What Does ‘Let Sleeping Dogs Lie’ Mean?

The phrase ‘let sleeping dogs lie’ is likely attributable more to folk wisdom than to a single individual, though its evolution in various forms can be traced back to at least the medieval period, if not to earlier Latin proverbs.

There are several references in etymological discussions of the phrase, for example, to a text referred to as Proverbia Vulgalia et Latina which translates to ‘Common and Latin Proverbs’, but the text is all but impossible to find.

While we can’t confirm claims that the 13^th century text lists ‘Ne reveillez pas le chien qui dort’ or ‘don’t wake the sleeping hound’ or the supposition that it may therefore originate from the Latin phrase ‘Quieta non movera’ or ‘don’t disturb things at peace’, we can say with reasonable certainty that the majority of sources discussing the phrase use a 2010 blog as their primary source.

It’s difficult, however, to agree with the supposition of that initial source, or that the root of the phrase lies in Proverbs (26:17) which reads:

Beyond the mention of the dog, this would seem to be a more general, though not unconnected entreaty to avoid involving yourself in the trouble of others.

Herein lies the problem with the evolution of language – and especially idiomatic language. What we see in the biblical passage may well be what, in palaeontology, might be called a ‘transitional form’ – an intermediate version of what will become the phrase.

One early transitional form it’s possible to verify, however, is that in stanza 110, line 764 of Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde:

Although taken from a poem of around 100 words by Chaucer, it must be noted that this is not evidence of his inventing such idioms – merely that Chaucer expected such a phrase to be understood by his audience.

As such, it’s reasonable to assume that the phrase, rather than originating with the publication of Troilus and Criseyde in around 1380, dates to at least the 14^th century and likely evolved from earlier pieces of folk wisdom.