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?
call off the dogs
orcall 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.