Suck-egg dog?

Posted by ESC on August 02, 2000

In Reply to: Suck-egg dog? posted by AmyC on August 02, 2000

: I am trying to find the meaning of a suck-egg dog. It is used in a story by Zora Hurston ("Sweat")and she is referring to hating her husband as much as a suck-egg dog.

Dogs that "steal" eggs are not welcome on the farm for obvious reasons. I don't know if dogs actually "suck" the eggs. They gobble down the contents and leave the shells behind. People "pepper" eggs to try and break a dog of the habit. But once they develop a taste for eggs, it's hard to make them stop. The way I've heard the phrase is "egg-sucking dog." It's a (U.S.) country saying. A companion saying would be a "sheep-killing dog."