Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

junkyard dog

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.75 in modern English

Syllables: junk-yard -dog
IPA

28

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

3

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An aggressive dog which guards a scrapyard or junkyard.

noun

An animal or person with an especially nasty and combative demeanor.

noun

A hot dog laden with toppings, such as onions, pineapple, or chili.

Example Sentences

"I saw nine dogs running en pack on South Washington Avenue ... They were making for a junkyard that appeared to be their headquarters ... And those junkyard dogs do make nights hideous for the neighbors"
"Badder than old King Kong / And meaner than a junkyard dog"
"House minority whip . . . Gingrich has earned enmity in abundance for his junkyard-dog tactics."
""I'm gonna hire me a lawyer," he said. "A real junkyard dog.""

Etymology

From junkyard + dog. The literal sense was popularized by the song Bad, Bad Leroy Brown (1973) by Jim Croce (see citation below).

Inflected Forms

junkyard dogs (plural)

Questions

What does junkyard dog mean?: An aggressive dog which guards a scrapyard or junkyard.
Where does junkyard dog come from?: From junkyard + dog. The literal sense was popularized by the song Bad, Bad Leroy Brown (1973) by Jim Croce (see citation below).

How to pronounce junkyard dog

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