Originally posted by zb cong:
otherwise,according to my dictionary,"hair of the dog that bit you" means the drink used to make the drunk man clear.but i don't know why you give such a drink so strange name??
"Hair of the dog..." is a hangover cure... exactly where the phrase came from I'm not sure, but it refers to the fact that when you're suffering from a hangover the *last* thing you want to drink is more alcohol.. If a dog hurts you, you wouldnt expect another encounter with the same dog to improve your situation!
The myth suggests that a small measure of alcohol (i.e. not enough to get you drunk, or cause you harm [bite you]) but enough to re-awaken the body will make you feel better.
There are a number of facts that give this some (but not much) validity. Hangovers are casued by a number of things:
1) Dehydration
2) Build up of toxins
3) Over-stimulation of brain - Previously brain function was depressed by alcohol so it had to work extra hard to send messages - in a hungover state it is still working hard [too hard] because it hasnt yet adjusted to the fact that your brain is no longer influenced by the depressant effect of alcohol.
Obviously extra alcohol does little for dehydration or toxin overload - but if the "hair of the dog" can depress the brain a little, the indivual may gain some relief from the overstimulation aspects of the hangover.
Hope this offers some explanation to the non-Anglophonic amongst us!