# restroom, washroom, bathroom, toilet, loo, WC, lavatory



## temujin

hi


Does anybody know the origin of the word "restroom" and why this word is used in the US instead of the british-english equivalents.


t.


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## pinkpanter

It's an euphemism (the room where you rest)

The British equivalent is cloakroom.


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## EVAVIGIL

Hello, Temujin!

I have found this definition:

restroom   [Show phonetics]
noun [C] MAINLY US
a room with toilets that is in a public place, for example in a restaurant

(from Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)

And this explanation:

The word toilet itself may be considered an impolite word in the United States, whilst elsewhere the word is used without any embarrassment. When referring to the room or the actual piece of equipment, the word toilet is often substituted with other euphemisms (and dysphemisms) such as:

bathroom
bog
can
cloakroom
commode
convenience
crapper
dump tank
dunny
facility or facilities 
gentlemen's
gents

 heads
khazi
john
ladies’
ladies’/ men’s room
ladies’/ men’s lounge 
lavatory
little boys'/girls' room
long drop
loo
men’s
necessary
 place of easement
poop-house
powder room
privy
reading room
restroom
shit-house
shitter
smallest room
stables
throne
washroom
water chamber
and water closet (or WC)

This is from www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki

I hope it helps!

EVA.


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## timpeac

Dump tank!!!!! Hadn't heard that before.


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## gaer

timpeac said:
			
		

> Dump tank!!!!! Hadn't heard that before.


I never saw "dysphemisms" before!

Main Entry: dys·phe·mism 
Pronunciation: 'dis-f&-"mi-z&m
Function: noun
Etymology: dys- + -phemism (as in euphemism)
: the substitution of a disagreeable, offensive, or disparaging expression for an agreeable or inoffensive one; also : an expression so substituted

I just learned a new word. But just to be careful, we'd better clarify for those learning English that your wordlist contains rude words as well as polite ones.

I just can't understand how "toilet" became impolite in the US when it is perfectly find in the UK, or so I've been told. 

Gaer


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## timpeac

No, I didn't know that word before either, thanks Evavigil. Yes we do use "toilet" all the time in the UK. Indeed there's quite an anti-political correctness back-lash against using words like "bathroom". I must say I hate it when people say words like that.

I know it's not big or clever but I can't help informing people that there is no bath in there when they say that.

You do see "ladies" a lot however. Which is positively against the trade descriptions act judging from the women queuing outside the toilets at the night clubs round where I live...


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## gaer

timpeac said:
			
		

> No, I didn't know that word before either, thanks Evavigil. Yes we do use "toilet" all the time in the UK. Indeed there's quite an anti-political correctness back-lash against using words like "bathroom". I must say I hate it when people say words like that.
> 
> I know it's not big or clever but I can't help informing people that there is no bath in there when they say that.
> 
> You do see "ladies" a lot however. Which is positively against the trade descriptions act judging from the women queuing outside the toilets at the night clubs round where I live...


OK. What you just told me is EXACTLY what I have been told. I totally agree with you. "Bathroom" is a ridiclous word. But I think we all use it here in the US, because it's such a habit…

Gaer


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## garryknight

pinkpanter said:
			
		

> It's an euphemism (the room where you rest)
> The British equivalent is cloakroom.



Not so, I'm afraid. A cloakroom is where you leave your coats while you go off and enjoy the club, dance, restaurant, whatever.


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## mimmo2815

...cloak comes from cloaca = sewer. I do not suggest to store your coat there...


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## garryknight

mimmo2815 said:
			
		

> ...cloak comes from cloaca = sewer. I do not suggest to store your coat there...



It also refers to a part of the body with reference to certain animals, such as the tortoise. I wouldn't store my coat there, either.


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## timpeac

I must support Garry in this - I don't know if the word cloakroom really has it's etymology in "cloaca"  but certainly today we use it to me somewhere where you store your coat.

"cloak" is an old-fashioned word for "coat" so I would suggest that either the word has always been "cloak-room" eg a room to put your cloak, or if your etymology is correct and the origin of the word is "cloaca" that it became associated with the word "cloak" meaning coat by analogy and therefore changed its meaning to mean "cloak - room" rather than "sewer - room"!

In any case you DO store your coat in a cloakroom today.


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## timpeac

Actually, thinking about it further I have seen "cloakroom" used for a room with a toilet in it in a house (as opposed to the one with a bath in it). I always assumed this was just because people often hang their coats in such a room too!


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## mimmo2815

Many Times We Find The Same Complex Words We Can Use To Describe
Different Things.
In Our Case, Talking About The Definition Of Restroom And Finding Cloackroom As Part Of A Long List Of Different Ways To
Say "restroom" And Being A Cloaca (from Latin)  Another Word To Describe A Sewer, 1+1=2 
Fortunately I Am In Miami And I Do Not Have A Coat To Store
In The "cloackroom"..


