prairie dog

Meanings

Noun

• Any of genus Cynomys, small, stout-bodied burrowing rodents with shallow cheek pouches, native to North America and Central America.

Verb

• To pop up from a hole or similar in a manner that resembles the way a prairie dog pops his head up from his burrow.
• To struggle to hold back an involuntary bowel movement.

Related

Narrower meaning words

• Gunnison's prairie dog (Cynomys gunnisoni (species)), white-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys leucurus (species)), black-tailed prairie dog, (Cynomys ludovicianus), Mexican prairie dog (Cynomys mexicanus (species)), Utah prairie dog (Cynomys parvidens (species))

Origin

• prairie + dog (from their yelping alarm calls)
• By analogy with how the animal pops its head up from its burrow.