A feist dog is a small, scrappy, mixed-breed dog common in the American South, typically used for hunting squirrels and other small game.
A feist dog is a small, scrappy, mixed-breed dog common in the American South, typically used for hunting squirrels and other small game. Known for its bold temperament and tendency to bark, it punches well above its weight in attitude. The term carries an affectionate edge in rural American dialect — a feist may be outmatched in size but never in spirit. Often used loosely for any small, snappy dog of uncertain parentage.
My grandfather kept a feist dog that would tree squirrels all morning and pick fights with dogs twice its size by afternoon.
Add your own interpretation of "feist dog".
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.
Browse all slang words starting with F.
(US, countable) A small, snappy, belligerent mixed-breed dog; a feist dog.
Australian and New Zealand informal for a fox terrier — the energetic, scrappy little dog breed that was once enormously popular as a working and companion dog across the Anglophone world. The '-ie' diminutive is characteristic of both Australian and New Zealand English, which tends to affectionately shorten everything from breakfast to flip-flops. A foxie is typically described as feisty, clever, and relentlessly active — a dog with a lot of personality in a small body. The term is warm and familiar rather than technical.
(uncountable) Feisty behavior.
Scottish dialect for a mongrel dog or cur — a scrappy mixed-breed of uncertain parentage. The term carries a slightly dismissive edge but can also be used with rough affection for a scruffy, low-pedigree but loveable mutt. In Scottish speech, a messin isn't a thoroughbred — it's the street-smart, tough, probably a bit rough around the edges dog that somehow ends up being everyone's favourite anyway. Think personality over pedigree.
No comments yet — say something.
(US) a small snappy belligerent mixed-breed dog.
No comments yet — say something.