Where Did The Term Talk To A Man About A Horse Come From?

Origin of See-a-man-about-a-horse The saying comes from 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.”

Why is it called seeing a man about a horse?

To see a man about a dog or horse or duck is an idiom, especially British, of apology 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.

What does the phrase I gotta go talk to a man about a horse mean?

(idiomatic, euphemistic) Used in place of a real explanation when excusing oneself for a short period of time, particularly to use a toilet. I’ll be back in two shakes of a lamb’s tail. I’ve just got to visit the ladies’ room to see a man about a horse.

Where did the saying see a man about a dog come from?

The phrase to see a man about a dog is used euphemistically as a vague excuse for leaving to keep an undisclosed appointment, or, now frequently, to go to the toilet. It is first recorded in On Falling In and Out of Love, published in The Anti-Teapot Review.

What does the phrase I could eat a horse?

(idiomatic, hyperbolic) I am very hungry; short form of “I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse.”

What does the saying I’m going to see a man about a dog mean?

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.

What does it mean to be so hungry you could eat a horse?

very hungry
Definition of eat a horse
informal. —used to illustrate that someone is very hungry I didn’t eat today and now I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.

Where does the expression sold a pup come from?

From an old swindle, where one would be sold a bag purportedly containing a piglet, but actually containing a puppy. Compare pig in a poke.

Where did phrase bite me come from?

Green’s Dictionary of Slang says that “bite me!” (many dictionaries print it with an exclamation point) means the same as “bite me in the ass.” The dictionary says it originated on American college campuses in the 1980s, and labels it an exclamation of a generally derogatory or dismissive nature.

Where did the phrase putting on the dog originate?

A Inventive, these English. Firstly, to put on the dog (or to put on dog, in the form I learnt it) is first recorded only in 1871, in a book by L H Bagg called Four Years at Yale: “Dog, style, splurge. To put on dog, is to make a flashy display, to cut a swell”, and is certainly a US expression.

What does eat the pudding mean?

Generally, the expressions are used to say that the real worth, success, or effectiveness of something can only be determined by putting it to the test by trying or using it, appearances and promises aside—just as the best test of a pudding is to eat it.

What does eating like a pig mean?

(colloquial, simile) To chew noisily, with one’s mouth open, or with much greed.

What does had to eat crow mean?

US, informal. : to admit that one was wrong or accept that one has been defeated. He was forced to eat crow when the company fired him.

What does it mean when a man is in the doghouse?

Being “in the doghouse” is a British and American idiom for being in trouble with someone who has the ability to affect your life. Insubordinate athletes are often in the doghouse with their coaches.

Why is it an insult to call someone a dog?

In 17th-century New England, to call someone a dog was an insult of the highest order, as dogs were believed to be used by sorceresses to carry out evil commands. Little wonder then, that the term is still reserved for traitors and other contemptibles.

What does like a dog with a bone mean?

Stubborn and tenacious; persistent; relentless
Adjective. like a dog with a bone (not comparable) (simile) Stubborn and tenacious; persistent; relentless; dogged.

What does you eat like a bird mean?

to always eat a small amount of food: You eat like a bird – I don’t know how you stay healthy.

What does it mean to eat like a wolf?

When you engage in this kind of speed eating, you wolf down, or simply “wolf,” your food. Imagine a starving wolf finally getting the chance to eat, gulping down its meal as quickly as it can before some other hungry animal comes along. Wolf down was first used in the 1860’s, from this sense of “eat like a wolf.”

Why do horses eat soul?

The theory that horses consume soil because they are missing an essential nutrient is usually a myth. A: Your horse is most likely licking/eating the soil (also known as geophagia) due to boredom. He doesn’t need to be stressed or unhappy to develop this habit.

Where did in the dog doghouse come from?

But what is the meaning of “the doghouse” and where did the idiom come from? As it turns out, the first known reference to a partner heading to “the doghouse” is in the 1911 J.M. Barrie classic children’s novel, Peter Pan. In the story, as you may recall, the Darling family has a dog named Nana.

What does it mean to buy a pig in a poke?

noun phrase
: something offered in such a way as to obscure its real nature or worth. unwilling to buy a pig in a poke.