See a man about a dog
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
Leave while deliberately withholding the real reason, often as a euphemism for going to the toilet. Informal euphemism. The usual modern inference in Britain is a toilet visit, but context can indicate any private business. Regional use: British and North American English.
Origin
The formula appears in American theatre in the 1860s, before Prohibition-era stories sometimes attached to it. Dog and horse versions both circulated. Its essential function was evasive: the speaker announced a private errand without explaining it. Pub-going and toilet use became common applications, but neither is the phrase's only possible purpose.
Research Sources
Variants
- See a man about a horse
Usage Examples
- Order without me; I have to see a man about a dog.
- At the interval, two passengers slipped out to see a man about a dog.
- He said he was seeing a man about a dog and refused every further question.