call of nature

American  

noun

Informal.

1. a need to urinate or defecate.

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call of nature Idioms  

1. Need to urinate or defecate, as in He left to answer the call of nature. This euphemism may be dying out. [Mid-1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of call of nature

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

These horses occasionally answered the call of nature, creating a bacteria-filled environment that required the athletic trainer to keep a supply of tetanus shots on hand, to be administered when players’ wounds broke the skin.

From The Wall Street Journal

Then Abdullah said he had to deal with a call of nature, and moved, Moaaz says, about 30 metres away.

From BBC

By suppressing the call of nature while you’re losing fluid through sweat, the body is trying to maintain that delicate water-to-salt ratio and keep everything working the way it should, she explained.

From Slate

One big cause of unofficial trails is people looking to respond to “the call of nature” in the woods because of insufficient portable toilets and inadequate signs pointing to existing facilities.

From Washington Post

However, she almost missed her big moment by attending to a call of nature minutes before her name was called out.

From BBC