What is "pit bull"

Dog \Dog\ (d[o^]g), n. [AS. docga; akin to D. dog mastiff, Dan. dogge, Sw. dogg.]

1. (Zo["o]l.) A quadruped of the genus Canis, esp. the domestic dog ( Canis familiaris).

   Note: The dog is distinguished above all others of the inferior animals for intelligence, docility, and attachment to man. There are numerous carefully bred varieties, as the akita, beagle, bloodhound, bulldog, coachdog, collie, Danish dog, foxhound, greyhound, mastiff, pointer, poodle, St. Bernard, setter, spaniel, spitz dog, terrier, German shepherd, pit bull, Chihuahua, etc. There are also many mixed breeds, and partially domesticated varieties, as well as wild dogs, like the dingo and dhole. (See these names in the Vocabulary.)

2. A mean, worthless fellow; a wretch.

   What is thy servant, which is but a dog, that he should do this great thing? -- 2 Kings viii. 13 (Rev. Ver. )

3. A fellow; -- used humorously or contemptuously; as, a sly dog; a lazy dog. [Colloq.]

4. (Astron.) One of the two constellations, Canis Major and Canis Minor, or the Greater Dog and the Lesser Dog. Canis Major contains the Dog Star (Sirius).

5. An iron for holding wood in a fireplace; a firedog; an andiron.

6. (Mech.)

   1. A grappling iron, with a claw or claws, for fastening into wood or other heavy articles, for the purpose of raising or moving them.

   2. An iron with fangs fastening a log in a saw pit, or on the carriage of a sawmill.

   3. A piece in machinery acting as a catch or clutch; especially, the carrier of a lathe, also, an adjustable stop to change motion, as in a machine tool.

7. an ugly or crude person, especially an ugly woman. [slang]

8. a hot dog. [slang]

   Note: Dog is used adjectively or in composition, commonly in the sense of relating to, or characteristic of, a dog. It is also used to denote a male; as, dog fox or g-fox, a male fox; dog otter or dog-otter, dog wolf, etc.; -- also to denote a thing of cheap or mean quality; as, dog Latin.

   A dead dog, a thing of no use or value.
   --1 Sam. xxiv. 14.

   A dog in the manger, an ugly-natured person who prevents others from enjoying what would be an advantage to them but is none to him.

   Dog ape (Zo["o]l.), a male ape.

   Dog cabbage, or Dog's cabbage (Bot.), a succulent herb, native to the Mediterranean region ( Thelygonum Cynocrambe).

   Dog cheap, very cheap. See under Cheap.

   Dog ear (Arch.), an acroterium. [Colloq.]

   Dog flea (Zo["o]l.), a species of flea ( Pulex canis) which infests dogs and cats, and is often troublesome to man. In America it is the common flea. See Flea, and Aphaniptera.

   Dog grass (Bot.), a grass ( Triticum caninum) of the same genus as wheat.

   Dog Latin, barbarous Latin; as, the dog Latin of pharmacy.

   Dog lichen (Bot.), a kind of lichen ( Peltigera canina) growing on earth, rocks, and tree trunks, -- a lobed expansion, dingy green above and whitish with fuscous veins beneath.

   Dog louse (Zo["o]l.), a louse that infests the dog, esp. H[ae]matopinus piliferus; another species is Trichodectes latus.

   Dog power, a machine operated by the weight of a dog traveling in a drum, or on an endless track, as for churning.

   Dog salmon (Zo["o]l.), a salmon of northwest America and northern Asia; -- the gorbuscha; -- called also holia, and hone.

   Dog shark. (Zo["o]l.) See Dogfish.

   Dog's meat, meat fit only for dogs; refuse; offal.

   Dog Star. See in the Vocabulary.

   Dog wheat (Bot.), Dog grass.

   Dog whelk (Zo["o]l.), any species of univalve shells of the family Nassid[ae], esp. the Nassa reticulata of England.

   To give to the dogs, or To throw to the dogs, to throw away as useless. ``Throw physic to the dogs; I'll none of it.''
   --Shak.

   To go to the dogs, to go to ruin; to be ruined.

n. 1 Shortened form of pit bull terrier. 2 A person with a reputation for pugnacity.

Pit bull is the common name for a type of dog. Formal breeds often considered in North America to be of the pit bull type include the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, American Bully, and Staffordshire Bull Terrier. The American Bulldog and the Bull Terrier (standard and miniature) are also sometimes included. Many of these breeds were originally developed as fighting dogs from cross breeding bull-baiting dogs (used to hold the faces and heads of larger animals such as bulls) and terriers. After the use of dogs in blood sports was banned, such dogs were used as catch dogs in the United States for semi-wild cattle and hogs, to hunt and drive livestock, and as family companions, although some owners still bred and used them for illegal dog fighting. This practice continues to this day, but is illegal in many nations.

The term pit bull is often used loosely to describe dogs with similar physical characteristics, and the morphological (physical) variation amongst "bully breed" dogs makes it difficult for anyone, even experts, to visually identify them as distinct from "non-pit bulls". While mixed breed dogs are often labeled as "pit bulls" if they have certain physical characteristics such as a square shaped head or bulky body type, visual identification of mixed breed dogs is not recommended by the scholarly community.

Pit Bull was a debate show that aired live every Saturday on Speed Channel during the 2004 NASCAR season. The show took place outside of every venue of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. Host Steve Byrnes moderated debates involving a 4-person panel of sportswriters whose columns are mostly about racing. The 3 primary panelists were Mike Mulhern of the Winston-Salem Journal, David Poole of The Charlotte Observer, and Marty Smith of nascar.com. The fourth panelist usually rotated between writers like Ben Blake, Lee Spencer of The Sporting News, and Speed Channel website writer Robin Miller. The panelists eventually became known as the "Pit Hogs."

Each week, the panel debated hot topics from the NASCAR world. At the end of the show, the four panelists got time to state their "beef" with an issue in NASCAR. It could've been a topic not yet touched on, a past issue, or a current issue. A live audience watched the show up-close each week. Each episode was a half-hour long.

The show drew ire from NASCAR officials and drivers for its panelists' consistently questioning a NASCAR ruling or such. Then, one night, on another SPEED program, NASCAR Inside Nextel Cup, NASCAR driver Jimmy Spencer, a panelist on that night's episode, slammed Pit Bull as being "anti-NASCAR." Many Pit Bull fans jokingly claimed that since they agreed with most of what was being questioned of NASCAR by the panel (and most of the time, it was Mulhern and Blake doing the questioning) that they were "anti-NASCAR", even though they were NASCAR fans.

Pit Bull debuted in February 2004, but on November 23, 2004, it was announced by SPEED that low ratings would keep the show from returning in 2005. Many Pit Bull viewers got upset, though, accusing NASCAR of having a say in the show's cancellation because of its ability to question them. However another debate show debuted in 2006, this time NASCAR-related and was named Tradin' Paint but was similar though it had NASCAR drivers like Kyle Petty as panelists debating NASCAR issues in a similar fashion.