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From Our Listeners

Sometimes the dog really does eat your homework.

Last week, we brought you the story of how the phrase "The Dog Ate My Homework" came to be and how it morphed into a palpably ridiculous excuse. Turns out, sometimes its not an excuse at all. Weekend Edition host Scott Simon has a few stories from our listeners that swear, honest, the dog did eat their homework.

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Where Did The Phrase “The Dog Ate My Homework” Come From?

Dogs are known as man’s best friend. Dogs keep us safe, are hard workers … and can provide a handy excuse in a pinch. Maybe that’s why versions of the classic expression the dog ate my homework have been around for hundreds of years.

Today, the dog ate my homework is used as a stock example of the kind of silly excuses schoolchildren give for why their work isn’t finished. Very rarely do people say, “the dog ate my homework” and expect it to be taken literally; they use the expression as an example of a typically flimsy excuse.

So where did the phrase come from?

Forrest Wickman, a writer for Slate , describes the legend of the 6th-century Saint Ciarán of Clonmacnoise as the alleged first recorded “the dog ate my homework” story. According to the tale, Saint Ciarán had a tame young fox that would take his writings to his master for him. One day, the fox grew up and decided to eat the leather strap binding the writings together instead. Still, this tale is more Garden-of-Eden parable and less terrible schoolchild excuse.

The notion that dogs will eat just about anything, including paper, turns up in lots of stories over the centuries. An example comes from The Humors of Whist , published in 1808 in Sporting Magazine . In the story, the players are sitting around playing cards when one of them remarks that their companion would have lost the game had the dog not eaten the losing card. Good boy.

Some attribute the creation of the dog ate my homework to a joke that was going around at the beginning of the 20th century. In a tale found as far back as an 1894 memoir by Anglican priest Samuel Reynolds Hole, a preacher gives a shortened version of a sermon because a dog got into his study and ate some of the pages he had written. However, the clerk loved it because they had been wanting the preacher to shorten his sermons for years.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary , the first example of the dog ate my homework excuse in print can be found in a speech given by retiring headmaster James Bewsher in 1929 and published in the Manchester Guardian : “It is a long time since I have had the excuse about the dog tearing up the arithmetic homework.” The way this comment is phrased suggests that the whole dog ate my homework story had been around for some time before it was put in print.

When was the word homework created?

But in order for a dog to eat homework specifically, homework had to be invented (oh, and how we wish it hadn’t been). True, the word homework , as in what we call today housework , appears as early as 1653. But homework , as in school exercises to be done at home, isn’t found until 1852. Once we had homework , it was only a matter of time before the dog was accused of eating it.

How we use this phrase now

No matter the origin, sometime in the 1950s, the expression became set as the dog ate my homework . This inspired any number of riffs on the theme, like my cow ate my homework or my brother ate my homework . In the 1960s, the dog ate my homework continued to gain popularity. The expression popped up a couple times in politics over the years, like when President Reagan said to reporters in 1988, “I had hoped that we had marked the end of the ‘dog-ate-my-homework’ era of Congressional budgetry … but it was not to be.”

It seems unlikely that the dog ate my homework was ever used consistently or frequently by actual schoolchildren. In fact, it’s the unlikeliness of the story that makes it so funny and absurd as a joke. Instead, teachers and authority figures appear to have cited the dog ate my homework many times over the years as such a bad excuse they can’t believe students are really using it.

In the 21st century, students don’t spend as much time working with physical pen and paper as they once did. That may contribute to the decline in the use of the phrase. So, maybe soon we’ll see a new equally absurd phrase pop up. Come on Zoomers, you’ve got this.

WATCH: What's A Unique Homework Routine That Works?

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Why Do We Say “The Dog Ate My Homework”?

The history of the delinquent schoolchild’s favorite excuse..

Did this sad Lab eat your homework?

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Viacom announced on Monday that Mitt Romney had declined to appear on Nickelodeon’s Kids Pick the President special this year, citing time constraints. President Obama’s camp pounced on Romney’s decision, saying, “Kids demand details … ‘The dog ate my homework’ just doesn’t cut it when you’re running for president. ” When did “my dog ate my homework” become known as schoolchildren’s favorite excuse?

