Why are some summer days called dog days?

Answer 1

The "Dog Days" of summer is when Ol' Fido sits in the shade of the Elm tree, and moves with the shade of the tree to stay cool.

The dog days are the most hottest and sultry day of summer. July and August. :)

July 3 - August 11

Sirius is the name of the brightest star in the night-time sky (the brightest star in the day-time sky is called "the sun"), and it's known as the dog star because it's located in the constellation Canis Major-or, in English, Major Dog. The hottest days of the year in the northern hemisphere happen to coincide with the period during which Sirius rises with our own sun, and ancient man (and some women) therefore concluded that Sirius was contributing to the heat.

Like most ancient men, they were wrong, but like most modern men, we continue to cherish their timeless wisdom anyway. Plus, having "Dog Days" of summer is a great boon to advertising copywriters, whose creativity is surely the driving force behind western civilization.

Some parts of the previous answer are inaccurate. Ancient Man is an anthropological term used to denote early humans such as Homo Neanderthalis, Homo Erectus, and early Homo Sapiens. We refer to people living in ancient civilisations as Ancient Eygptians, Ancient Greeks, or Ancient Romans and so on. Often Greeks and Romans together are referred to as Classical Antiquity. It is true that some beliefs held (such as the one given by the previous contributor) were false, but, for example, the Ancient Greeks had postulated the existence of the atom and Eratosthenes (276 B.C.E - 195 B.C.E) accurately calculated the circumference of the Earth, and the tilt of the Earth's axis. He is also regarded as the inventor of the discipline of geography as we understand it, and coined geography as a word.

As for the "dog days", these were, specifically in ancient Rome, between July 23rd / 24th and August 23rd / 24th. In Germany, France, and Italy this period continues to be regarded as the "Dog Days". In Britain the "Dog Days", according to the Old Farmer's Almanac, are traditionally between July 3rd and August 11th. However, the Book of Common Prayer (1559) gives July 7th to September 5th, which corresponds with the King James Bible's (1611) dates of July 6th to September 5th. "Dog Days" were popularly believed to be evil; causing dogs to go mad and man to suffer "burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies" (J. Brady "Clavis Calendaria" [1815]).

Source: Wikipedia

Answer 2

summer

Got it right about Fido. It's the hot days of summer. Not specificly certain days, but more when the days get hot and stay hot

Answer 3

Nowadays, the dog days of summer refers to the hot sultry summer days of July. The terms came from the Egyptians who connected the appearance of the constellation Sirius(Dog) to the flooding of the Nile which was good for their crops.

Answer 4

The term "dog days" refers to the hottest and most oppressive period of summer, typically occurring in July and August in the Northern Hemisphere. The phrase originated from the ancient belief that the hot days of summer were influenced by the star Sirius, also known as the "Dog Star," which rises and sets with the sun during this time.

Answer 5

It means when you are panting in the summer like a dog.

Answer 6

Because they are very long and pass by slowly. When your a dog you can't do very much and are probably bored all of the time. So that's where it gets it meaning