in the doghouse
In trouble with somebody, sleeping on thin ice at home.
Updated September 24, 2026
in the doghouse pronunciation
/in thuh DOG-howss/
Meaning
You messed up and the other person is not happy. Often a spouse, girlfriend, mama, or boss. The picture is getting sent out with the dog while the house stays warm. It is usually temporary disgrace, not forever exile, but you still need flowers, apology, or a fixed fence to get back in.
How folks use it
- “He forgot their anniversary and he's been in the doghouse all week.”
- “Don't come home smelling like that beer if you don't want to land in the doghouse.”
Origin and etymology
American slang from the early 1900s. A 1926 underworld glossary lists "in dog house" as "in disfavor," and the phrase was common by the 1930s. The image is simple: out of favor equals out in the yard kennel. The Peter Pan kennel story is a popular mix-up; Barrie wrote "kennel," not "doghouse," and the idiom is chiefly American.