The 1970s. Delinquent schoolchildren and adults have been blaming their shortcomings on their pets for more than a century, but it wasn’t until the 1970s that “my dog ate my homework” came to be considered the No. 1 likely story. One of the first sad sacks who was said to blame his dog for his own ill-preparedness was a priest. In this anecdote, which appeared as early as 1905, a clergyman pulls his clerk aside after a service to ask him whether his sermon seemed long enough. The clerk assures him that it was very nice, “just the right length,” and the priest is relieved. “I am very glad to hear you say that,” he says, “because just before I started to come here my dog got hold of my sermon and ate some of the leaves .” The story was repeated again and again . The first citation of the excuse in the Oxford English Dictionary is a 1929 article from the Manchester Guardian , which reads, “It is a long time since I have had the excuse about the dog tearing up the arithmetic homework.” In Bel Kaufman’s best-selling 1965 novel Up the Down Staircase , a list of students’ excuses for not having their homework includes “ My dog went on my homework ” and “ My dog chewed it up .” Even in 1965, however, it was still just another excuse.

“My dog ate my homework” became known as the quintessential far-fetched excuse in the next decade, when the phrase was used over and over . In a 1976 account of the Watergate tapes, E.C. Kennedy describes listening to President Nixon “ working on the greatest American excuse since the dog ate my homework .” A 1977 article from Alaska’s Daily News-Miner describes the difficulty students faced in coming up with a new excuse since “ ‘My dog ate my term paper’ is no longer acceptable .”

The excuse was alluded to more and more throughout the 1980s. A 1982 Time magazine column on excuses suggested that “The dog ate my homework is a favorite with schoolchildren,” while a 1987 New York Times column about how students were starting to blame malfunctioning computers and printers quoted one teacher as saying she recently received “ a note from a student’s mother saying the dog ate his homework .” Even the president picked up on the trend: When Congress pushed spending approval to the last minute in 1988, Ronald Reagan complained to reporters, “ I had hoped that we had marked the end of the ‘dog-ate-my-homework’ era of Congressional budgetry … but it was not to be .” It was all over television, with references to the excuse on shows like The Simpsons and Full House . By 1989, the narrator of Saved by the Bell theme was singing, “ And the dog ate all my homework last night .”

The phrase continued to grow more popular. Between 1990 and 2000, the New York Times wrote articles with headlines such as “ Beyond ‘Dog Ate My Homework’ ” and “ Homework Help Sites (Or, the Dog Ate My U.R.L.) ,” while The New Yorker described one criminal’s accounts of his wrongdoings as having “a decided my-dog-ate-my-homework quality.” Children’s books tried to capitalize on the trend with titles like A Dinosaur Ate My Homework , Aliens Ate My Homework , Godzilla Ate My Homework , and My Teacher Ate My Homework , daring to use the term to promote reading and education. Such titles have continued into the 2000s, but in recent years the phrase seems to finally be losing steam .

Bonus Explainer: An Obama spokesperson also said, “ It’s no surprise Romney decided to play hookey .” Why do we call cutting school “playing hookey”? To play hookey began as an Americanism in the 19 th century. The earliest known citation comes from 1848, from John Russell Bartlett’s Dictionary of Americanisms , where it was said to mean “to play truant” and noted to be “ a term used among schoolboys, chiefly in the State of New York .” Word historians usually suggest that it’s from to hook it meaning to run away , a term as old as the Revolutionary War. However, others have proposed that it might derive from the Dutch expression hoekje spelen , the Dutch expression for “hide and seek”—especially since playing hooky emerged in New York during a time when it had a larger Dutch population.

Got a question about today’s news?  Ask the Explainer .

Explainer thanks Barry Popik, Jesse Sheidlower of the Oxford English Dictionary, and Ben Zimmer of the Visual Thesaurus and Vocabulary.com .

50 of the BEST Mother-Daughter Movies

Here is a list of 50 of the BEST Mother-Daughter movies to plan your best movie night!

Each of these movies listed below has some type of dynamic relationship and even conflict between mother and daughter.

Most of the list of movies are obvious but some are not.

This list is not in a particular order, but I am wondering if there are ones missing or ones that you feel don’t below.  Let me know what you think and we will continue to edit and add to the list.

