Definition

Noun: 1. A small outdoor shelter for a dog: A simple structure, often a wooden kennel, designed to provide a dog with protection from the weather. 2. A state of disfavor or punishment (informal, idiomatic): A condition of being in trouble with someone, typically a spouse, partner, or authority figure.

Usage Examples

• Literal meaning (shelter):
  • We built a new dog house for our Labrador in the backyard.
  • The puppy ran into its dog house when it started to rain.
• Idiomatic meaning (disfavor):
  • He forgot their anniversary and is now in the dog house with his wife.
  • After missing the deadline, the employee was in the dog house with his manager.

Advanced Usage

• "to be in the doghouse": To be in a state of disfavor. This is the most common idiomatic usage.
  • I'm in the doghouse for forgetting to take out the trash.
• "to put someone in the doghouse": To cause someone to fall into disfavor.
  • His careless comment put him in the doghouse with the entire team.

Variants and Related Words

• Kennel (n): A shelter for a dog or cat; often used interchangeably with 'dog house' for the literal meaning, but can also refer to a commercial boarding facility.
• Doghouse (n): A common closed compound form of "dog house."

Synonyms

• Literal: Kennel, shelter, hut.
• Idiomatic (state): Disgrace, disfavor, trouble, bad books .

Related Idioms

• In the doghouse: The standard idiom derived from the noun.
  • He's been in the doghouse ever since he crashed the car.

Noun

1. outbuilding that serves as a shelter for a dog