Hair of the dog (that bit me)

[Dave Potts]

After a heavy weekend and a (very) subdued Monday I got to thinking about the origin of the above phrase - I googled the John Heywood proverb from 1546 but does anyone know how this phrase came to be applied to the curative power of (even more) alcohol to cure a hangover? Please answer as *quietly* as you can...

[Quizmonster]

According to Scottish legend, if you were bitten by a dog, the best cure for the wound was to place some of the guilty animal's hair on it. (There could actually be valid medical reasons for such a procedure...after all, putting spider-webs on wounds hastens healing.) This idea of curing like with like is how the phrase came to be associated with taking alcohol to get rid of the effects of drinking the same stuff!