velvet hippo

English

Etymology

Presumably an allusion to the large size and short coat of pit bull-type dogs or their reputation for aggression and unpredictability.

Noun

velvet hippo (plural velvet hippos)

1. (slang) A pit bull terrier.
   • 2014, Rebecca Corry, "Dog Moms Making A Difference: Rebecca Corry", American Dog, Winter 2014, page 22:

     My real life angel is my very own velvet hippo named Angel, and she is magical.

   • 2017 August 4, “Pet of the week: June”, in Signal Tribune, page 13:

     Velvet Hippo, Silver Shark—those are only a couple of the names that June's fans call her.

   • 2018 March 7, Savannah Brock, “Lovable ‘Velcro dog’ returned to Georgia animal shelter for 'being too nice’”, in KSDK:

     “This Velcro dog sounds just about perfect to us and we know there’s a family out there waiting to spend their nights binge-watching Netflix and snuggling with this sweet velvet hippo,” the shelter wrote on Facebook.

Synonyms

• pibble (informal), pit (slang), pit bull, pittie (informal), shitbull (pejorative)