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
Sens-Medieval Spanish
EarnestineUR-nəs-teenEnglish
Parveen-Persian
BernyBUR-neeEnglish
Ninad-Indian, Marathi
VikingVEE-king (Swedish), VEE-keeng (Finnish)Swedish, Finnish