DCHP-3

angle-dog

DCHP-1 (pre-1967)

Spelling variants:
angledog

Entry from the DCHP-1 (pre-1967)

This entry may contain outdated or offensive information, terms, and examples.

n. dated; Newfoundland

an earthworm.

Type: 2. Preservation Inferring from evidence in DARE or EDD, this term is likely a preservation from SW England. Used predominantly in the US, the term has also had some currency in Newfoundland due to partly shared early settlement from SW England. Angle-dog is included in the DNE (see 1990 quotation). However, a lack of more recent quotations indicates a possible decline in usage.
See also DNE, s.v. "angle" (4), and DARE, s.v. "angledog", EDD, s.v. "angle-dog", which is marked "Devon" (an area in SW England).

Quotations

1969
C 69-2 The man we were discussing was the seventh son of a seventh son, and my father said if you put a worm (angledog) on the palm of this man it would die.
2004
As well as being a bestiary, this book acts as a glossary for some lively local lingo: an "owenshook" (delectable word) while depicted as a demented marmalade cat, is merely a Newfoundland term for a fool; an "angle-dog" is a worm baited on a hook, though Barton imagines it as a gargoyle-like canine.

References

  • DNE
  • DARE
  • EDD