step out
step out {v. phr.}
1. To go out, particularly socially, as on a date.
Paul said to Sylvia, "You look so dressed up tonight — you must be stepping out, eh?"
2. To leave for a short period during the work day to go to the lavatory or to get a cup of coffee. (Frequently said by secretaries over the phone.)
"May I speak to Mr. Kotz?" Roy asked. "I'm sorry, sir. He just stepped out for a minute," the secretary answered.
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Source: A Dictionary of American Idioms
