drop anchor

present singular third person drops anchor · participle present dropping anchor · participle past dropped anchor · past dropped anchor

1. nauticalTo release the anchor of a ship or boat, allowing it to fall to the bed of a body of water and thereby securing the vessel in place.

   Synonyms: cast anchor · Antonyms: weigh anchor

2. To stop travelling and settle down.

   […] had emigrated first to one country, then to another, till he finally dropped anchor in London.

   1895, Allen Upward, The Prince of Balkistan, page 237

3. euphemisticTo defecate.

   And if you think things are bad after opening the piss box, imagine the smell after I drop anchor.

   2011, Andy Weir, chapter 9, in The Martian, →ISBN, page 95

   2 more examples

   Junkyard Dog always stopped for lengthy bathroom breaks by announcing his intentions in advance, using a different euphemism every time, saying, to name a few, "I have to: drop anchor... do some paperwork... lay some foundation... pinch a loaf... lighten my load...."

   2005, John Illig, Pacific Dream, →ISBN, page 204

   POSH is the perfect alternative to . . . stopping in a filthy, germ-infested public restroom to drop anchor. . . . Instead, the POSH Stow and Go offers people a private, clean bathroom experience.

   2014 February 24, Ashley Burns, “A Company Will Soon Offer A VIP Public Restroom In New York City For $8 A Plop”, in UPROXX Web Culture, retrieved 26 Jul 2015

   Synonyms: drop a bomb, drop a chalupa, drop a deuce, drop the kids off at the pool, boo-boo, cack, choke a darkie, crap