第352期：dog-tired 一组跟狗有关的英语
英语中有很多跟狗有关的习语和成语，今天我们来学一个简单的说法：dog-tired.
先简单说一下跟狗有关的几个英语成语，列举一下，不细讲。看看你知道几个。
中国人大多学的第一个跟狗有关的英语成语是rain dogs and cats（瓢泼大雨），很多英语学习书告诉你这是陈词滥调(cliche），就是说这个说法太老了，现代英语用得不多了。你认识就好。
下面再列举几个。
• Dog-eat-dog 人吃人（形容竞争激烈）
When a situation is dog-eat-dog, it’s very competitive in a cruel and selfish way.
例句：Working on Wall Street is dog-eat-dog.
• Let sleeping dogs lie （别没事找事）
You let sleeping dogs lie when you choose to not talk about things which have caused problems in the past. It’s also used to not try to change a situation because it might cause problems.
例句：He never talks about his ex-wife and we never ask about her, it’s better to let sleeping dogs lie.
• be like a dog with two tails （很开心）
To be very happy.
例句：He was like a dog with two tails when his team won.
• as sick as a dog（病得很厉害）
– very sick
• better to be a live dog than a dead lion （好死不如赖活着）
– it is better to be a live coward than a dead hero (this is from Ecclesiastes in the Bible)
It is better to be a live dog than a dead lion so I walked away and did not try and fight with the man.
• every dog has his day （谁都会有交好运的一天）
– everyone will have his chance or turn, everyone will get what he deserves
• in the doghouse（有麻烦了）
– in disgrace or disfavor, in trouble
The man is in the doghouse with his wife because he came home late last night.
• work like a dog（非常努力）
– to work very hard
还有很多，不多说了。
今天，我们要讲的这个dog-tired，意思很像现在网络用语”累成狗“，搞不好这个网络语就是从这个英语成语直译过来的。
Dog-tired是个形容词，在英国英语中一般中间有连字符，美国英语中一般分开写。但两种写法在英美都可以用。
Dog-tired的意思是：
– very tired, exhausted
– extremely weary, totally drained
就是非常非常累，累死了。
来看个例句：
She usually got home at around 9pm, dog tired after overtime on the job.
她经常晚上九点才到家，加班累成狗。
这个说法还真的是源自英国的一句英语，而且来自古英语。
大家知道英国人的祖先是盎格鲁-萨克森人。公元849-899年之间（中国的唐宣宗到唐昭宗年间），出了一个了不起的人物叫Alfred the Great（阿尔弗雷德大帝）。此人在英国历史上的地位大约相当于中国的秦始皇，打败了维京海盗的侵略，统一了七国。有人说美剧《权力的游戏》的剧情说的就是这段历史之后的事。
据说dog-tired这个成语就来自阿尔弗雷德大帝时期。这位马上皇帝当时经常让他的两个儿子带着猎狗出去打猎，谁打猎的收获多，谁就可以坐在皇帝右手共进晚餐，以示荣耀和奖赏。可想而知，两位太子每天都累的跟狗似的回来。后来dog-tired就成了一个英语成语了。
