answer the call of nature
To satisfy a bodily urge to urinate or defecate.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Excuse me, I need to answer the call of nature.”
“During the long hike, he had to step behind a tree to answer the call of nature.”
“The speaker paused mid-sentence, clearly needing to answer the call of nature, and hurried toward the nearest restroom.”
From *answer the call* and *call of nature*, used as a euphemism for the physiological necessity of urination or defecation. While the individual components are older, the full idiom appears in English by the mid-19th century as a polite substitution for describing the basic functions of the body.
- 01
answer on a postcard
A brief answer or opinion.
- 02
answer someone's prayers
To be or do exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.
- 03
answer to someone's prayers
Exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.
- 04
better nature
the more amiable qualities of someone
- 05
call a lid
To inform the press that no further news will be released from a governmental body that day.
- 06
call a spade a spade
To put it bluntly, to be outspoken; to speak the truth, to describe things as they really are.
- 07
call an audible
To change plans at the last minute in response to new information.
- 08
call it
To call it a day
Last updated August 10, 2026