犬も食わない · i-adjective
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 犬も食わない | 犬も食わなくない |
| Polite | 犬も食わないです | 犬も食わなくないですalso 犬も食わなくありません |
| Past polite | 犬も食わなかったです | 犬も食わなくなかったですalso 犬も食わなくありませんでした |
| Past | 犬も食わなかった | 犬も食わなくなかった |
| Te-form | 犬も食わなくて | 犬も食わなくなくて |
| Adverbial | 犬も食わなく | |
| Conditional | 犬も食わなければ | 犬も食わなくなければ |
| Tara conditional | 犬も食わなかったら | 犬も食わなくなかったら |
avoided by everyone; disliked by everyone
Idiomatic expression meaning that even a dog would not touch it, used for things or situations that are so unpleasant or troublesome that everyone steers clear. Often used in the phrase 夫婦喧嘩は犬も食わない (a marital quarrel is something even a dog won't touch).
They say even a dog won't touch a marital quarrel, so you'd better not stick your nose in.
That fight between those two is something nobody wants to get involved in.
Standard kanji spelling for this idiomatic expression.
Variant using 喰う, a kanji for eating that can add a rougher or more emphatic nuance.
Kana spelling of the verb part; common in casual writing.
The phrase literally means 'even a dog won't eat it,' based on the idea that dogs will eat almost anything. It is used idiomatically to describe something so unappealing or troublesome that everyone avoids it. The exact origin is uncertain, but it is a well-established Japanese idiom.