Dog days of summer: What does dog days of summer mean?

The summer is now officially in full swing (as of June 21st), and along with it comes the hot weather as we endure the 'dog days of summer.' The phrase has an interesting history: The ancient Romans coined the phrase, calling the hot sultry weather of early July through September "caniculares dies" or "days of the dogs" after the constellation of Canis Major, within which Sirius, the Dog Star, is found. As the hottest and most humid days of summer generally coincided with the period Sirius rose and set with the sun, the Romans believed that heat from Sirius was increasing the heat of the sun. OK..that is the official explanation. I always thought the 'dog days' were the hot, lazy days of summer when even the dogs refused to bark, chase cars, or even scratch the fleas that pestered them. Either way, the temperature gage tells me we are in for a long hot summer.

 

--Tom Wacaster