What is "dog days"

Dog days \Dog" days`\, dog-days \dog-days\ A period of from four to six weeks, in the summer, variously placed by almanac makers between the early part of July and the early part of September; canicular days; -- so called in reference to the rising in ancient times of the Dog Star (Sirius) with the sun. Popularly, the sultry, close part of the summer; metaphorically, a period of inactivity.

Syn: dog days, canicule, canicular days.

Note: The conjunction of the rising of the Dog Star with the rising of the sun was regarded by the ancients as one of the causes of the sultry heat of summer, and of the maladies which then prevailed. But as the conjunction does not occur at the same time in all latitudes, and is not constant in the same region for a long period, there has been much variation in calendars regarding the limits of the dog days. The astronomer Roger Long states that in an ancient calendar in Bede (died 735) the beginning of dog days is placed on the 14th of July; that in a calendar prefixed to the Common Prayer, printed in the time of Queen Elizabeth, they were said to begin on the 6th of July and end on the 5th of September; that, from the Restoration (1660) to the beginning of New Style (1752), British almanacs placed the beginning on the 19th of July and the end on the 28th of August; and that after 1752 the beginning was put on the 30th of July, the end on the 7th of September. Some English calendars now put the beginning on July 3d, and the ending on August 11th. A popular American almanac of the present time (1890) places the beginning on the 25th of July, and the end on the 5th of September.

1530s, from Latin dies caniculares, from Greek; so called because they occur around the time of the heliacal rising of Sirius, the Dog Star (kyon seirios). Noted as the hottest and most unwholesome time of the year; usually July 3 to Aug. 11, but variously calculated, depending on latitude and on whether the greater Dog-star (Sirius) or the lesser one (Procyon) is reckoned.\n

\nThe heliacal rising of Sirius has shifted down the calendar with the precession of the equinoxes; in ancient Egypt c.3000 B.C.E. it coincided with the summer solstice, which also was the new year and the beginning of the inundation of the Nile. The "dog" association apparently began here (the star's hieroglyph was a dog), but the reasons for it are obscure.

n. The days between early July and early September when Sirius (the Dog Star) rises and sets with the Sun.

n. the hot period between early July and early September; a period of inactivity [syn: canicule, canicular days]

The expression "dog days" refers to the hot, sultry days of summer, originally in areas around the Mediterranean Sea, and as the expression fit, to other areas, especially in the Northern Hemisphere.

The coincidence of very warm temperatures in the early civilizations in North Africa and the Near East with the rising, at sunrise (i.e., the heliacal rising), of Orion's dog, the dog star Sirius, led to the association of this phrase with these conditions, an association that traces to the Egyptians and appears in the ancient written poetic and other records of the Greeks (e.g., Hesiod, Aratus, and Homer in The Iliad) and the later Romans.

The expression is used in prose literature, poetry, and song and album titles.

Dog Days is an album by the southern rock band Atlanta Rhythm Section, released in 1975. (See 1975 in music).

Dog Days is a 1995 album by American alternative country group Blue Mountain. In 2008 the band released a remastered version of the album. Scott Hull remastered the album. Six bonus tracks were also added to the new release, drawing from out of print albums and similar material.

Dog Days is an American reality television series which aired on Animal Planet in the fall of 2002. The show followed a number of New Yorkers, notably former Saturday Night Live choreographer Danielle Flora and top male model Edward Cruz, as they raised their pet dogs in New York City.

Dog Days aired eight episodes, and was not renewed for a second season. It was produced by Steven Rosenbaum and his New York production company CameraPlanet.

The term dog days refers to the hottest and most humid time of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

Dog Days may also refer to:

Dog Days is an EP released by Goatsnake on Southern Lord Records. It consists of material recorded from 1997-1999. It was repressed by Southern Lord in 2004 on vinyl only and limited to 500 copies. This repress includes a cover of Black Sabbath's "Who Are You." Also in 2004, Southern Lord repackaged Dog Days with Goatsnake Vol. 1 on a single CD.

Dog Days is a 1925 short silent comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 36th Our Gang short subject released.

Dog Days is an opera by David T. Little, to a libretto by Royce Vavrek after the short story by Judy Budnitz.

Dog Days is a 2001 Austrian feature film directed by Ulrich Seidl. It is characterized by a disturbing naturalistic style which is a trademark of Seidl's directing. The film stars a mix of professional and amateur actors and it became mildly controversial for its depiction of unsimulated sex scenes.

The film follows six interwoven stories set in suburban Vienna over the course of a summer weekend. The film premiered at the 2001 Venice Film Festival where it went on to win the Silver Lion Jury's Special Award. John Waters has professed his admiration for the film, and selected it as a favorite to present within Maryland Film Festival 2004.

is a 2011 Japanese fantasy anime television series created by Masaki Tsuzuki, also known for his work as creator of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and produced by Seven Arcs and Aniplex under the direction of Keizo Kusakawa. The story revolves around a boy named Shinku Izumi, who is summoned to an alternate world by Princess Millhiore in order to defend Millhiore's country, the Biscotti Republic, from the neighboring kingdom of Galette. Dog Days aired 13 episodes on Tokyo MX and other channels from April 2 to June 25, 2011. A second anime season aired 13 episodes from July 7 to September 29, 2012 on Tokyo MX and other channels. A third season started airing in January 2015.

A light novel adaptation with four chapters was published by Kadokawa Shoten, and serialized in the Newtype magazine between March and July 2011 issues. Kadokawa Shoten also published a Dog Days manga illustrated by Takuya Fujima, which serialized in three different magazines from May to November 2011. Several drama CDs have also been produced, as well as a comic anthology.