"wag the dog" meaning in All languages combined

{
  "etymology_text": "From tail wagging the dog, first used in the 1858 play, Our American Cousin. The shortened form with the political sense was popularized by the film Wag the Dog (1997).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "wags the dog",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wagging the dog",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wagged the dog",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wagged the dog",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "wag the dog (third-person singular simple present wags the dog, present participle wagging the dog, simple past and past participle wagged the dog)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Politics",
          "orig": "en:Politics",
          "parents": [
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "59 41",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "64 36",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "79 21",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To divert negative political attention by use of a military operation."
      ],
      "id": "en-wag_the_dog-en-verb-tQAUm8j3",
      "links": [
        [
          "politics",
          "politics"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, politics) To divert negative political attention by use of a military operation."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "government",
        "politics"
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "When something powerful or important is being controlled by something that is less powerful or important."
      ],
      "id": "en-wag_the_dog-en-verb-as~UnXHw"
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-wag the dog.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/2c/En-au-wag_the_dog.ogg/En-au-wag_the_dog.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/En-au-wag_the_dog.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "wag the dog"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English verbs",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From tail wagging the dog, first used in the 1858 play, Our American Cousin. The shortened form with the political sense was popularized by the film Wag the Dog (1997).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "wags the dog",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wagging the dog",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wagged the dog",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wagged the dog",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "wag the dog (third-person singular simple present wags the dog, present participle wagging the dog, simple past and past participle wagged the dog)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "en:Politics"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To divert negative political attention by use of a military operation."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "politics",
          "politics"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, politics) To divert negative political attention by use of a military operation."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "government",
        "politics"
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "When something powerful or important is being controlled by something that is less powerful or important."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-wag the dog.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/2c/En-au-wag_the_dog.ogg/En-au-wag_the_dog.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/En-au-wag_the_dog.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "wag the dog"
}