holding one's water

Verb

hold one's water (third-person singular simple present holds one's water, present participle holding one's water, simple past and past participle held one's water)

1. (dated) To restrain one's urge to urinate.
   • […] and if there is much oozing of blood, the application of ice to the penis. The patient is then instructed to hold his water as long as possible.1877, Shirley Bragg MD, “Structure of the Male Urethra, with Report of Cases,”, in Atlanta Medical and Surgical Journal, Volume 14, pages 645–6

   Synonyms:

   hold it

2. (idiomatic) To be patient; to control one's impulses.
   • Hold your water, I'll get to you in a minute.

   Synonyms:

   abide, back that train up, bide, bide one's time, expect, defer, hang on, hold on, hold one's breath, hold one's horses