alpha male- noun-
singular alpha male
plural alpha males
a man or male animal that behaves in a confident or threatening way
Cambridge Dictionary
alpha male -noun
•
specialized the most successful and powerful male in any group
•
a strong and successful man who likes to be in charge of others
Encarta Dictionary
al·pha male (plural al·pha males)
noun
dominant male animal: a male in a pack of wolves,
or a similar pack or troop of animals, that other members
submit to and follow and that takes priority in mating with females
dominant man: a man who controls the activities of a group
and to whom others defer ( informal )
World English Dictionary
Alpha male
— n
the dominant male animal or person in a group
Urban Dictionary
alpha-male
the dominant member of a pack of wolves.
any person with a dominating personality, causing the assertion of or struggle for leadership in almost any situation.
Wordcraft
alpha male – a male in a pack of wolves, etc., to whom other
members submit (in humans: dominant man; a man who controls
the activities of a group and to whom others defer)
Urban Dictionary
1.Alpha dog
The leader or authority in a group, especially in
a group of friends.
2.Alpha dog
The leader of a pack that rolls several dogs deep.
No leash can hold him, and his tail wags for no one. [meaning, he’s not easily amused]
Alpha Dog’s bark is in equal proportion to his bite.
Wiktionary
alpha dog -noun (plural alpha dogs)
A dominant dog; a dog that is an alpha male or
alpha female. Often used figuratively.
**
You’re adding your own personal interpretation and stating it to support your own perspective. The quote is just that, a quote, a saying or popular phrase and I’m sure most here will agree with my translation of that quote as having nothing to do with his sense of humor so much as his lack of need for other peoples approval.
Not to mention “successful”, “powerful”, “in charge”, “confident” etc have nothing to do with an overly serious, stoic or aggressive personality. Even underlining the phrase “dominating personality” shows a misinterpretation. A personality that dominates simply means he holds a stronger frame and others adjust their own frame to fit his, it does not mean aggressive or domineering behavior. A perfect example would be a celebrity roast I saw where Jamie Fox began heckling another comic during his routine, the comic tried to turn it around but Jamie Fox held his frame…his personality was dominant. He wasn’t angry, bossy or aggressive, in fact he made the whole spectacle funny for everyone and established his dominance.
No muscle flexing, no thinly veiled threats…humor and he cut an upstart down to size with it and displayed a dominant personality.
"Why does a dog wag its tail? “Are you kidding?” you will say. “Why do you ask me such a simple question? Everyone knows the answer to that one! A dog wags its tail simply because it is happy”
source: Why does my dog wag it’s tail?
“Some animal behaviorists theorize that dogs wag their tails to indicate submission. However, this is unlikely to be true, as a wide range of dogs wag their tails in different situations.”
“It appears that dogs wag their tails in social situations only, and do not do so alone. It may be that dogs wag their tails in response to stimuli which they experience.”
" When a dog holds its tail straight out, rather than up or down, it is a sign of interest and curiosity. The majority of dogs wagging their tails in this position are friendly and interested in what is going on around them, and they do not pose a threat"
source:Why Do Dogs Wag Their Tails?
an attitude of popular hostility to law and government
a secret society characterized by this attitude
in the U.S. and elsewhere, a secret society, of Italian origin, engaged in such illegal activities as gambling, prostitution, and illicit trade in narcotics
any group engaged in such activities: the Russian mafia
A crime boss or boss is a person in charge of a criminal organization. A boss typically has absolute or near-absolute control over his subordinates, is greatly feared by his subordinates for his ruthlessness and willingness to take lives in order to exert his influence, and profits come from the criminal endeavors his organization engages in.
^ Pistone, Joseph D. The Way of the Wiseguy: The FBI’s Most Famous Undercover Agent Cracks the Mob Mind. Philadelphia: Running Press, 2005.
^ Manning, George A. Financial Investigation and Forensic Accounting. Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press, 2005.
…really? Dude, I wasn’t saying why a literal dog literally wags it’s tail, I was translating the meaning behind a catch phrase that has nothing to do with literal interpretation whatsoever. In reality…you know, that place you seem hell bent on avoiding? Even a literal alpha dog can be literally held by a literal leash. You jump back and forth in your arguments as it suits you.
Rule number one, since you dismissed scientific studies on alpha male behavior and traits in “other species” references to the behaviors of dogs are by your own definition an invalid argument.
Man, you’re really attached to this definition thing huh? OK, fine Alpha Males don’t smile, they don’t laugh, they’re not easily amused or any of that.
Hear that guys?, if you want to be considered an alpha male you must posture and chest thump as much as possible, display no more humor than Dirty Harry in the movie Magnum Force.
Arnold Schwarzenegger smiles all the damn time, he’s been described by fellow bodybuilders and many of his costars as being a practical joker too. So ignore his being the most successful bodybuilder of all time, ignore that he was for several years the highest paid actor in hollywood, or that he was a real estate millionaire before he even started making movies, ignore that he managed to become govenor of the largest state in the union…he smiles too damn much and is therefor not alpha enough.
Ignore the fact that FDR was chosen by millions to lead the country out of the great depression and through the biggest war in human history…he was ultimately a crippled old man with polio and not muscular or aggressive enough.
And his rival? Well yeah sure old Adolf may have had the charisma to rally Germany from a borderline third world nation ravaged by WWI and turned into military/industrial machine so powerful it took the combined effort of most of the worlds powers to stop him…but frankly LOOK at him…he’s a teeny little pipsqueek of a man.
Also irrelevant would be Genghis Khan, yeah sure he killed hordes of people and impregnated so many women that his Y chromosome can be traced to living descendants to this day…he was known historically for rewarding the men who fought for him with a greater share of loot than other chieftains of his day, he also broke from Mongol tradition of abandoning the women and children when a battle looked to be lost and the men saving themselves and instead held ground while the families of his men made their escape. Too much of a softy to be considered an alpha.
A crime boss or boss is a person in charge of a criminal organization. A boss typically has absolute or near-absolute control over his subordinates, is greatly feared by his subordinates for his ruthlessness and willingness to take lives in order to exert his influence, and profits come from the criminal endeavors his organization engages in.
^ (Crime boss - Wikipedia) Pistone, Joseph D. The Way of the Wiseguy: The FBI’s Most Famous Undercover Agent Cracks the Mob Mind. Philadelphia: Running Press, 2005.
^ Manning, George A. Financial Investigation and Forensic Accounting. Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press, 2005. (Book sources - Wikipedia)
circular argument, I agree that crime bosses use force and the threat of force to dominate their group. Never said they didn’t, just said that your argument that alpha males don’t smile much was inaccurate, that it’s a social position and backed it up with scientific studies on other social mammals…which you dismissed based on your argument based on movie portrayals of mob bosses.
