Plural of hangdog; people who appear guilty, ashamed, or miserable in expression and demeanor.
Plural form of hangdog, used as a noun since at least the 18th century to refer to people displaying this characteristic dejected appearance or behavior.
In Victorian literature, 'hangdogs' became a stock character type—the guilt-ridden servant or down-on-his-luck rogue—and writers loved the word because it communicated instantly to readers that a character was morally compromised without needing explanation.
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