take a leak

English

Etymology

From the slang use of leak in reference to an act of urination.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Verb

take a leak (third-person singular simple present takes a leak, present participle taking a leak, simple past took a leak, past participle taken a leak)

1. (informal, euphemistic) To urinate.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:urinate

   • 1962, James Baldwin, Another Country, New York, N. Y.: The Dial Press, published 1963 January, page 4:

     They could scarcely bear their knowledge, nor could they have borne the sight of Rufus, but they knew why he was in the streets tonight, why he rode subways all night long, why his stomach growled, why his hair was nappy, his armpits funky, his pants and shoes too thin, and why he did not dare to stop and take a leak.

   • 1976, “The Piano Has Been Drinking”, performed by Tom Waits:

     The piano has been drinking / My neck tie is asleep / And the combo went back to New York / The jukebox has to take a leak

Translations

to urinate — see also urinate

• Hebrew: הִטִּיל מַיִם (he) (hitíl máyim)
• Norwegian: slå lens
• Polish: odlać się (pl)
• Portuguese: tirar água do joelho (pt)
• Russian: отлить (otlít’); пойти по-маленькому (pojtí po-málen’komu)
• Scottish Gaelic: mùin
• Swedish: slå en drill (sv), slå en sjua (sv)