In the Doghouse
At my job, we have the pleasure of working with a lot of wonderful Korean teachers. Some of them are ambitious. Two of my coworkers recently took the test (and passed) to become supervisors. In Korea, big accomplishments like that are cause for celebration. Some people will celebrate by buying a new vehicle.
One of those coworkers bought a new Mercedes-Benz to celebrate her promotion. It is a beautiful car. She went with her family to Everland yesterday and on the way back, her husband jumped the curb and scratched her car. Jumping the curb means that he accidently went off the road. I think she was angry. Now, her husband is in the doghouse.
The idiom, in the doghouse, alludes to people getting kicked out of the house. Stereotypically, when the wife is angry she will not let her husband sleep in the same bed. Sometimes he is forced to sleep on the sofa, and sometimes he is forced to sleep outside. I am sorry to the pet dog, because that is where the husband will sleep.
So, if you are in the doghouse, you did something bad and the other person is mad at you. It doesn’t mean that you have to literally sleep in the dog’s house. It just means that someone is angry with you. I watch a lot of American football. If a player drops the ball, the coach might not let him play anymore. We say that the player is in the doghouse.
Example: I forgot my anniversary. Now, I am in the doghouse.Â
It appears that the idiom comes from the classic children’s book, Peter Pan (1910). In chapter 16, Mr. Darling felt ashamed for letting his children get kidnapped. He stayed in dog’s kennel (doghouse) out of shame.
See Also:Â Dog Days of Summer, You Can't Teach and Old Dog New Tricks
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Reference:
https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/in-the-doghouse.html