grow a tail
to be nearly about to defecate, to the point of being unable to completely hold it in
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“I need a bathroom fast because I am starting to grow a tail.”
“Pull the car over now because I am growing a tail.”
“The traffic jam lasted for hours, and I was really starting to grow a tail by the time we reached the exit.”
“The runner sprinted toward the portable toilets after the race because he felt like he was about to grow a tail.”
“She regretted drinking that extra cup of coffee during the long meeting when she realized she was starting to grow a tail.”
“After consuming the questionable street food, he realized with mounting panic that he was beginning to grow a tail and desperately scanned the street for a public restroom.”
The idiom is a metaphor concerning the proximity of the human anus to the anatomical position of a tail. Growing in this context denotes the partial expulsion of faeces when an individual attempts to prevent the act, creating a physical protrusion that mimics the development of a temporary appendage.
- 01
absence makes the heart grow fonder
One feels more love or affection for those one loves when parted from them.
- 02
chase one's tail
To busily try to perform many tasks or to repeatedly revise one's plans, especially with inefficient use of one's time and limited results.
- 03
chase tail
To be on the hunt for a (usually sexual) partner.
- 04
grow a pair
To be brave; to show some courage, especially in a situation in which one has so far failed to do so.
- 05
grow a set
Synonym of grow a pair.
- 06
grow apart
To gradually become estranged.
- 07
grow cold
To wane; to lose interest or enthusiasm for something or someone; to become disenchanted or to fall out of love with someone.
- 08
grow on
To become more likeable to someone.
Last updated August 10, 2026