Where is the term "Three Dog Night" from?

Hi, rkmlus-ga 


 Every reference I have found for the term "Three dog night" seems to
point to the same meaning: using dogs for warmth when the weather is
especially cold outside.


==

"There is an interesting question as to when dogs where first selected
primarily as companions rather than as workers. Even with the
Australian Aborigines dogs are used to warm the sleeper at night (A
"three dog night" being a cold night)."

From "Choosing the Right Dog for You." Net Pets
http://www.netpets.org/dogs/reference/choosing_breeds2.html


==


"Pets that sleep with their humans aid in two ways. They help keep the
covers on the bed, and they help keep the heating bills down (the
origin of "Three Dog Night": sorta cold, sleep with one dog;
cold-cold, sleep with two; REALLY cold, it's a "Three Dog Night"!)."

From http://members.tripod.com/martinetc/id92.htm
 

==


"Does anyone know the origin of "three dog night"? I have heard that
it is a description of extreme cold. The colder it is outside, the
more dogs you need to keep you warm."

"I've heard the same thing. It's said to have originated in Australia,
where people sleeping outdoors (sheepherders moving the flock?) had
their dogs sleep with them.


From "The Phrase Finder."
http://phrases.shu.ac.uk/bulletin_board/7/messages/456.html


==

Three Dog Night:

"I would like to know the origin and meaning of this expression. I
know it is used as a name of a band, but I think it also has something
to do with cold weather."


From The Macquarie Book of Slang: 

dog --adjective 4. used as a measurement of coldness when camping out
in the open: It was a three-dog night, four-dog night, etc. [referring
to how many dogs one needs to snuggle around one's person to keep
warm]

three-dog night noun a very cold night. [from the practice of bushmen
of sleeping with their dogs; the colder the night, the more dogs
needed]


From "The Wordwizard Clubhouse."
http://www.wordwizard.com/clubhouse/founddiscuss.asp?Num=2515


==

Based on an old Eskimo custom of using live dogs as blankets. If the
temperatures were below zero, that would be classified as "a three dog
night".

From "Band Name Origins - beginning with T."
http://www.amiright.com/names/origins/t.shtml


==

Three Dog Night:

"Meaning: A very cold night. Origin: I believe this is of Australian
origin. Ranchers camping on the outback would bring dogs into the tent
at night for warmth. A three dog night would be particularly cold."

"I understood it was a Yukon term meaning that it was so cold that you
needed to curl up with three dogs to keep warm."

From "It's a 'three dog night." Pine Crest High School Idiom
Collection.
http://www.hray.com/idiom/php/idiom.php?idiomid=1102


==


"You've heard the expression three-dog night? Well, that expression
could very well have been originated by the Samoyed people. On a cold
night, the Samoyed hunter would bring several dogs into his home (a
wood and seal-hide tent called a choom) to sleep on his bed for
warmth. Any time he had to bring in more than a couple of dogs, it was
really cold outside!"

From "The Samoyed."
http://home.earthlink.net/~sambassador/aboutsams/aboutsams.html


==


"Three dog night (attributed to Australian Aborigines) came about
because on especially cold nights these nomadic people needed three
dogs (dingos, actually) to keep from freezing."

From "Speaking Of ...(Language and Words)"
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/6271/tmrlang.html


==


I hope this answers your question!


umiat-ga
 
Google Search Strategy
+origin "three dog night"

A friend told me it was in a poem by Robert Service. But I haven't
been able to find it. But, the meaning is exactly the same, So he
probably copied it from legend; if he really did use it.