dog

1) A metal nail, used to secure one object to another.

The OED has ‘dog’ from 1883 for a spike used to fasten down rails on sleepers, and ‘dog-nail’ from 1703, used for fastening hinges or other iron work: the common element seems to be their power to grip, securing one object to another. In 1576, 20 pence was paid for a dogge of yron nailed on the joynynge of two panes in the new house, York and this evidently had a similar meaning. In 1663, a payment at Ripon was pro broggs, stubbs & dogs to fasten the Wainscott in the Quire.

places York Ripon
dates 1576 1663

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Photo by Kreuzschnabel CC BY-SA 3.0