Man about a horse.

I frequently hear the phrase, "I have to go a man about a horse" in what seems to be reference to using the bathroom... If someone could shed some light on this abstract phrase, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks!

Zachary T. Lehman
lehma_zt@hotmail.com

In England the phrase is "to see a man about a dog".

The "dog" expression comes from the long forgotten 1866 play Flying Scud in which one of the characters uses the words as an excuse to get away from a tricky situation. This is the only thing that seems to have survived from the play.

The "horse" seems to be a variation on the theme.