nature calls
- idiom
- Informal
:
la llamada de la naturaleza
- I have to go; nature calls!
Examples
-
He excused himself politely, saying nature calls.
-
Sorry to interrupt the meeting, but nature calls.
-
After drinking so much water, nature calls more often than usual.
-
Excuse me, nature calls.
-
He excused himself politely, saying nature calls.
-
Sorry to interrupt the meeting, but nature calls.
-
I have to go; nature calls!
Synonyms
2
5.8
A need to go to the toilet to pee or poo
To need to go to the toilet
To go to the toilet to pee or poo
To go quickly to the toilet because you have to pee or poo
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun 'call' can mean an inner urge and 'nature' can imply natural bodily functions, so a learner who knows both words may infer a general sense of a natural urge. However the specific euphemistic use for needing the restroom is conventionalized and idiomatic, so without prior exposure a B1 learner may not reliably derive the precise meaning.
Etymology
The phrase nature calls may come from the simple image of nature, your body, calls you when it needs something, like going to the restroom. So it became a polite, humorous way to say 'you need to use the restroom'.