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## timpeac

I'm afraid my research on the etymology of this word only suggests it is connected with "cloak" and not "cloaca" and so is not a toilet. Certainly "cloakroom" normally means somewhere to store your coat in modern English.

cloak 
1293, from O.N.Fr. cloque, from M.L. clocca "travelers' cape," lit. "a bell," so called from the garment's bell-like appearance (see bell). The verb is from 1509. Cloak and dagger (1806) translates Fr. de cape et d'épée. *Cloakroom is from 1852.*


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## garryknight

timpeac said:
			
		

> I'm afraid my research on the etymology of this word only suggests it is connected with "cloak" and not "cloaca"



Oh, so now I'm wondering where tortoises keep their cloaks...


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## pinkpanter

garryknight said:
			
		

> Not so, I'm afraid. A cloakroom is where you leave your coats while you go off and enjoy the club, dance, restaurant, whatever.



Oh! They taught me that!!


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## timpeac

garryknight said:
			
		

> Oh, so now I'm wondering where tortoises keep their cloaks...


 
They don't wear them, they wear shell-suits!


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## te gato

Hi guys;

Here we call them restrooms because in some places they had a "resting" area off form the "toilet" area...these had sofas and chairs...tables and lamps...

although...I see nothing "nice" about hanging out in the bathroom....

I say bathroom...because it is where my bathtub is as well...
Or people say nothing at all..just.. "I got to go!"

te gato


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## temujin

...so in BE "toilet" can be used in all situations without sounding offensive nor too "polite"?

"Restroom" is probably the most annoying word I know in English. HeHe. As if anybody really believe that you are going to take a rest...

Thanks for all the answers.

t.


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## mirandolina

Sorry to disappoint you, cloak does not come from cloaca.
The word cloak (in Italian mantello, tabarro) is derived from Middle Latin "clocca" meaning bell, because it's a bell-shaped garment.

So the cloakroom is in no way connected to the sewer....  





			
				mimmo2815 said:
			
		

> ...cloak comes from cloaca = sewer. I do not suggest to store your coat there...


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## garryknight

te gato said:
			
		

> although...I see nothing "nice" about hanging out in the bathroom....



I had to read that twice before I saw the word 'about'. Just for a second there, I thought you meant something else...


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## timpeac

garryknight said:
			
		

> I had to read that twice before I saw the word 'about'. Just for a second there, I thought you meant something else...


 
Hahaha  That's made me laugh! Te Gato obviously frequents a more inferior type of restroom....


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## te gato

Hi All;

Ok...I'm a little back-woods but not that back-woods!!! 

Also here we have some very "posh" bathrooms..where you have to *pay* the attendant to go to the bathroom...mmmm  
I have often wondered what would happen if you had no money???

te gato


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## timpeac

te gato said:
			
		

> Hi All;
> 
> Ok...I'm a little back-woods but not that back-woods!!!
> 
> Also here we have some very "posh" bathrooms..where you have to *pay* the attendant to go to the bathroom...mmmm
> I have often wondered what would happen if you had no money???
> 
> te gato


 
You have to pay to go to a toilet even in bars and clubs in Belgium. And my friend showed rather spectacularly in the corner of the bar room what happens if you have no money. Don't try dropping our names for a discount if you find yourself in Bruges...


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## te gato

Hi Timpeac;

Ha!!!and You thought I was back-woods.....
To funny...

te gato


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## rpleimann

EVAVIGIL said:
			
		

> Hello, Temujin!
> 
> I have found this definition:
> 
> restroom   [Show phonetics]
> noun [C] MAINLY US
> a room with toilets that is in a public place, for example in a restaurant
> 
> (from Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
> 
> And this explanation:
> 
> The word toilet itself may be considered an impolite word in the United States, whilst elsewhere the word is used without any embarrassment. When referring to the room or the actual piece of equipment, the word toilet is often substituted with other euphemisms (and dysphemisms) such as:
> 
> bathroom
> bog
> can
> cloakroom
> commode
> convenience
> crapper
> dump tank  (not so offensive as much as in poor taste)
> dunny
> facility or facilities
> gentlemen's
> gents
> 
> heads
> khazi
> john
> ladies’
> ladies’/ men’s room
> ladies’/ men’s lounge
> lavatory
> little boys'/girls' room
> long drop
> loo
> men’s
> necessary
> place of easement
> poop-house
> powder room
> privy
> reading room
> restroom
> shit-house
> shitter
> smallest room
> stables
> throne
> washroom
> water chamber
> and water closet (or WC)
> 
> This is from www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki
> 
> I hope it helps!
> 
> EVA.



