running dog

Meaning

Noun

• A lackey; a lapdog; an unprincipled person who helps or flatters other, more powerful and often evil people.

Origin

• A calque of the Mandarin phrase 走狗 (zǒugǒu, "running dog"; see also 狗腿子 and 狗腿), used as an insult by the governments of the People's Republic of China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (走狗, 주구, jugu) against those supportive of the great imperialist powers, variously including Russia and the United States.