relieve oneself

relieve (oneself)

euphemism To urinate or (less commonly) defecate. Tom decided to get rid of the dog after it relieved itself on his $500 rug. We'll be pulling into a rest stop soon, if anyone needs to relieve themselves.
See also: relieve
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

relieve oneself

Euph. to urinate or defecate. He stopped by the side of the road to relieve himself. She needed badly to relieve herself, but there was no bathroom in sight.
See also: relieve
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

relieve oneself

Urinate or defecate, as in The puppy relieved itself in the middle of the floor. The use of relieve for these bodily functions dates from the mid-1800s.
See also: relieve
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
See also:
  • relieve (oneself)
  • go to the lavatory
  • nature calls
  • answer nature's call
  • bathroom
  • nature stop
  • go to the toilet
  • go to the bathroom
  • check out the plumbing
  • do (one's) business
References in periodicals archive
Daniel of Beccles had written his marvellous etiquette reference work The Book of the Civilised Man in which he advises people where it is and isn't appropriate to urinate (it was considered rude to relieve oneself in the hall.
Books: Reviews: Setting the scene for liberal charter; 1215: The Year of Magna Carta by Danny Danziger and John Gillingham (Hodder, pounds 16.99)
The desire to spare the family and loved ones from such burdens is clearly judged as a more important reason to die than to relieve oneself of the suffering brought on by a debilitated body.
FACTORS INFLUENCING DECISIONS TO TERMINATE LIFE: CONDITIONS OF SUFFERING AND THE IDENTITY OF THE TERMINALLY ILL
The result is "inhibited flight"--the feeling of being stuck onstage with physiological symptoms, including shaking, cold hands, sweating palms, heart palpitations, difficulty in swallowing, shortness of breath, and the need to relieve oneself.
The chamber musician's secret terror
Moderate is being able to relieve oneself only in a stall and when the bathroom is empty.
Battling bashful bladder syndrome