I have highlighted offensive words in red.


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## gaer

timpeac said:
			
		

> You have to pay to go to a toilet even in bars and clubs in Belgium. And my friend showed rather spectacularly in the corner of the bar room what happens if you have no money. Don't try dropping our names for a discount if you find yourself in Bruges...


I think your friend made an excellent comment. Anyone who would charge someone to use a bathroom is, in mind, cruel! 

Gaer


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## mirandolina

On the Belgian motorways they sit outside the toilet (restroom if you prefer) and the charge is written on a card, you have to pay to get in.
They can get quite nasty if you sneak in without paying.

Before the advent of the Euro the fee was written up in all the most common European currencies.  It may still be written in pounds now as well as Euros, I can't remember, I try to go as little as possible when passing through Belgium!

 





			
				gaer said:
			
		

> I think your friend made an excellent comment. Anyone who would charge someone to use a bathroom is, in mind, cruel!
> 
> Gaer


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## te gato

I'm sorry...
I just can't believe that you have to pay to go to the bathroom...
Here when traveling the highways it is nothing to see cars pulled over on the side of the road...You just learn not to look as you drive by  ...
I think there is even a course taught here...
"how not to pee into the wind 101" ...

te gato


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## mirandolina

Sorry Tim, I didn't notice you had already given the etymology, I skipped a page. Anyway it's added confirmation against the term "cloakroom".

I don't know about schools in other parts of the world, but at my school in Scotland there was a "cloakroom" where we all had to hang our coats and change out of our "outdoor shoes" into "indoor shoes". The cloakroom was then locked throughout lesson times and opened again only at lunchtime and hometime. The toilets were nowhere near the cloakroom......  









			
				timpeac said:
			
		

> I'm afraid my research on the etymology of this word only suggests it is connected with "cloak" and not "cloaca" and so is not a toilet. Certainly "cloakroom" normally means somewhere to store your coat in modern English.
> 
> cloak
> 1293, from O.N.Fr. cloque, from M.L. clocca "travelers' cape," lit. "a bell," so called from the garment's bell-like appearance (see bell). The verb is from 1509. Cloak and dagger (1806) translates Fr. de cape et d'épée. *Cloakroom is from 1852.*


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## gaer

mirandolina said:
			
		

> On the Belgian motorways they sit outside the toilet (restroom if you prefer) and the charge is written on a card, you have to pay to get in.
> They can get quite nasty if you sneak in without paying.
> 
> Before the advent of the Euro the fee was written up in all the most common European currencies. It may still be written in pounds now as well as Euros, I can't remember, I try to go as little as possible when passing through Belgium!


You know, that is enough to convince me never to go there. I'm serious.


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## mirandolina

Don't let me stop you going to Belgium, there are lots of things to see APART FROM the boring motorways and their despicable loos.....
In the restaurants in smaller towns they are often spotless and free. Tim was unlucky in Bruges!

I'n afraid this thread is degenerating......  



			
				gaer said:
			
		

> You know, that is enough to convince me never to go there. I'm serious.


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## gaer

mirandolina said:
			
		

> Don't let me stop you going to Belgium, there are lots of things to see APART FROM the boring motorways and their despicable loos.....
> In the restaurants in smaller towns they are often spotless and free. Tim was unlucky in Bruges!
> 
> I'n afraid this thread is degenerating......


Well, I don't have enough money to vacation in the same state in which I live, so it's a moot point. 

We are on-topic, sort of…
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





Gaer


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## Jim 89

Which words piss you off?

Which words and expressions would you get rid of if you could and why?

There are a lot of stupid words and expressions in English. Wouldn't you agree?

Three of the Engllish words that I hate the most are "washroom", "restroom" and "bathroom". Why are there so many people out there who can't manage to call a toilet what it is. A toilet is a toilet is a toilet. Toilet! Toilet! Toilet!

Who was the shit-for-brains who came up with the words "washroom" and "restroom"? Am I going there to rest ... on the toilet seat? No! Am I going there to wash ... in the toilet water? No! These are silly words and we'd be better off without them. A friend of mine once pointed out the fact that there was a seat that you sat on so he was arguing that there was nothing wrong with the word "restroom". However, I wasn't going to the room for a rest, there were plenty of other seats for me to sit on. You get up from your seat, go and use the toilet; you're not using it as a place of rest, you've just got up from your seat; you've got a very different purpose in mind.

If there is no bath in the room then what right has it got to be called a "bathroom"? None! A bathroom is a room with a bath in it, no more no less. If you're going to the room to use the toilet don't tell me you're going to the "bathroom" as if you were going to have a bath. Don't lie. You're going to the toilet.

