try it on the dog

English

Verb

try it on the dog (third-person singular simple present tries it on the dog, present participle trying it on the dog, simple past and past participle tried it on the dog)

1. (colloquial) To try something (especially a theatrical play) on a less important audience to gauge the likelihood of success before committing to general release or approval.
   • 1905, John Shanks Lindsay, The Mormons and the Theatre, page 129:

     They had feared to make the venture with it at the California theatre in San Francisco where they had been favorites, so they brought it to Salt Lake to "try it on the dog."

Alternative forms

• try it out on the dog

Related terms

• dog town