A short watch or shift on a ship, especially the evening watch from 4 to 6 PM or 6 to 8 PM, so named because it's considered an undesirable duty.
From 'dog' (possibly derived from 'dodge,' suggesting a way to dodge duty) combined with 'watch' (a period of duty). Royal Navy term from the 18th century onward.
The Royal Navy split the evening into two short watches so sailors wouldn't have the same watch rotation every night—this clever scheduling trick meant the same person wouldn't always work dinnertime. It's the origin of why 24-hour clocks repeat certain hours at different times of day!
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