A small shelter built for a dog, or figuratively, a state of disfavor when someone has done something wrong.
Compound word from 'dog' and 'house.' The figurative meaning ('in the doghouse') became popular in the early 1900s, meaning sleeping on the couch like a dog rather than in the bedroom with a spouse.
The phrase 'in the doghouse' reveals something funny about human psychology—we use our actual treatment of dogs (making them sleep outside as punishment) to describe our own domestic conflicts.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.