running dog

Meaning

A lackey; a lapdog; an unprincipled person who helps or flatters other, more powerful and often evil people.

Synonyms

dupe

footman

hound

hunting dog

sheep

🐑

cat’s-paw

tool of another person

Vitruvian scroll

wave scroll

Translations

Lakai

Werkzeug

δουλοπρεπής

larbin

mouton de Panurge

servitore

lacchè

portaborse

herenknecht

lakei

slaafje

voetvaag

schaap van Panurge

uşak

Etymology

Calque of Chinese 走狗 (zǒugǒu, “running dog”) (see also 狗腿子 (gǒutuǐzi) and 狗腿 (gǒutuǐ)), used as an insult by the governments of the People's Republic of China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (주구/走狗 (jugu)) against those supportive of the great imperialist powers, variously including Russia and the United States.