full five minutes."
"Mate, that little campsite was the dog's, sea view, proper hot showers, and a chippy two minutes down the lane."
"Have you tried her homemade lasagne? Absolutely the dog's, I had three helpings and zero regrets."
"That little second-hand record shop is the dog's, loads of rare stuff and the bloke behind the counter actually knows his music."
"We borrowed Sam's speaker for the park and it was the dog's, proper loud but still crisp, no tinny nonsense."
Where it comes from
It’s a clipped, cleaner spin on the dog’s bollocks, a British slang phrase meaning something is absolutely excellent. People started dropping the rude bit so they could give the same big-up in mixed company, at work, or around family without making the room go all eyebrow-raisey.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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- An example
- Your patch
- Your voice