wag the dog

1 of 2

phrase

: to take action and especially military action as a leader in order to divert public attention (as from a scandal)

… wagging the dog by declaring a controversial "air-defense identification zone" …

—William Pesek

… an attempt to "wag the dog" by stirring up jingoism before the mid-term elections.

—Wayne Hale

wag the dog

2 of 2

adjective

variants or wag-the-dog

: of, relating to, or being an action and especially a military action taken by a leader in order to divert public attention (as from a scandal)

a wag the dog scenario

… an indication of wag-the-dog foreign policy.

—Jaime Watt

… "wag the dog" speculations about the missile strikes against Afghanistan and the Sudan …

—Commonweal

… a costly, bloody, endless wag-the-dog war …

—Jack R. Huffmyer

Word History

Etymology

Phrase

apparently from a misinterpretation of the catchphrase the tail wags the dog, alluding metaphorically to a significant thing being controlled by something less significant

First Known Use

Phrase

1996, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1998, in the meaning defined above