see a man about a dog/horse

see somebody about a dog/horse. Or, replace the phrase with whatever you really mean. This Victorian circumlocution was designed to avoid mentioning anything inconvenient or embarrassing: visiting the restroom, going to a bar or tavern for a drink, seeing a prostitute. (Dorothy Parker once said, "Excuse me, everybody, I have to go to the bathroom. I really have to telephone, but I'm too embarrassed to say so.")