The dog days were the days when the Dog Star, Sirius, rose just
before sunrise. Ancient Romans believed that the hot days of late
summer were caused by the Dog Star, and thought that dogs went mad
during this time (also that wine spoiled, people became hysterical,
and seas boiled!). Due to the precession, or movement of the
universe, Sirius is no longer seen in the same position from Rome,
but the expression has stuck. So a dog day afternoon would be the
afternoon of one of the very hot, sticky days at the end of
summer.
No comments:
Post a Comment