APAD: the dog days of summer

Meaning: the very hot days during July and August

 

Background:

   Dog days - nothing to do with dogs.

 

   The ancient Romans noticed that the hottest days of the year, that is, in

   late July and early August, coincided with the appearance of Sirius - the Dog

   Star, in the same part of the sky as the Sun. Sirius is the largest and

   brightest star in the Canis Major constellation, in fact it is the brightest

   star in the sky.

 

   Of course, being a Roman idea, the hot 'dog days of summer' doesn't apply in

   the Southern Hemisphere, where July and August is the coldest part of the

   year. The ancients believed that the star contributed to the heat of the day.

 

- www.phrases.org.uk [edited]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Mediterranean July and August are nothing compared with those in Beijing as it

enters the ThreeFu (三伏). The dozy sweltering air foisted a foul sauna on us

(AC was rare in my college days) all but a few short morning hours. Showers were

welcome and storms appreciated but studying English under a fan, especially

after a 1500m mid-day jog, was a sure way to shut the dog days of summer out of

my mind.