• Little Women (1994) – This adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel follows the lives of the four March sisters as they navigate love, loss, and sisterhood under the guidance of their mother.
• Lady Bird (2017) – A coming-of-age comedy-drama that explores the tumultuous relationship between a strong-willed teenager and her equally strong-willed mother as they navigate love, independence, and dreams.
• Terms of Endearment (1983) – A heartfelt film that explores the complex relationship between a mother and her daughter as they face love, loss, and personal growth.
• Stepmom (1998) – A poignant drama about a terminally ill mother (Susan Sarandon) and her ex-husband’s new partner (Julia Roberts) as they navigate the challenges of co-parenting and ultimately find common ground.
• Mamma Mia! (2008) – A musical comedy that follows a bride-to-be as she tries to uncover the identity of her father among three potential candidates, with her mother’s past love life providing the backdrop.
• Mermaids (1990) – Set in the 1960s, this comedy-drama follows a single mother and her two daughters as they navigate the challenges of love, growing up, and finding their place in the world.
• Freaky Friday (2003) – A comedy film about a mother and daughter who magically switch bodies, leading to humorous and insightful moments as they gain a newfound understanding of each other’s lives.
• Little Miss Sunshine (2006) – This indie comedy-drama revolves around a dysfunctional family as they embark on a road trip to support their young daughter’s dream of competing in a beauty pageant.
• In Her Shoes (2005) – A dramedy that explores the complex relationship between two sisters (Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette) as they navigate their differences and ultimately find common ground.
• The Parent Trap (1998) – Identical twin sisters, separated at birth and raised by different parents, meet at summer camp and devise a plan to reunite their long-divorced parents.
• The Princess Diaries (2001) – A charming family film about an ordinary teenager (Anne Hathaway) who discovers she is a princess and must navigate the challenges of royal life with the support of her quirky grandmother (Julie Andrews).
• The Joy Luck Club (1993) – Adapted from Amy Tan’s novel, this film delves into the lives of four Chinese-American women and their relationships with their mothers, exploring themes of cultural identity, sacrifice, and the power of storytelling.
• The Blind Side (2009) – Based on a true story, this inspiring film follows a wealthy woman (Sandra Bullock) who takes in a homeless teenager (Quinton Aaron) and helps him realize his potential, showcasing the transformative power of love and motherly care.
• Brave (2012) – An animated adventure film set in the Scottish Highlands, where a young princess named Merida must break a curse and reconcile with her mother while discovering the true meaning of bravery.
• Now and Then (1995) – This nostalgic coming-of-age film follows four friends as they reminisce about their shared childhood experiences, reflecting on the impact of their mothers’ friendships and guidance.
• Anywhere But Here (1999) – A drama about a free-spirited mother (Susan Sarandon) who uproots her daughter’s life to pursue her own dreams, leading to a journey of self-discovery for both of them.
• 27 Dresses (2008) – While primarily a romantic comedy, this film explores the close bond between two sisters as one of them (Katherine Heigl) selflessly supports the other through various romantic entanglements.
• Because I Said So (2007) – A romantic comedy that centers around the meddling, yet well-intentioned, efforts of a mother (Diane Keaton) to find the perfect man for her daughter (Mandy Moore).
• The Secret Life of Bees (2008) – Set in the 1960s, this powerful drama follows a young girl (Dakota Fanning) as she escapes an abusive household and finds solace and a sense of belonging with a group of beekeeping sisters, led by the maternal figure played by Queen Latifah.
• My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) – A romantic comedy about a young woman (Nia Vardalos) from a Greek-American family as she navigates her cultural traditions, family dynamics, and the pursuit of love.
• Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002) – Based on the novel by Rebecca Wells, this film tells the story of a mother-daughter relationship strained by secrets, healing through the bond of a close-knit group of lifelong friends.
• Nowhere Boy (2009) – A biographical drama about the teenage years of John Lennon (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his complex relationship with his mother, Julia Lennon (Anne-Marie Duff), who influences his musical journey.
• The Help (2011) – Set in the 1960s, this film focuses on the relationships between African-American maids and the white families they work for, highlighting the motherly connections and shared struggles between the characters.
• The Family Stone (2005) – A comedy-drama about the Stone family’s holiday gathering, where the eldest son brings his uptight girlfriend (Sarah Jessica Parker) home, leading to clashes, unexpected connections, and a deeper understanding of family bonds.
• White Oleander (2002) – Based on the novel by Janet Fitch, this drama follows a young girl (Alison Lohman) who endures a series of foster homes while her incarcerated mother (Michelle Pfeiffer) exerts a lasting influence on her life.
• Incredibles 2 (2018) – An animated superhero film that explores the dynamics of the Parr family as the mother, Helen/Elastigirl, takes the spotlight to save the world while her husband Mr. Incredible stays at home to care for their children.
• The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005) – Four best friends discover a pair of magical jeans that fit them all perfectly, symbolizing their enduring friendship and providing support as they navigate their individual challenges.
