Meaning of keep a dog and bark oneself | Babel Free

Definitions

Forma verbal. Verb. [C2]

Examples

“At Potsdam, Attlee was not at all bothered that trade-union leader Ernest Bevin, his new foreign minister, seemed to do all the talking while Attlee sat silent, wreathed in pipe smoke, nodding his head. “You don't keep a dog and bark yourself,” he explained, “and Ernie was a very good dog.””

“Men, on the other hand, knowing their privileges safe in well-trained hands, can afford a tolerant attitude. Of what use to keep a dog and bark oneself? But let the dog show the faintest signs of negligence; let his “yap yap” become ever so little fainter, and instantly his alarmed master grasps the whip and prepares for fierce defence of his rights and property.”

“I don't see why I should keep a dog and bark myself!” Sadie's voice was so shrill that Polly winced.”

CEFR level