prairie dog

Meaning

Noun

Any of genus Cynomys, small, stout-bodied burrowing rodents with shallow cheek pouches, native to North America and Central America.

Verb

1. (idiomatic, intransitive, transitive) To pop up from a hole or similar in a manner that resembles the way a prairie dog pops his head up from his burrow.
2. (euphemistic, idiomatic, slang) To struggle to hold back an involuntary bowel movement.

Synonyms

prairie marmot

chipmunk

🐿️

gopher

ground-squirrel

Translations

chien de prairie

Präriehund

prairiehond

cão-da-pradaria

chienne de prairie

cane delle praterie

cinomio

cynomys

κυνόμυς

είδος υλακτούντος τρωκτικού

marmota-das-pradarias

marmota norte-americana

cão-dos-prados

Etymology

From prairie + dog (“from their yelping alarm calls”).