dog days

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 6, 2023 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>dog days</strong> &#149; \DAWG-DAYZ\&nbsp; &#149; <em>noun</em><br /> <p><em>Dog days</em> is a plural noun that refers to the hottest time of the year, which in the northern hemisphere is usually between early July and early September. <em>Dog days</em> can also refer to a period of stagnation or inactivity suggestive of hot, <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sultry">sultry</a> weather when it can be difficult to summon the energy required for hard work.</p> <p>// The kids swim every afternoon during the <em>dog days</em> of summer.</p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dog%20days">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>“Streets with mature trees command higher home prices, temper the <em>dog days</em> of summer and draw more people outdoors for fresh air, walks and chats with neighbors.” — Celia Llopis-Jepsen, <em>Kansas News Service</em>, 9 May 2023</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>Idle hands may be the devil’s workshop, but let’s be serious: when it’s stiflingly hot outside, who among us isn’t tempted to <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shirk">shirk</a> work to go lie <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doggo">doggo</a> in the shade somewhere? Such is the desire of many a creature—not just dogs (or lexicographers)—during the dog days of summer. If you’re curious how dogs got singled out in this expression, however, you might say it was <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in-the-stars">in the stars</a>. The dog in <em>dog days</em> is the Dog Star, aka <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Sirius">Sirius</a>, the star that represents the hound of the hunter <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Orion">Orion</a> in the <a