Crossword Dictionary
Cur
cur, curs, currish - n
a mongrel dog
c. 1200, curre, a term, usually depreciatory, for a dog, earlier kurdogge; used of vicious dogs and cowardly dogs, mastiffs and terriers, probably from Old Norse kurra or Middle Low German korren both meaning "to growl" and echoic of a growling dog. Compare Swedish dialectal kurre, Middle Dutch corre "house dog." Meaning "surly, low-bred man" is from 1580s.
As it’s currently used, cur refers to any of several North American “working†hounds that have been bred to hunt, herd, or protect their owners’ farms and ranches. But today many of these tough and affectionate dogs are kept purely as pets.
Experts refer to this collection of breeds as “treeing hounds†because they excel at tracking prey, scaring them into trees, and barking until owners can hunt the targets. Curs are larger breeds (usually ranging from 50 to 90 pounds) with shorter hair and “drop ears,†meaning ears that fall over, compared to ears point upwards.
Cur dogs are believed to have descended from various combinations of Native American dogs that, over centuries, mixed with domesticated dogs brought to the continent by French and Spanish settlers.