ENGLISH
REFERENCE

break the seal

idiom
Meaning

To urinate, particularly for the first time after drinking alcohol.


Origin

disputed origin

From a supposed increased need to urinate after the first urination following ingestion of alcohol.

Examples
SIMPLE

I need to break the seal before we leave the bar.

CONTEXTUAL

Once you break the seal after a few beers, you will have to go to the bathroom all night.

COMPLEX

He hesitated to break the seal, knowing that once he started, the frequent trips to the restroom would become inevitable.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    big break

    A breakthrough, especially the first big hit of a previously unknown performer or performers in the entertainment industry.

  2. 02

    break a leg

    Good luck!; Do your best!; Said to someone wishing they perform well in a theatrical production or comparable endeavor.

  3. 03

    break a sweat

    To put effort into something.

  4. 04

    break cover

    To disclose one's real thoughts and intentions.

  5. 05

    break down

    To give in or give up: relent, concede, surrender.

  6. 06

    break even

    To neither gain nor lose money.

  7. 07

    break gates

    To enter an Oxford or Cambridge college enclosure after the hour to which a student has been restricted.

  8. 08

    break in

    To reach a state of functioning more smoothly through use or wear; to cause (something, or someone, new) to undergo this change.

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