# Take a leak ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 30, 2001, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-a-leak/96040 "2001-11-30T00:00:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dragongirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b38774/32.png) [@dragongirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dragongirl)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2001, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-a-leak/96040/1 "2001-11-30T00:00:38Z")
Where did this phrase come from ? Wouldn’t it be more logical to say leave a leak ? ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2001, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-a-leak/96040/2 "2001-11-30T00:12:26Z")
The expression came into currency in the 1910’s. I don’t think one can _leave a leak_. The leak is merely the means of egress in this example, it is not the fluid left after one has finished. Even _take a leak_ is not quite grammatically correct. Perhaps _spring a leak_ would be more acceptable to grammmarians who are caught short. Or _orchestrate a leakage situation_ for those who like oscillating their genitalia whilst urinating. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2001, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-a-leak/96040/3 "2001-11-30T00:15:15Z")
Gee, and I was just going to ask if George Carlin had changed his routine. When I heard him do this joke, it was “Why do we say ‘take a shit’? If you do anything with a shit, you _leave_ it!” ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_The\_Bold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/41988e/32.png) [@Dale\_The\_Bold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_The_Bold)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2001, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-a-leak/96040/4 "2001-11-30T00:46:29Z")
Nostradamus is right. I’d suggest “have a leak” or “initiate a leak” as well. “Piss” however, can be a noun or a verb as in “I desperately need to piss” or “I’ve got some piss on my hand.” Still, people shouldn’t “take” pisses, they should “spring” or “have” them. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_The\_Bold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/41988e/32.png) [@Dale\_The\_Bold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_The_Bold)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2001, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-a-leak/96040/5 "2001-11-30T00:52:53Z")
Nostradamus is right. I’d suggest “have a leak” or “initiate a leak” as well. “Piss” however, can be a noun or a verb as in “I desperately need to piss” or “I’ve got some piss on my hand.” Still, people shouldn’t “take” pisses, they should “spring” or “have” them. ---
**Author:** ![phartizan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba8739/32.png) [@phartizan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phartizan)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2001, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-a-leak/96040/6 "2001-11-30T01:57:54Z")
Look up “[take](http://www.bartleby.com/61/5/T0020500.html)”. > [@](#): > > **23. To undertake, make, or perform: take a walk; take a decision.** ---
**Author:** ![Mandarax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Mandarax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mandarax)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2001, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-a-leak/96040/7 "2001-11-30T02:13:20Z")
Doesn’t “I’m going to take a leak” mean that you’re going to steal a mirror? ---
**Author:** ![Houlihan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Houlihan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Houlihan)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2001, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-a-leak/96040/8 "2001-11-30T02:31:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mandarax \* > \*\*Doesn’t “I’m going to take a leak” mean that you’re going to steal a mirror? \*\* Thanks Kilgore Trout… ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2001, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-a-leak/96040/9 "2001-11-30T05:11:00Z")
Frequently, on trips through the produce section of my local supermarket, I’m known to take a leek…or two. But I pay for them, so I don’t know if that counts. ---
**Author:** ![PollackPaul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9e5f3/32.png) [@PollackPaul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PollackPaul)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2001, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-a-leak/96040/10 "2001-11-30T05:31:36Z")
Whew all this talk about pissing.I gotta go and: Drain my main vein to make my bladder gladder. Shake the dew of my lily. Drain my lizard. ---
**Author:** ![pennystheman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d78d45/32.png) [@pennystheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pennystheman)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2001, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-a-leak/96040/11 "2001-11-30T07:59:38Z")
It’s only called draining your lizard if you’re standing still. If you’re walking while urinating it’s called walking your lizard. ---
**Author:** ![ReillyDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@ReillyDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReillyDog)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2001, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-a-leak/96040/12 "2001-11-30T14:00:41Z")
of course, you’re forgetting the popular “seeing a man about a horse”. Don’t know where that came from, but I use it all the time as in “I’m goin’ to see a man about a horse”. ---
**Author:** ![Pablito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@Pablito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pablito)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2001, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-a-leak/96040/13 "2001-11-30T14:11:40Z")
I had always heard “see a man about a dog” (rather than horse). Strictly ‘country-speak’ ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2001, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-a-leak/96040/14 "2001-11-30T16:38:21Z")
I think that it’s an idiom, therefore, it doesn’t have to be logical. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2001, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-a-leak/96040/15 "2001-11-30T18:30:39Z")
I also say “I gotta see a man about a horse” frequently. That and “my back teeth are floating.” (Which is a little more obvious.) As to the OP, to echo **phartizan** , you take a walk, right? –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Payne\_N.Diaz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Payne\_N.Diaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Payne_N.Diaz)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2001, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-a-leak/96040/16 "2001-11-30T23:30:22Z")
I’d love to continue this discussion, but I’ve got to go “spend a penny.” ---
**Author:** ![LorieSmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a587f6/32.png) [@LorieSmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LorieSmurf)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2001, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-a-leak/96040/17 "2001-11-30T23:49:10Z")
Oh my god! I’ve heard that expression “see a man about a horse”, but I NEVER knew it was about peeing. Lord, I’m naive, I just thought it was one of those expressions…I dunno what it referred to, I never even thought about it. Weird, man. Ew…reminds me of that article about horse smegma. UGH EW EW EW ---
**Author:** ![jaimest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/48db29/32.png) [@jaimest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaimest)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2001, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-a-leak/96040/18 "2001-11-30T23:53:00Z")
I just saw _Midnight Cowboy_ and there was this hilarious scene where John Voight’s character, putting the moves on a lady, asks in his wide open Texas way: “Where is the Statue of Liberty?” She shoots back…"…taking a leak in Central Park". Well you have to see that one I guess. **pennystheman** Walking the lizard? You know in all my 25 years, I have never once walked and pissed at the same time? That’s the one thing I stand still for. Well earlier on the \*\*Straight Dope \*\* ™ I also learned that I have been using the toilet the wrong way…what’s next? ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2001, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-a-leak/96040/19 "2001-12-01T01:24:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jaimest \* > \*\*I just saw _Midnight Cowboy_ and there was this hilarious scene where John Voight’s character, putting the moves on a lady, asks in his wide open Texas way: “Where is the Statue of Liberty?” > She shoots back…"…taking a leak in Central Park". > > Well you have to see that one I guess. > > **pennystheman** Walking the lizard? You know in all my 25 years, I have never once walked and pissed at the same time? That’s the one thing I stand still for. > Well earlier on the \*\*Straight Dope \*\* ™ I also learned that I have been using the toilet the wrong way…what’s next? \*\* [note to self] Walk while peeing. [/note to self] ---
**Author:** ![Payne\_N.Diaz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Payne\_N.Diaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Payne_N.Diaz)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2001, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-a-leak/96040/20 "2001-12-01T01:33:54Z")
Isn’t that kinda hard to do in the bathroom at work, though? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-a-leak/96040.md?page=2)