See a man about a dog

To see a man about a dog or horse is an English idiom, usually used as a way to apologize for one's imminent departure or absence—generally to euphemistically 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.

Historical usage 
The earliest confirmed publication is the 1866 Dion Boucicault play Flying Scud 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." Time magazine observed that the phrase was the play's "claim to fame".

During Prohibition in the United States, the phrase was most commonly used in relation to the consumption or purchase of alcoholic beverages. 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.

References

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