pump ship

pump ship

euphemism To urinate. A reference to the practice of pumping out water that accumulates in the bilges of nautical vessels. He stood up and mentioned discreetly that he needed to pump ship before exiting the room to find a water closet.

See also: pump, ship

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

pump ship

urinate. euphemistic

The expression originated in nautical terminology, denoting the pumping of water from a ship's bilges.

See also: pump, ship

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

pump ship

1. tv. to urinate. (Crude. From an expression meaning to pump the bilge water from a ship.) He stopped and pumped ship right in the alley.

2. tv. to empty one’s stomach; to vomit. (Crude. Less well known than the previous sense.) After I pumped ship, I felt better.

See also: pump, ship

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.