At 9 04 06, 06:23 PM, Pat Naughtin wrote:
Now I recall this term as an old Australian sheep drover's expression for
coldness at night. A 'three-dog night' was when it was sufficiently cold to
have three dogs sleep with you in your small (dare I say pup) tent.
I don't think that there is a direct conversion to degrees Celsius as the
idea of a three-dog night is highly subjective and varies widely from person
to person.
My Sales Manager is an active trainer of sheep dogs (Border Collies)
and competes with them regularly all over the Western US.
I sent her Pat's comments, and she replied "We still use the phrase!
One of the trainers we often see sleeps in a tent, and on cold nights
we ask him "Is this a two-dog or a three-dog night?"
Presumably tongue-in-cheek, but still humorous.
Jim
Jim Elwell, CAMS
Electrical Engineer
Industrial manufacturing manager
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
www.qsicorp.com
