View source for See a man about a dog

{{Short description|Idiom}}
{{Wiktionary}}
To '''see a man about a dog''', '''horse''' or '''duck''' is an [[idiom]], especially [[British English]], of apology for one's imminent departure or absence, generally to [[Euphemism|euphemistically]] conceal one's true purpose, such as going to use the toilet or going to buy an alcoholic drink. The original non-facetious meaning was probably to place or settle a bet on a race, perhaps accompanied by a [[wink]]. In the UK the phrase is generally used nowadays as a polite way of saying, "I am going out [or "have been out"], but don't ask where", often with the facetious implication that you are about to be, or have been, up to no good. In the Southern US, going to see a man about a dog signifies that one is going to urinate, while going to see a man about a horse signifies that one is going to defecate, and thus may be away a bit longer. <ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3DiHy31K30oC&pg=PA674 |title=Brewer's Dictionary of Modern Phrase & Fable |last1= Ayto |first1= John |first2=Ian |last2=Crofton |year=2006 |publisher=Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. |isbn=9780304368099}}</ref>

== Historical usage ==
The earliest confirmed publication is the 1866 [[Dion Boucicault]] play ''Flying Scud'',<ref>First performance Holborn Theatre Royal, London on October 6, 1866: ''The Times'', 8 October 1866; p. 7; Issue 25623; col F.  First U.S. production at Wallack's Theatre on April 24, 1867: ''[[The New York Times]]'' 25 April 1867</ref> in which a character knowingly breezes past a difficult situation saying, "Excuse me Mr. Quail, I can't stop; I've got to see a man about a dog."<ref>{{cite book| title= Now You Know: The Book of Answers| url= https://archive.org/details/nowyouknowbookof0000lenn| url-access= registration| first= Doug | last= Lennox |year= 2003 |publisher= Dundurn Press Ltd.| isbn=1-55002-575-9}}</ref><ref name="Quinion">{{cite web|last=Quinion|first=Michael|title=See a Man About a Dog |url=http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-see1.htm|publisher=WorldWideWords.org|accessdate=November 4, 2010}}</ref> ''Time'' magazine observed that the phrase was the play's "claim to fame".<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,761735,00.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081214212656/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,761735,00.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= December 14, 2008 |title= Prestige Programs |date= July 17, 1939 |work= Time magazine |accessdate= December 29, 2007}}</ref> In [[Newcastle upon Tyne]], [[Newcastle Brown Ale]] commonly gained the nickname of "Dog" from the frequent use of the phrase to describe going to the pub.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/last-orders-1466093|title=Last orders|date=25 January 2008|newspaper=[[Evening Chronicle]]|accessdate=9 April 2013}}</ref>

During [[Prohibition in the United States]], the phrase was most commonly used in relation to the consumption or purchase of alcoholic beverages.<ref name="Quinion" />

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Ayto, John. ''Oxford Slang''. 1998.
* Farmer, J.S. and W.E. Henley. ''Slang and its Analogues''. 1986.
* Chapman, Robert L. ''Dictionary of American Slang''. 1995.
* Matthews, Mitford M. ''A Dictionary of Americanisms''. 1951.
* Spears, Richard A. ''Slang and Euphemism''. 1981.
* Spears, Richard A. ''The Slang and Jargon of Drugs and Drink''. 1986.

[[Category:Figures of speech]]
[[Category:Slang]]
[[Category:Sociolinguistics]]
[[Category:Quotations from literature]]
[[Category:1860s neologisms]]
[[Category:1860s quotations]]
[[Category:Metaphors referring to dogs]]
[[Category:British English idioms]]