I was listening to Dave Chappelle the other day. I think he’s the funniest living American. At several points, he referred to associates as “dog,” as in, “Yo dog, what’s up?”

This is not something that Dave Chappelle started. It’s a hip hop thing, going back at least as far as DMX’s “Where’s My Dogs At?” and probably further. Maybe it goes back to Snoop Dogg and his debut album Doggystyle.

In the jazz age, hipsters called each other cats.