   If You Lay Down With Dogs, You’ll Get Up With FleasIn Appalachian and Southern speech, "If you lay down with dogs, you’ll get up with fleas" means associating with bad people brings trouble. It’s a vivid country proverb rooted in everyday rural life. Hillbilly Dude Says...  I didn't hear 'if you lay down with dogs, you’ll get up with fleas' all that much growin' up, but I do still here it now and again. Pronunciation[if yew LAY down with DAWGS yewl get up with FLEEZ] Meaning & Usage- Associating with bad people brings harm (proverb)
Mae:
He’s been runnin’ with that crowd.
Earl:
Well, if you lay down with dogs, you’ll get up with fleas.- Even contact with trouble can rub off (figurative)
Mae:
I told him that job was shady.
Earl:
Yep. If you lay down with dogs, you’ll get up with fleas.other spellings: If you lie down with dogs, you’ll get up with fleas ★ This proverb draws on the real experience of farm dogs carrying fleas - if you sleep near them, you’ll carry their pests. It’s a folksy way to teach kids about the company they keep. ★ OriginGoes back to at least the 18th century in English writings but became entrenched in Southern/Appalachian speech thanks to the vivid, everyday image of farm dogs and fleas. The "lay" form reflects authentic rural grammar. NotesStill widely used in Southern/Appalachian storytelling and church sermons. Less common outside the region, though its meaning is instantly clear. The "lie" version appears in print; the "lay" version lives in speech. Say It Like a SouthernerSaid plain: "If you lay down with dogs, you’ll get up with fleas." In standard English it’s "lie down," but Southern/Appalachian speech naturally uses "lay." | Latest Sayings About We are a growing field guide to culture, speech, memory, and meaning - rooted in Appalachia, but wide as the world. Read more... |
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