shaggy dog
Long-haired pooch
A shaggy dog is a dog with long, unkempt fur.
The phrase appears most often in shaggy dog story—a lengthy, rambling joke or anecdote with an anticlimactic or absurd punchline.
The humor lies in the buildup's disproportion to the payoff: He told a shaggy dog story that went on for ten minutes and ended with a terrible pun.
- furryCovered in soft hair
- hairyHaving much fur
- mattedTangled into clumps
- scruffyMessily neglected in appearance
- unkemptUntidy in appearance
woolly · sheepdog · Old English · tangled · fluffy · joke · punchline · tall tale · long story · anticlimactic · rambling · long-winded · mutt · fur baby · man's best friend · paws · tail · wagging
- talestale, funny stories, tall tales, short story, yarns
- comedy tropespratfall, parody, sight gag, running gag, satire
- jokesjokes, joke, puns, one-liners, pun
- comedycomedy, jokes, humor, puns, sarcasm