See a man about a dog
To see a man about a dog (or see a man about a horse) is an English language colloquialism, usually used as a way to say one needs to apologize for one's imminent departure or absence – generally euphemistically to conceal one's true purpose, such as going to use the toilet or going to buy a drink.
The original, non-facetious meaning was probably to place or settle a bet on a racing dog.[1]
Historical usage
The earliest confirmed publication is the 1866 Dion Boucicault play Flying Scud[2] 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."[3][4] In a listing for a 1939 revival on the NBC Radio program America's Lost Plays, Time magazine observed that the phrase was the play's "claim to fame".[5]
During Prohibition in the United States, the phrase was most commonly used in relation to the consumption or purchase of alcoholic beverages.[4]
References
- Notes
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- ↑ First performance Holborn Theatre Royal, London on October 6, 1866: The Times, 8 October, 1866; pg. 7; Issue 25623; col F. First U.S. production at Wallack’s Theatre on April 24, 1867: The New York Times 25 April, 1867
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- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- 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.
