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]
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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.
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