Give a Dog a Bad Name And Hang Him Meaning, Examples, Synonyms

The meaning of the idiom “give a dog a bad name and hang him” is judging or criticizing someone on the basis of their previous reputation. In other words, if you have a negative reputation in society then, it is very difficult to lose it or change it. People generally tend to follow the trend, if they analyze any negative impression then, they will continue to think that you have a negative personality. Thus, it becomes difficult to overcome such a scenario. Sometimes, people will criticize you or condemn you even if you haven’t done anything wrong. It is because of their past experience or false information. Keep Reading!

Also read: Work Like a Dog Idiom Meaning, Examples, and Synonyms

Usage with Examples

The given idiom is not used frequently in everyday conversation. It is an old idiom that might be unpopular among the contemporary people. If you hear this idiom, then, it is generally used in case of criticism or when someone is condemning the other person based on a false narrative or negative reputation.

Mentioned below are the examples of  the given idiom:

• There were rumors about the new manager that he was strict at work, people gave him a bad name and hung him before he even started allocating work.
• Students at the school spread a rumor that the Hindi teacher punished the student with a stick, gave her a bad name, and hung her without any fact check.

Also read: Useful Idioms with Examples, Sentences, and Meaning

Synonyms and Similar Words to Give a Dog a Bad Name and Hang Him

Given below are the synonyms and similar words to the given idiom:

• Throw someone under the bus
• Blacken someone’s name
• Tar and feather
• Damning with faint praise
• Paint someone in a bad light
• Shoot the messenger
• Run someone through the wringer
• Cast aspersions

Give a Dog a Bad Name and Hang Him Meaning Quiz

Which of the following idioms signifies unfairly criticizing and demeaning someone on the basis of false statements or rumors?

1. Bark up on the tree
2. Every dog has its day
3. Give a dog a bad name and hang him
4. Work like a dog

Ans: c. Give a dog a bad name and hang him

This was all about the given idiom’s meaning and examples. Hope, you understood the concept where it’s used. For more such blogs, follow Leverage Edu!