call off the dogs


Also found in: Acronyms.

call off the/(one's) dogs

1. To stop disparaging or otherwise behaving aggressively toward someone. I know you wish I were a doctor, dad, but call off the dogs for one night. I'll tell you anything you want to know, just call off your dogs!
2. To stop someone else from disparaging or otherwise behaving aggressively toward another person. Your mother won't stop interrogating me—can you please call off the dogs?
See also: call, dog, off

call off the dogs

or

call off your dogs

If someone calls off the dogs or calls off their dogs, they stop criticizing or attacking someone or encouraging other people to criticize or attack someone. Lenders will be ordered to call off the dogs, especially for families struggling to pay their mortgage through unemployment. Maybe he'll call off his dogs now that he knows I'm not taking his money. Note: The dogs referred to here are dogs used for hunting.
See also: call, dog, off

call off the (or your) dogs

stop attacking or persecuting someone or causing others to do so on your behalf.
See also: call, dog, off
References in periodicals archive ?
He was crying uncle,'' Sabo said, ``and he told me to call off the dogs.
HORSE PLAY'S HAPPY END MAGIC MOUNTAIN TO LOAN OUT CAROUSEL STEED
Republicans honoured us with their rapists, gifted us their child abusers ENDA KENNY dail debate yesterday The least Mairia Cahill deserves is for SF president to call off the dogs of war JOAN BURTON dail debate yesterday
JUDGE, JURY, BANISHER& EXECUTIONER; DAIL ROCKED BY IRA SEX ABUSE ROW; TD to give gardai details on 8 abusers terrorists sent South; Taoiseach's fury at SF and Provos as 28 more victims emerge
The situation is deteriorating to a point that if the government is smart, its best they call off the dogs and push the army back to the base.
Thai protesters 'ready for talks'
Brown now has to call off the dogs and in return Blair must clarify his position.
Record View: Don't play into hands of Tories
Sources in the racing world have implied the Irish millionaire is in no mood to call off the dogs after what appears an orchestrated campaign to humiliate and crush the United manager and de-stabilise a board who have not performed as Magnier and his cohorts would like.
Football: GET IT SORTED NOW, FERGIE!; EXCLUSIVE MAN UTD IN CRISIS United order an end to Magnier row
But once your fox has been "flushed" and it's out in the open, you have to call off the dogs and try to shoot it.
OUT-FOXED
May I be so crude as to ask you to call off the dogs.
'Call off the dogs' WHAT PRIEST SAID TO HIS BISHOP AMID PROBE INTO CHURCH'S MISSING EUR6.8M
Buffini suddenly wants to pow-wow with the enemy in the hope of persuading him to call off the dogs and presumably that camel.
We're plagued by asset-strippers
The performance his players gave yesterday means we can call off the dogs for the time being at least.
Football: Forget the Last Stand.. Fergie's troops stand up to be counted; Manchester United 1 Chelsea 0
OK, call off the dogs, we've found this year's must-have make- up.
Caprice's secrets: Find of the week
It's time to call off the dogs of war before one of these grudge matches spills over into something everyone will regret.
STOP INCE WAR
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