a dog's dinner

a state of confusion

TRANSLATION

das Durcheinander; die Wirrheit; die Unordnung

STATISTICS

IN THE PRESS

Can the DOG'S DINNER that is the economic crisis also be seen as a crisis of business and financial journalism? Are we insufficiently informed – despite, or even because of the overload of information that comes with the 24/7 news cycle?

European Journalism Observatory

Did you
know?

a dog's dinner (British, informal)
noun phrase

- a poor piece of work; a state of confusion

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ORIGIN
     
It's pure speculation, but maybe dog's breakfast (or dog's dinner) referred to a cooking mishap with results fit only for a dog's consumption. Or maybe it's simply the mess a dog makes when eating.

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SYNONYMS

mess, muddle, dog's breakfast, fiasco, disorder, disarray, shambles, chaos, confusion, disorganization, turmoil

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SMUGGLE OWAD INTO A CONVERSATION TODAY
Say something like

"Jim! Really sorry to say this, but you've made a real dog's dinner of the report"


Thanks to Catherine for suggesting dog's dinner

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