‘Doghouse’

English translation: a "dog-eat-dog" environment / a place where dogfights are held

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:‘Doghouse’
Selected answer:a "dog-eat-dog" environment / a place where dogfights are held
Entered by: Charles Davis

10:07 Nov 24, 2016
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Sports / Fitness / Recreation
English term or phrase: ‘Doghouse’
Hello everyone,

John Kavanagh writes in his book:

"I’m strongly opposed to teammates competing against each other in training, whereas I know in some gyms that it’s almost encouraged. In a lot of those gyms it’s about whittling down the numbers, so that they’re left with five or six guys who are able to beat up everybody else.

Take the ‘Doghouse’ sparring sessions they do at Floyd May‑ weather’s gym, for example. That involves two guys in a full‑on fight in the gym until one of them quits. I’ve watched some footage of that and it almost made me sick. It’s irresponsible and moronic. The environment Mayweather has created is undoubtedly going to produce one or two amazing guys, because you obviously need an incredible amount of physical and mental toughness to get through something like that."

More details, including a video, can be found here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/4qqa07/questions_ab...

What's the meaning of Doghouse and why is this word in quotes?

Does it have anything to do with the expression "in the doghouse" meaning in trouble?

Thank you.
Mikhail Korolev
Local time: 10:56
a "dog-eat-dog" environment
Explanation:
The dictionary definitions of "doghouse" are no real help here. Literally it means what we call a kennel in British English, a small covered enclosure, normally kept outside, as living quarters for a dog. As you say, being "in the doghouse" means being in disfavour (metaphorically reduced to the status of a dog, banished from the home), but that's not directly relevant here.

I think it's clear that this is a name chosen for this kind of all-out sparring because of other associations of dogs, particularly in the expression "dog eat dog", which means ruthless competition, fighting with no mercy. It's sometimes said that it's a "dog-eat-dog world", meaning that everyone is out to beat everyone else at any cost, you survive or you're destroyed. That's clearly the spirit of this kind of sparring.

It might also suggest dog-fighting, which is merciless and taken often to the point of serious injury or death, and is also a cruel spectator sport, which could be relevant because apparently the sparring in this "Doghouse" sometimes involves jeering spectators.

So really it means a situation in which people behave (and are treated) in the way dogs are thought to behave, fighting savagely and inhumanly.

It's in quotes to indicate that it means "so-called Doghouse sessions" or "what are known as Doghouse sessions", so it's a particular name chosen by the Floyd Mayweather gym and not a standard generic term.
Selected response from:

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 08:56
Grading comment
Thank you, Charles.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +6a "dog-eat-dog" environment
Charles Davis
Summary of reference entries provided
Mayweather quote from "24/7"
Alison MacG

Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +6
‘doghouse’
a "dog-eat-dog" environment


Explanation:
The dictionary definitions of "doghouse" are no real help here. Literally it means what we call a kennel in British English, a small covered enclosure, normally kept outside, as living quarters for a dog. As you say, being "in the doghouse" means being in disfavour (metaphorically reduced to the status of a dog, banished from the home), but that's not directly relevant here.

I think it's clear that this is a name chosen for this kind of all-out sparring because of other associations of dogs, particularly in the expression "dog eat dog", which means ruthless competition, fighting with no mercy. It's sometimes said that it's a "dog-eat-dog world", meaning that everyone is out to beat everyone else at any cost, you survive or you're destroyed. That's clearly the spirit of this kind of sparring.

It might also suggest dog-fighting, which is merciless and taken often to the point of serious injury or death, and is also a cruel spectator sport, which could be relevant because apparently the sparring in this "Doghouse" sometimes involves jeering spectators.

So really it means a situation in which people behave (and are treated) in the way dogs are thought to behave, fighting savagely and inhumanly.

It's in quotes to indicate that it means "so-called Doghouse sessions" or "what are known as Doghouse sessions", so it's a particular name chosen by the Floyd Mayweather gym and not a standard generic term.

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 08:56
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 39
Grading comment
Thank you, Charles.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  writeaway: https://www.google.com/search?num=100&q=floyd mayweather dog...
16 mins
  -> Thanks! Yes, plenty of references, though they don't seem to explain why it has that name.

agree  B D Finch
18 mins
  -> Thanks!

agree  Daryo
30 mins
  -> Thanks!

agree  acetran
1 hr
  -> Thanks!

agree  Alison MacG
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Alison. Great reference once again.

agree  Yasutomo Kanazawa
4 hrs
  -> Thanks, Yasutomo-san!
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Reference comments


2 hrs peer agreement (net): +3
Reference: Mayweather quote from "24/7"

Reference information:
"In this training camp, we're boxing nonstop, and when we get in the ring, it's called the doghouse," Mayweather said. "So if you look at the ring, it's always surrounded by a bunch of people, 'cause that's the doghouse. When you go to a dog fight and you watch pit bulls fight ..."
http://www.espn.com/blog/boxing/post/_/id/1119/mayweather-pe...

Alison MacG
United Kingdom
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Note to reference poster
Asker: Thank you, Alison.


Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)
agree  Charles Davis: Aha! So the implication of dog-fighting was conscious. Lovely people. Thanks, Alison!
10 mins
  -> Thanks, Charles
agree  Yasutomo Kanazawa
2 hrs
  -> Thanks, Yasutomo
agree  acetran
3 days 21 hrs
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