see a man about a dog

Slang Dictionary

see a man about a dog definition


  1. tv.
    to leave a place for a mysterious reason, usually to go to the toilet. : Fred went to see a man about a dog. I hope he remembers to put the seat down.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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See a man about a dog is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

see a man about a dog

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.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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