do one's duty



do one's duty

1. Do one's tasks or what is expected of one. For example, He was only doing his duty when he made the children finish their work. [Early 1500s]
2. Defecate or urinate, as in Please keep the dog outdoors until he does his duty. This euphemism for attending to such needs is heard less often today. [1930s]
See also: duty

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Donelle-English (Rare)
Mao (1)mah-oJapanese
Genovevahe-no-VE-vah (Spanish), zhə-noo-VE-və (Portuguese)Spanish, Portuguese
Fedor-Russian
Duana-English (Rare)
Pharez-Biblical