English Explanatory Dictionary

tail wagging the dog

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A minor or secondary part of something which is controlling or dominating the whole or the main part.

Pronunciation

En-au-tail wagging the dog.ogg

Word forms

tail wagging the dog

Etymology

First used in the 1858 play Our American Cousin. The shortened form wag the dog, with a political sense, was popularized by the film Wag the Dog (1997). For the verb phrase, see the tail wags the dog.

Related words

put the cart before the horse

Derived words

wag the dog
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