badger-baiting

Definition

Noun: The practice of setting dogs to dig out or attack a badger from its underground den, often for entertainment or sport. It is a historical blood sport now illegal in many countries.

Usage Examples

• (The practice of using dogs to harass badgers.)
• (The prohibition of this blood sport.)

Advanced Usage

• "to engage in badger-baiting": to participate in the sport of setting dogs on badgers.
  • The men were arrested for engaging in badger-baiting on private land. (They were caught in the act of this illegal activity.)

Variants and Related Words

• Badger (n): a burrowing mammal with a black-and-white striped face, often targeted in this sport.
  • The badger dug a deep set to escape the dogs. (The animal itself.)
• Baiting (n): the act of setting animals to attack or worry another animal.
  • Bear-baiting and badger-baiting were both outlawed. (A broader term for similar blood sports.)

Synonyms

• Blood sport: a sport involving the killing or injuring of animals.
• Animal fighting: a general term for pitting animals against each other.

Related Idioms

• "like a badger at bay": describing a desperate or cornered resistance, derived from the badger's defensive posture in badger-baiting.
  • The cornered politician fought like a badger at bay against his accusers. (He resisted fiercely, as a badger would when baited.)