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see a man about a dog



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Idioms and Phrases

Excuse oneself without giving the real reason for leaving, especially to go to the toilet or have an alcoholic drink. For example, Excuse me, I have to see a man about a dog . This euphemistic term dates from the Prohibition days of the 1920s, when buying liquor was illegal, and, after repeal, was transferred to other circumstances.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

After she joined Mr. Cotter and the driver to stand in front of the car — they raised one fist in the air, then the other and then both to lyrics that included, “God is a Catholic man from Creggan” — her mates abandoned her, driving off as Mr. Cotter muttered something about having to “see a man about a dog.”

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Have been sitting here wondering whether I dare 'go see a man about a dog'.

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“That chili’s kicking in. I gotta see a man about a dog first.”

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A huge generalisation I know, but anything that was hush hush, was a little suspicious or was offered as a reason for absence was "Oh, I had/have to see a man about a dog."

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"I've got to see a man about a dog myself."

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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