(rare) The letterR, which was trilled in Latin, imitating the sound of a snarling dog.
1640, Samuel Ramsey,The English Language and English Grammar[1], New York and London: G.P. Putnam's Sons, translation of original byBen Jonson, published1892, page168:
R is theDog's letter, and hurreth in the sound; the tongue striking the inner palate, with a trembling about the teeth.
1735,Thomas Dyche,New General English Dictionary[…][2], published1798, page180:
R: SOME call this thedog's letter, upon account of its harsh and rough pronunciation;[…]
1858,Rosina Bulwer Lytton,The World and His Wife, Or, A Person of Consequence[…][3], volume 2, London: Charles J. Skeet, page19:
And in this short query thedog's letter, the r, whirred through the air, like the ricket of a pheasant rising;[…]
