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Reader question: In this quote, “Carl is the top dog here”, what does “top dog” mean exactly. My comments: It means Carl calls the shots here. In other words, everyone does what Carl says. Obviously, we are talking about people, not real dogs. In the real doggie world, top dog is synonymous with the Alpha dog, alpha being the first letter in the Greek alphabet. Alpha being the first letter of the alphabet, alpha dog, hence, is the leading dog of a pack, the first and foremost member of group. The alpha dog can either be a male (hence the term alpha male) or a female. It is the dominant member of the whole pack. When the pack goes hunting, the alpha male leads the attack; when the pack eats their prey, the alpha male gets to eat first and gets to eat the best parts. Oh, top dog. When the alpha dog meets and greets another dog, the other dog is usually seen rolling on its back while holding the alpha dog by the neck and licking his hair and legs and so forth. By doing so, the dog on its back is demonstrating his or her loyalty, obedience plus assiduities toward the top dog, which is standing tall and firm on its four legs. In this position, one can have no doubt which dog is in the more advantageous prestigious and dominating position. Definitely not the underdog, exactly. Now, we learn another term, the underdog, the one that’s the lesser, weaker party. | 
