A sculptural or ornamental representation of a dog's head; historically, a term for a crude or stupid person.
Compound word from 'dog' plus 'head,' forming a literal descriptor. Used in architecture and heraldry since medieval times, and as an insult suggesting someone was as intelligent as a dog.
Medieval buildings often featured carved 'dogheads' as decorative elements on cornices and doorways—what we'd call 'gargoyles'—suggesting that people of that era found dog symbolism both protective and threatening.
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