"Tim is the manager's lap ...... He is always kissing up to him and doing favors for him. It makes me sick," Lillibeth said to Ellie

[Englishlearner]

"Tim is the manager's lap ...... He is always kissing up to him and doing favors for him. It makes me sick," Lillibeth said to Ellie. (*) blanket (*) dog (*) belt (*) dance

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This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://english.best/questions/12510,tim-is-the-managers-lap-___-he-is-always-kissing-up-to-him-and-doing-favors-for-him-it-makes-me-sick-lillibeth-said-to-ellie/

[Cristovam]

Is it the correct answer “dog”?

[Sumejja]

It is, good job! The phrase originates from small dog breeds that can be held on the lap and mostly serve to comfort the owner, instead of hunting or helping on farms like many larger breeds do. Like people who are sometimes referred to as “lapdogs,” these dogs don’t really work, instead relying on their owner’s (or manager’s) goodwill.

[Torsten]

I think there are quite a few idioms featuring the noun ‘dog’ such as ‘lapdog’, ‘underdog’ and ‘topdog’. Do you happen to know why this is the case?

[Sumejja]

Disclaimer: I’m only guessing here! I’d say a big part of it is that dogs have been our pets for millennia at this point, and they embody many attributes we consider positive in humans as well, like loyalty, bravery, and selflessness (just ask any dog person on the internet!). “Underdog” and “topdog” both sound like they come from dog fights. I’d be very interested in hearing if anyone on our team knows more about the history of these idioms and phrases!