To Be Dog Tired - Idiom of the Day for IELTS Speaking & Writing
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Showcase stronger lexical resource with the idiom ‘To Be Dog Tired’ and learn its meaning, synonyms, examples, and list of scenarios to use this. Sharpen your answers for the IELTS Speaking & Writing sections to achieve a band 8+.
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Using an idiom like 'To Be Dog Tired’ can present your answers in the IELTS Speaking and Writing sections with more vividness, clarity, and emotional depth. This can help you to narrate stories and also give relatable examples in topics such as work strain, study plans, long rides, travel experiences, daily routines, and more. This will help your answers to sound more interesting and well-developed. As you prepare for the IELTS Exam, it is vital to get familiar with its meaning and scenarios to incorporate it before making it a part of your answer.
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Meaning of the Idiom ‘To Be Dog Tired’
To grasp the meaning of the idiom and improve your IELTS Vocabulary knowledge, it is important to get familiar with its definition first. This knowledge will help you with the basic understanding of the synonyms, context, formality, and its placement in a sentence which should be known to use it confidently. The table contains all the necessary components in its forming: the definition, synonyms, and example sentences for helping you master the idiom.
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Topic |
Description |
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To Be Dog Tired |
Idiom |
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Definition |
Extremely tired. |
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Synonyms |
Extra, Bonus, Value-added |
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Origin |
History dates back to a tale relating to Alfred the Great. It seems that he sent his two sons Athelbrod and Edwin out with kennels of hunting dogs. Whoever caught more hounds would have the honour of dining at the right hand side of Alfred’s table. This task would make the sons weary. Thus the phrase dog tired was born. But there are no references about this idiom in Literature post Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English. |
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Example |
The kids have been playing all day in the garden and are dog tired now. After driving for 10 hours, John became dog tired.
The doctor seemed dog tired after performing the 8-hour surgery. Many students become dog tired after studying the entire day which affects both their physical and mental health. |
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Scenarios to Use ‘To Be Dog Tired’ in IELTS Speaking & Writing Sections
The IELTS expression ‘To Be Dog Tired’ can enhance the quality of your answer if used with the right context. Incorporating this idiom in your IELTS Speaking & Writing answers would show good vocabulary control, an emotional expression, and an overall communication skills. Below are the four scenarios where you can include this idiom to elevate your scores and use advanced vocabulary.
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Scenario 1:
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Friend 1: Your eyes are swollen. What happened? Friend 2: I burnt the midnight oil yesterday. The lessons were very tough to prepare. Friend 1: Will you be able to write the exams? Friend 2: I don’t know. I’m dog tired. |
In this scenario, the idiom adds a character to the meaning where Friend 2 expresses how drained the person is before the exam. This also indicates good vocabulary control because the speaker exhibits the ability to opt for an expressive, natural, and context-appropriate phrase instead of a simple word such as ‘tired’, which makes the language richer and more fluent.
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Scenario 2:
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Friend 1: Why is your daughter sleeping in the middle of the day? Friend 2: She had been journeying by bus all night. She is dog tired. Friend 1: Poor Girl! |
In this context, the idiom ‘To Be Dog Tired’ is both correct and effective. Friend 2 mentions that the daughter had taken a bus throughout the night which made her complete fatigue. Using this idiom could help express the intensity of her fatigue better, making the response more emotionally expressive. In this way, the description can be done with precision and the overall fluency can be improved as the conversation sounds more genuine.
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Scenario 3:
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Employee: I had meetings all night and I’m dog tired now. So I might not come to the office today. Boss: Ok John! Please take some rest. You’ll be alright. Employee: Thanks Harry! |
A wide range of vocabulary is again demonstrated in this scenario, which goes beyond just using basic adjectives as the idiom shows the level of tiredness. The informal as well as the conversational tone among employees is what the idiom portrays. This usage has made an impact on the conversation by making the feeling of tiredness more realistic.
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Scenario 4:
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Supervisor: Why is labourer 1 seeming so dull ? Labourer 2: He had been felling logs in the scorching sun and is dog tired Supervisor: I see. Ask him to go home for the day. |
Here, labourer 1 is portrayed as very tired and not able to do his work well. Labourer 2 informed me that he has been cutting logs in the very hot sun which is considered a very difficult job and done in extremely bad conditions. The use of the idiom in this situation describes the amount of his tiredness which is related to a very deep and serious level of physical exhaustion.
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Exercise on the Idiom ‘To Be Dog Tired’ for IELTS Speaking & Writing
Before you use this idiom in your IELTS preparation, you need to improve your comprehension skills in terms of connotation, correctness, and suitable context. This exercise will aid you in gaining better lexical control.
Choose the following idioms to fill in the blank:
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Break the ice |
Hit the nail on the head |
To be dog tired |
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Go the extra mile |
A blessing in disguise |
In hot water |
1 The research submissions for which Ayan received praise from the professor were due to his _______________ .
2 The participants were _______________ and at ease thanks to the enjoyable activity at the beginning of the workshop.
3 When Meera was late to submit the report, she _______________ her supervisor.
4 Your work concerning the issue _______________ and it was analyzed very narrowly and accurately.
5 After three consecutive shifts, Rhea was _______________.
6 Fortunately, missing the original flight turned out to be _______________ as I was upgraded to first class on the flight that I was booked on.
Answer to the Exercise on the Idiom ‘To Be Dog Tired’ for IELTS Speaking & Writing
The answer to each question has been provided below which will make you become confident in its natural use. This will influence your vocabulary growth and overall IELTS Band Score. Remember to analyse the answers and compare it with yours to have a better lexical control.
- Go the extra mile
- Break the ice
- In hot water
- Hit the nail on the head
- To be dog tired
- A blessing in disguise
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To use the idiomatic expression ‘To Be Dog Tired’, you need to start with creating your own sentences to better understand its importance. As you prepare for the Speaking and IELTS Writing sections, always focus on vocabulary, grammatical accuracy and precision, coherence, and the way you develop ideas. Let’s start with practice using this idiom in your answers and elevate the quality while building confidence to use it in the actual exam.
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