dog-eared Folded over or down, as the corner of a page in a book; used, worn, shabby. The term obviously derives from the fact that such a flap resembles a dog’s ear. Since a book with many such pages has been read and acquired a shabby appearance in the process, the word dog-eared takes on its secondary ‘used, worn’ meaning.

down-at-the-heel See POVERTY.

like a dog’s breakfast Sloppy, messy, disheveled, unkempt; showing little taste or style. This British colloquial expression means the opposite of like a dog’s dinner. Why a canine’s breakfast is associated with sloppiness and a canine’s dinner with neatness and style is left unexplained.