cat-and-dog

[ kat-n-dawg, -dog ]

adjective

1. continuously or unceasingly vicious and destructive:

   cat-and-dog competition.

2. Slang. (of a security) highly speculative and of questionable value.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cat-and-dog¹

First recorded in 1570–80

Example Sentences

There was no time to change into better clothes, so I pulled my big wool coat over my cat-and-dog pajamas, and we tiptoed out of the house, careful not to make too much sound.

From Literature

“If you want to see a cat-and-dog fight, just let someone make a move on us,” Mr. Spoor said that June.

From Washington Post

“So I’m going to buy shares for $20 while you’re selling them to these cat-and-dog investors for $15?”

From New York Times

Cat-and-dog, used attributively for quarrelsome.—ns.

From Project Gutenberg

War in the Argonne Forest was a cat-and-dog fight, and Germany was destined to play the cat's usual r�le, though she clawed her hardest.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• belligerent
• cantankerous
• combative
• contentious
• fractious
• litigious
• petulant
• tempestuous
• turbulent
• unruly