dogwater

English

Alternative forms

dog-water, dog water

Etymology

Compound of dog +‎ water. According to Know Your Meme, the video game sense was popularized by Fortnite streamer Zachology in December 2020 as a euphemism for dogshit (“rubbish, bad”).

Pronunciation

Audio (US): (file)

Adjective

dogwater (comparative more dogwater, superlative most dogwater)

(video games, slang) Extremely bad or unskilled (especially at a video game); trash. [from 2020]
Synonyms: garbage, dogshit, dog
- 2021 April 21, Matthew Wilkins, quoting SypherPK, “Fortnite streamers are in disbelief after watching how over-powered the Exotic Grappler Bow is”, in Sportskeeda‎^[1], archived from the original on 2023-05-23:
  This is kinda my favorite exotic, I'm not gonna lie. Some of the exotic released have been dogwater but this one, so good, so good.
- 2022 October 7, Jacob Hale, “Nadia pops off on toxic Warzone teammate after being told to "abort herself"”, in Dexerto‎^[2], archived from the original on 2022-12-05:
  Nadia went on, saying that the player "sucks" and is "f**king ass," not letting them get a single response in, even calling her a "dogwater smelling ass b*tch."
- 2022 November 27, Joe Parlock, “Is It Time To Retire My Favourite Commander Deck?”, in TheGamer‎^[3], archived from the original on 2022-11-29:
  I'd dabbled a little bit before and made a few that either broke rules I didn't know existed (Lutri, the Spellchaser), or were so incredibly dogwater that they lasted maybe a game or two before being pulled apart (Ishai, Ojutai Dragonspeaker), but Kwain was my first love.
- 2023 January 30, Tatiana Louder, “I'm a 'gamer girl' and a model – just one hour of playing Call of Duty with men left me disgusted”, in The US Sun‎^[4], archived from the original on 2023-03-22:
  Immediately, a presumably male gamer voice said, "Ay yo you're terrible. Dogwater."
- 2023 March 30, Bamira Burino, “Murchison Tower levels up”, in The Tritonian‎^[5], archived from the original on 2023-05-23:
  When we tried to get a statement from Danderson's close online friend, [SEN] Unwell, he refused further comments when we brought up his friendship with Danderson. / "Dogwater," was all Unwell had to share after our initial introductions.

Noun

dogwater (uncountable)

(US, dialectal) The very core of someone; used as an intensifier.
to beat the dogwater out of
- 1870, William Falconer, Bloom and Brier; Or, as I Saw It, Long Ago. A Southern Romance, Philadelphia, P.A., Montgomery, A.L.: Claxton, Remsen & Haffelfinger; Joel White, pages 255–256:
  […] after the pulling is over with, we shall expect to have, at least, twenty first-class fights, and several eyes lying about loose on the ground, and as many ears and noses; and rather than fall short of the number, I'll agree to mall the dog-water out of five or six of you myself—do you understand the programme now?
- 1898 February 11, “Editorial”, in The Clay County Republican, volume 6, number 37, →OCLC, page 4:
  It keeps up a continual bushwhacking fire on the Populist party, and occasionally, for the public good, we take of the old traitor and shake the dog-water out of him, just for the amusement of the public.
- 1957 October 20, Roy Bedichek, “to John Henry Faulk”, in Letters of Roy Bedichek, Austin, T.X.: University of Texas Press, published 1985, →ISBN, page 507:
  Late triumphs of Russian science are scaring the very dogwater out of large elements in our society, and we both fear more "purging" instead of more effort at catching up.
- 1958, Al Dewlen, The Bone Pickers, New York, N.Y., Toronto, O.N., London: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., page 133:
  When she remembered, The Old Place seemed to echo still with Papa's drunken, timbery shout, "When I speak to you, then jump, yu' little snotboxes! Else I'll slap the dogwater out of you!"
- 1997 February 1, Tom Duncan, “What is a M-44 Mosin Nagant worth???”, in rec.guns‎^[6] (Usenet):
  Why pay that much for a short rifle that will kick the bee-jesus out of you (and the muzzle blast is just darned impressive) when there are lots of M91/30's out there for well less than $50 and Sako made Finnish M39's out there for less than $100? My $40 M91/30 is pretty damned accurate and doesn't beat the dog-water out of you.
- 2002, Kelly Simmons, Leona's Legacy: Memories of a Farmer's Daughter, Woodruff, W.I.: The Guest Cottage, →ISBN, page 5:
  "Masel, sit down, or I'll shake ye up to dogwater!" Gladys scolded her daughter. When Masel didn't sit down right away, Gladys added, "I ain't talkin' just to hear my head rattle."
(US, slang) Pre-ejaculate.
- 1965, Claude Brown, Manchild in the Promised Land, New York, N.Y.: Signet Books, page 80:
  Horse said, "Man, that ain't nothin' but dog water." / K.B. said, "That ain't no dog water, man, 'cause it's slimy."
- 1979, William Styron, Sophie's Choice, New York, N.Y.: Alfred A. Knopf, →ISBN, page 189:
  Leslie unlocks the front door she remarks that, it being Thursday, it is Minnie's night off, and I construe this to lay emphasis on the privacy we will have. In the soft light of the foyer my membrum, betrousered, is truly rampant. Also a spot of "dogwater" there, pre-coital seepage, as if a puppy had peed in my lap.
- 1986, Josh Alan Friedman, “Pecker Full of Miracles”, in Tales of Times Square, New York, N.Y.: Delacorte Press, →ISBN, page 103:
  No dry spasms, piss or clear drops of 'dog water,' according to the glib rule sheet, concocted several days before at the Screw offices.
- [1999, Ralph Ellison, Juneteenth, New York, N.Y.: Random House, →ISBN, page 59:
  What! Button up your britches, li'l ole boy, she said. You ain't even old enough to dogwater.]
- 2006, Bill Gaston, Gargoyles, Toronto, O.N.: House of Anansi Press, published 2007, →ISBN, page 244:
  "Not tossin' the dogwater to anyone in particular?" / I have to smile, "toss the dogwater" being Rooney's terms for sex, something we haven't heard in more than twenty years.

References

“dogwater”, in Know Your Meme, website first launched 2007
“dog water n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present

Anagrams

waterdog