leak

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Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.

proverb Unchecked spending of small amounts of money can erode your funds over time. The phrase comes from Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac. I know you think spending a few bucks on a coffee every morning isn't a big deal, but it will add up over time. As Ben Franklin said, "Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship." If you want to save money, you'd do well to limit all of these small impulse purchases. Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship. A: "It's impressive how responsible you are with money at such a young age." B: "Well, my dad always used to tell us kids, 'Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship,' and I guess I took that to heart."

See also: beware, great, leak, little, of, sink, small, will

have a leak

rude slang To urinate. Could you pull over? I need to have a leak.

leak (something) to (someone or something)

To release or reveal information that was supposed to remain secret or classified to someone, something, or some group. A White House staffer has been accused of leaking the president's agenda out to the press. A whistleblower within the company leaked out information about their tax evasion practices.

leak in(to something)

Of a liquid or gel, to enter in(to something) by slowly seeping or flowing. I thought I had completely fixed the roof, but water still leaks in when it rains. There must have been a crack in the bottle, because nearly all the shampoo had leaked into my bag by the time I got home. The pool of fluid eventually leaked into the floorboards, causing them to warp and rot.

leak out

1. To seep or flow out of some crack, breach, or flaw in something, as of a gas, liquid, gel, etc. There must be a crack in the pipes, because water has been leaking out beneath the sink. When I opened my luggage, I saw that toothpaste had leaked out onto all my clothes. Oil leaked out of the lawnmower and stained the porch.

2. To become known to those from whom (something) was supposed to remain secret or classified. There was outrage when news of the government's spying on private citizens leaked out last month. Information about a new model of the popular laptop brand has leaked out.

3. To release or reveal information about something that was supposed to remain secret or classified. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can used between "leak" and "out." A White House staffer has been accused of leaking the president's agenda out to the press. A whistleblower within the company leaked out information about their tax evasion practices.

See also: leak, out

leak through (something)

Of a liquid or gel, to penetrate or soak (something) by slowly seeping or flowing through. My bottle must have a crack in it, because water has completely soaked through my bag. We've lined the interiors of the container with a polymer coating to keep the corrosive contents from leaking through.

spring a leak

To suddenly begin leaking liquid or gas into or out of a vessel. The tire is already flat, even though I just pumped it back up—it must have sprung a leak. By the time we realized we had sprung a leak, there was already two feet of water at the bottom of the boat. If any of these containers spring a leak, it'll be very costly to repair.

See also: leak, spring

take a leak

vulgar slang To urinate. Could you pull over? I need to take a leak.

See also: leak, take

leak in (to something)

[for a fluid] to work its way into something. Some of the soapy water leaked into the soil. The rainwater is leaking in!

leak out

[for information] to become known unofficially. I hope that news of the new building does not leak out before the contract is signed. When the story leaked out, my telephone would not stop ringing.

See also: leak, out

leak out (of something)

[for a fluid] to seep out of something or some place. Some of the brake fluid leaked out of the car and made a spot on the driveway. Look under the car. Something's leaking out.

See also: leak, out

leak something (out)

and let something (get) out

Fig. to disclose special information to the press so that the resulting publicity will accomplish something. (Usually said of government disclosures. Also used for accidental disclosures.) Don't leak that information out. I don't want to be the one to leak it.

leak something to someone

Fig. to tell [otherwise secret] information to someone. The government leaked a phony story to the press just to see how far it would travel. The government leaks things to the press occasionally, just to see the reaction.

leak through something

[for a fluid] to seep through something. Rainwater leaked through the roof. I was afraid that the crushed orange would leak through the paper bag.

take a leak

Inf. to urinate. (Crude. Use caution with the topic. Usually in reference to a male.) I gotta go take a leak. Back in a minute. He just went out to take a leak.

See also: leak, take

take a leak

Urinate, as in Excuse me, I've got to take a leak. [ Vulgar slang; c. 1930]

See also: leak, take

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

take a leak

INFORMAL, RUDE

When a man takes a leak, he urinates. I've got to take a leak, keep your eye on my drink, will you?

See also: leak, take

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

have (or take) a leak

urinate. informal

spring a leak

(of a boat or container) develop a leak.

The expression was originally a nautical one, referring to the timbers of a wooden ship springing out of position and so letting in water.

See also: leak, spring

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

take a ˈleak

(slang) pass urine (= waste liquid) from the body: I’m just going to take a leak before we leave.

See also: leak, take

spring a ˈleak

(of a boat, roof, container, etc.) start to let water in: The boat sprang a leak halfway across the lake.

See also: leak, spring

leak out

1. To flow out through some breach or flaw in a container; seep out: Water leaked out the crack in the pipe. As the air leaked out of the balloon, it got smaller and smaller.

2. To become known to the public through a breach of secrecy: We were supposed to keep the date a secret, but it leaked out.

3. To release secret information to the public through unofficial channels: A disgruntled worker leaked the scandalous information out to the reporter. Someone leaked out news of the fraudulent business deal to the newspapers.

See also: leak, out

take a leak

and take a piss and take a squirt

tv. to urinate. (Crude. Often objectionable. Usually in reference to a male. Leak is the mildest and piss is the strongest.) I gotta go take a leak. Back in a minute. We stopped at a rest area so old Harry could take a piss.

See also: leak, take

take a leak

Vulgar Slang

To urinate.

See also: leak, take

spring a leak

To starting leak a fluid suddenly: The boat sprang a leak. My balloon has sprung a leak.

See also: leak, spring

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

take a leak, to

To urinate. This rather vulgar slangy term dates from the early twentieth century. A verse of the popular World War I song “Mademoiselle from Armentières” (1918; author of words and music not known) had it, “The proper place to take a leak/Is right on the corner of the main street.”