dogpile
English
Alternative forms
- dog pile, dog-pile
Etymology
From dog + pile. In reference to piles of people, originally as a noun after earlier pig pile. In reference to dog excrement, a clipping of pile of shit.
Noun
dogpile (plural dogpiles)
- (US colloquial) A disorderly pile of people formed by jumping upon a victim.
- 1948 November 21, Los Angeles Times, Sect. i, p. 20:
- The bottom man of a 'dog pile' in a fraternity house scuffle is in a hospital with a neck dislocation.
- 1948 November 21, Los Angeles Times, Sect. i, p. 20:
- (figuratively, US colloquial) Any similarly disorderly pile of people or things.
- 1921 November 19, The Nebraska State Journal, p. 3:
- Purdy tucked the pigskin under his elbow and cantered over a dog-pile for a tally.
- 1921 November 19, The Nebraska State Journal, p. 3:
- (US colloquial, euphemistic) A pile of dogshit.
- 1950 March 6, The Tri-City Herald, p. 6:
- Mrs. Brown cleaned her lawn up bright and early each day;
Picked up all the dog piles so her children could play.
- Mrs. Brown cleaned her lawn up bright and early each day;
- 1950 March 6, The Tri-City Herald, p. 6:
Synonyms
See also
Verb
dogpile (third-person singular simple present dogpiles, present participle dogpiling, simple past and past participle dogpiled)
- (US colloquial, transitive, intransitive, often with 'on') To jump into a dogpile.
- c. 1947, Tamotsu Shibutani, The Derelicts of Company K, p. 273:
- He can either take a beating from one man or... be dogpiled by a dozen men.
- 1989 September 7, The Los Angeles Times, Sect. ix, p. 16:
- I fumbled the snap, fell on the ball and about 10 guys dog-piled on top of me.
- c. 1947, Tamotsu Shibutani, The Derelicts of Company K, p. 273:
- (figuratively, US, colloquial, transitive, intransitive) To pile on, to overwhelm in other senses.
- 2005, Craig Spector, Underground, →ISBN, page 169:
- But this guy was serious, using online payment services and dogpiling her e-mail box within minutes, requesting expedited shipping.
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References
- “dog pile, n.”, in OED Online
, Oxford: Oxford University Press, December 2006. - “dog-pile, v.”, in OED Online
, Oxford: Oxford University Press, December 2006.
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