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Meaning of a prase

Posted by Shae on October 12, 2002

In Reply to: Meaning of a prase posted by Ian England on October 12, 2002

: what does hair of the dog mean, and where did it come from?

I'm sure this is in the archives somewhere, but my little pocket book has: "to take the hair of the dog that bit you" was supposed to cure hydrophobia, one of the symptoms of rabies.

The expression is commonly used now when a person, after heavy drinking, is advised to take a "cure," such as a small brandy or bitters.

"Decidedly, too, the homaeopathic system must be founded on great natural facts, and there is philosophy, born of the observation of human nature, in the somewhat vulgar proverb that recommends a hair of the dog that bit you." - H. R. Haggard

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