Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A small dog fondled in the lap; a pet dog.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A small dog which is or can be fondled in the lap.
  • noun informal One who does the bidding of another; a servile follower.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A dog small and tame enough to be held in the lap.
  • noun derogatory one who is completely obedient, unquestioning, and submissive to the government or another party.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a dog small and tame enough to be held in the lap

Etymologies

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Examples

  • I guess being Sarah Palin's lapdog is easier than covering real news, huh, CNN?

    Palin heading to Iowa 2009

  • And to sell out all superheroes as Tony Stark’s lapdog is unforgivable.

    Win Planet Hulk Before You Can Buy It! » DVDs Worth Watching 2010

  • The lapdog aka Sammie was flipping through the Post.

    Holly Would Dream Karen Quinn 2008

  • The lapdog aka Sammie was flipping through the Post.

    Holly Would Dream Karen Quinn 2008

  • “I hope the lapdog was a bitch,” he said, smiling.

    Antony and Cleopatra Colleen McCullough 2007

  • “I hope the lapdog was a bitch,” he said, smiling.

    Antony and Cleopatra Colleen McCullough 2007

  • The first casualty of the president's political debacle will likely be Timothy Geithner, the severely over-confident treasury secretary well known as a lapdog of Wall Street.

    AlterNet.org Main RSS Feed 2010

  • The first casualty of the president's political debacle will likely be Timothy Geithner, the severely over-confident treasury secretary well known as a lapdog of Wall Street.

    AlterNet.org Main RSS Feed 2010

  • The first casualty of the president's political debacle will likely be Timothy Geithner, the severely over-confident treasury secretary well known as a lapdog of Wall Street.

    AlterNet.org Main RSS Feed 2010

  • Verified workaholic Rick (Milo Ventimiglia, "Heroes") is right-hand-man -- aka "lapdog" -- to hard-driving Miss Craig (Mimi Rogers) at her high-end tax law firm, enduring brusque criticisms and demands without even private complaint.

    Variety.com 2010

Comments

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  • One eager to take care of someone else's needs—either stated or anticipated—especially in order to maintain a position of privilege or status.

    The metaphor refers to small dogs whose lives are mostly lived in the laps of their owners, such as Bruiser, Reese Witherspoon's canine co-star in the film Legally Blonde. While not always political dogs, lap dogs often are, as in Mike Barnicle's description of political appointees from academia, “a bunch of intellectual lap dogs for anybody who holds a big job in government.�?

    July 11, 2009