• An Unfinished Life (2005) – A drama about a troubled woman (Jennifer Lopez) who moves to her estranged father-in-law’s (Robert Redford) ranch with her daughter, leading to healing, forgiveness, and a deeper understanding of family.
• For Keeps (1988) – A romantic comedy-drama that explores the challenges faced by a teenage couple (Molly Ringwald and Randall Batinkoff) when they unexpectedly become parents and must confront the realities of adulthood and parenthood together.
• My Girl (1991) – Set in the 1970s, this coming-of-age film follows an 11-year-old girl (Anna Chlumsky) as she deals with the loss of her mother and forms an unlikely friendship with a boy (Macaulay Culkin) from a funeral home.
• Jack & Diane (2012) – A romantic drama that delves into the passionate relationship between two teenage girls and the impact it has on their individual lives and the lives of their families.
• Girl, Interrupted (1999) – Based on a memoir, this drama focuses on a young woman (Winona Ryder) who voluntarily commits herself to a mental institution, forming unexpected bonds and finding solace in the presence of other patients, including a motherly figure (Angelina Jolie).
• The Duchess (2008) – A period drama based on the life of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (Keira Knightley), as she navigates the challenges of her loveless marriage and seeks independence, all while trying to be a loving mother.
• Aquamarine (2006) – A teen fantasy film about two friends who discover a mermaid named Aquamarine and help her find true love while learning valuable lessons about friendship and growing up.
• Whip It (2009) – A sports comedy-drama about a rebellious teenager (Ellen Page) who finds her passion in roller derby, with the support and encouragement of her unconventional mother (Marcia Gay Harden).
• Mermaids (1990) – A comedy-drama about a single mother and her two daughters as they navigate the challenges of love, growing up, and finding their place in the world.
• Anna Karenina (2012) – Based on Leo Tolstoy’s novel, this period drama follows the tragic love affair of Anna Karenina (Keira Knightley), a woman torn between her duty as a mother and her desires for love and freedom.
• The Sisterhood of Night (2014) – A mystery drama that explores the consequences faced by a group of girls involved in a secret society, with their mothers and the community at large trying to unravel the truth.
• Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008) – Set during the Great Depression, this family film centers around a resourceful young girl (Abigail Breslin) who dreams of becoming a journalist while her mother (Julia Ormond) teaches her valuable life lessons.
• Little Secrets (2001) – A family film about a young girl who runs a secret business where she helps others keep their deepest secrets, all while facing her own challenges and learning important lessons from her mother.
• The Guilt Trip (2012) – A comedy about an inventor (Seth Rogen) who embarks on a road trip with his overprotective mother (Barbra Streisand), leading to humorous and heartfelt moments as they confront their relationship and discover more about each other.
• Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002) – This film tells the story of a mother-daughter relationship strained by secrets, healing through the bond of a close-knit group of lifelong friends.
• 20th Century Women (2016) – Set in 1979, this drama explores the relationships between a single mother (Annette Bening), her teenage son, and the young women who influence his life, providing unique perspectives on womanhood and motherhood.
• Riding in Cars with Boys (2001) – A dramedy based on the memoir of Beverly Donofrio, this film follows a young woman (Drew Barrymore) who becomes a teenage mother and must navigate the challenges of parenthood while pursuing her dreams.
• Jackie & Ryan (2014) – A romantic drama about a single mother (Katherine Heigl) who forms a connection with a traveling musician (Ben Barnes) and finds inspiration and support in their relationship.
• Elsa & Fred (2014) – A romantic comedy-drama about a widower (Christopher Plummer) who forms an unlikely friendship and romance with his eccentric neighbor (Shirley MacLaine), bringing newfound joy and spontaneity into both their lives.
• Anywhere But Here (1999) – A drama about a free-spirited mother who uproots her daughter’s life to pursue her own dreams, leading to a journey of self-discovery for both of them.
• Morning Glory (2010) – A comedy-drama that follows the career aspirations of a young television producer (Rachel McAdams) as she takes on the challenge of revitalizing a morning show, with her relationship with her mother (Diane Keaton) serving as an important source of support.
• The Kids Are All Right (2010) – A comedy-drama about a same-sex couple (Annette Bening and Julianne Moore) whose family dynamic is challenged when their children seek out their biological father, leading to a thoughtful exploration of modern family dynamics and the bonds between mothers and their children.
• Room (2015) – Based on the novel by Emma Donoghue, this intense drama follows a young mother (Brie Larson) and her son as they escape from captivity and adjust to life outside, highlighting the powerful and unconditional love between a mother and child.

How to plan a Mother-Daughter Movie Night!

• Make a date with your mom or your daughter!
• Plan snacks and popcorn and favorite beverages!
• Keep it light-hearted and entertain the conversations during the movie!
• More tips on Family Movie Nights .

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School Sucks

My excuse was always "I forgot it at home"

PROOF: the Dog Really Did Eat My Homework

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The life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time. The life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time. The life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time.

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