It refers to making a situation seem something it is not by creating the situation in such a way that the spectators react in a predetermined manner.
This phrase was popularised a few years ago by the Robert De Niro film by the same name - "Wag the dog", in which Whitehouse media men created a false press release showing some war-like scenario unfolding in order to take the pressure off of the president, and create a favourable reaction in the populous for the president to take "appropriate" response. The response obviously wasn't appropriate, as the scenarion was false from the beginning.
The question which gives rise to the phrase "wag the dog", is: Does the dog wag the tail, or does the tail wag the dog? You see the tail moving, you assume the dog is wagging it, and enjoying it, but maybe the tail is wagging the dog, and the dog is enjoying the attention!
To 'wag the dog' means to purposely divert attention from what would otherwise be of greater importance, to something else of lesser significance
The duration of Wag the Dog is 1.62 hours.
Wag the Dog was released on 12/25/1997.
Wag the Dog was created on 1997-12-17.
The Production Budget for Wag the Dog was $15,000,000.
Wag the Dog grossed $64,252,038 worldwide.
Wag the Dog grossed $43,057,470 in the domestic market.
dog (cininas)
Barry Levinson.
they wag i]their tail 3 to 4 a secnd and 31536000 a year
There's this bloke that lives in my street, he's a bit of a wag. -- British slangWhen my dog gets excited, he wag his tale.
You're probably thinking of Wag the Dog .
it will wag its tail or lick you