the.com/dogear
Folding a page corner to prove you respect the book less than you respect your bookmark budget.
means To fold down the corner of a page to mark your place, leaving a small triangular crease behind.
from A straightforward compound from 'dog' plus 'ear' — the folded corner resembling the floppy, triangular ear of a dog. The word shows up in English by the 1600s, first just describing the look of a bent-over page corner, then turning into a verb for the act of folding it that way. No hidden Latin root or clever pun here — just a plain visual metaphor that stuck because it's exactly right.
- origin
- named for a dog ear's floppy triangular shape
- librarian rage
- considered a minor act of violence by bibliophiles
- also a verb
- you can dogear a page just by reading carelessly
- digital echo
- ebook bookmark icons still mimic the folded corner