In this mini episode, you will learn the interesting phrase “in the doghouse.”
Episode 410 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you the interesting phrase “in the doghouse.” Send your questions about English and your comments and suggestions to EverybodyESL@gmail.com. (And let me know if you’d like to record the introduction to a future episode.)
Intro
“Hi, this is Atena, from Iran. And you’re listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 410 of Everybody ESL, the podcast for everybody who wants to improve their English, practice their English, or just learn more English. My name is Ben, and I have a mini episode for you today, where I am going to teach you about one English topic. You can subscribe to the Everybody ESL podcast at Apple podcasts and wherever you find your podcasts. If you like Everybody ESL, leave it a good review so other people can find out about it too. And if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for me, please send an email to EverybodyESL@gmail.com. Okay! Let’s get on with this mini episode.
The episode
In this episode, I am going to teach you an interesting phrase with a meaning that you might not be able to guess.
The phrase is “in the doghouse.” In the doghouse.
That’s spelled i-n, t-h-e, d-o-g-h-o-u-s-e. In the doghouse.
First, what is a doghouse? Do you know what doghouse means? Basically, it’s just what it sounds like: A doghouse is a little house for a dog. It is a little place for a dog to live in. A doghouse is like a tiny little house outside, next to or near someone’s house.
In some places and in some families, dogs live outside. They don’t live inside with the family. I think in many places, dogs do live inside, in the house with the family. But in some places or in some times, dogs live outside, and they might have a doghouse to live in.
What does it mean if we say that someone is in the doghouse? Can you guess what this phrase might mean?
If you are in the doghouse, that means that somebody is mad at you. Somebody does not approve of you for some reason. You are in trouble with someone for some reason.
When we think about this phrase, I think it’s easy to see why it means what it means. Because if somebody is in the doghouse, that means that they have been thrown out of the house. They have been told, “You are not welcome here. We do not want you here. You can go out and live with the dog in the doghouse. We don’t want you here living with us.”
And so, if you are in the doghouse, it means somebody is very angry with you. You have done something to really make someone angry or to really bother somebody or annoy someone. You have gotten into trouble with them. You have done something that they really disapprove of, or you have done something that made someone really angry. So it sounds like they have kicked you out of the house. They’ve kicked you out of the family. They’ve kicked you out of their life in some way.
Being in the doghouse is usually a temporary condition. Usually it means that somebody is temporarily in trouble.
There is one thing I need to point out about this phrase: We always say, “In the doghouse.” We never say, “In a—or a (“uh”)—doghouse.” We never say, “In her doghouse” or “in his doghouse” or “in their doghouse.” We always say, “In the doghouse.”
And that is “in the doghouse,” a colorful and interesting phrase that I think you should know.
Outro
This is the end of episode 410 of Everybody ESL. Remember: if you have any questions about English, or if you have comments for me, or if you would like to record an introduction that I can play at the beginning of future episodes—the same way Atena recorded the introduction you heard at the beginning of this episode—send an email to EverybodyESL@gmail.com. I’ll be back soon with a new episode. And until then, keep going, keep practicing, and keep learning. I’ll see you soon. Goodbye!