Let's stop this nonesense. Boycott these stupid expressions.


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## mgarizona

I'm very sorry to hear they don't have sinks in the "washrooms" where you come from. Washing up in the toilet must make for a dreary existence.

As for 'restrooms' the phrase is Victorian in origin and trust me, there were couches etc for the cruelly-corsetted ladies to recline on for a 'rest' before trotting themselves out in front of the gentlemen again.

I agree with you about 'bathroom' though.


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## Lucretia

Jim, you seem to be totally against euphemisms. Take it easy. Different people use different language and you can't change them.


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## Dimcl

> Three of the Engllish words that I hate the most are "washroom", "restroom" and "bathroom". Why are there so many people out there who can't manage to call a toilet what it is. A toilet is a toilet is a toilet. Toilet! Toilet! Toilet!


 
A "toilet" is the name of the receptacle, not the name of the room.  The room may have a "toilet" and a "sink" in it or it may have a "toilet", "sink" and "bathtub".  I know of none with only the toilet in it and if there are, it should properly be called the "toiletroom" (bedroom, livingroom, diningroom, etc.).  In many circles, it is considered impolite to refer to bodily functions, hence the avoidance of broadcasting what you are planning to do in that room.  Accordingly, at home, it is usually referred to as the "bathroom" because there is a bathtub in it, in public establishments it is usually called the "washroom" as there are no bathtubs and in gyms, etc., it is called the "shower room" or "locker room".


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## .   1

Toilet is itself a euphemism and is a derivation of the French _toilette_ meaning dress.  Therefore toilet is just a flash word for dressing room
Lavatory is based on Latin _lavare _to wash.  Lavatory is a flash word for washroom.
A bathroom need not have a bath.  A room for bathing may have a bath or a shower or a tap and basin or a bowl of water or some damp rags depending on the circumstances and it is still a bathroom.  I go to a bathroom to wash myself in a various manners depending on circumstances.
It is possible that we use bathroom and washroom in the hope that this will convince users to clean themselves before they leave.

.,,


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## Jim 89

I don't find anything impolite about saying "toilet" but if you don't want to use the word just say "Excuse me." Why invent a stupid word like "restroom"?


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## Fox30News

Oh, and by the way, when I went to the Philippines (where English is an official language), they're called "comfort rooms." I half-expected someone to give me a hug when I went in there....

So . . . comfort rooms, restrooms, toilets, washrooms, outhouses, cans, bathrooms, powder rooms, loos, water closets (I'm curious...explain this one to me), does it really matter what we call them? We have to relieve the strain on our anal sphincter and detrusor muscles somewhere, and you guys are arguing over what to _call_ that place! lol


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## Jim 89

How a simple word for an everyday thing came to be considered impolite is beyond me. It's a toilet. It is what it is. How can you be so tight-arsed as to find offence in the word? Why go around inventing silly words which pretend to mean something else?

"Comfort room"? Here's another absurdity. How many toilets have you ever found comfortable? Even if they are comfortable, that's beside the point, you don't go there for comfort but relief. CIV, you wrote "'Restroom' probably came about in America (only my speculation) because most toilets in America also have a bath and sink in there. Hence, 'bathroom' or 'washroom.'" but this still doesn't make sense.

After using a toilet you normally want to wash your hands so it's no supprise to find a sink in the room. However, washing your hands and resting are two completely different things, "restroom" is still illogical. "Washroom" is illogical too because, while you might wash your hands after the dirty deed, washing is not the purpose of the room.

If there is a bath in the room then it makes sense to call it a "bathroom" but why say you're going to the "bathroom" when it's the toilet that you're using? Why try to deceive people? Also the presence of a bath hardly makes the room a "restroom". You might rest in a bath but baths were primarily designed for washing not resting. Besides the "rest" in "restroom" like the "wash" in "washroom" refers to the toilet not the bath.

Sure, if I want to go and relieve myself, I probably wouldn't want to broadcast the fact. I might try find some way around mentioning where I'm going but I'm not going to pretent that I'm going for a bath, a rest, a wash or even comfort. Normally I'd say "Excuse me.", "I'll be back." or something.

If you have to mention the name of the place and you can't handle the word "toilet", what's wrong with "the ladies", "the gents" or "the lavatory". At least with these words you're not pretending to be going somewhere that you're not. Also the words "loo", "can" and "dunny" are okay: there's no deception here. There is no excuse for stupid words. They should be thrown out.


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## Dimcl

Jim 89 said:


> I don't find anything impolite about saying "toilet" but if you don't want to use the word just say "Excuse me." Why invent a stupid word like "restroom"?


 
Why are any words "invented"?  Depending on your point of view, many words are "stupid".  As indicated by mgarizona, "restroom" is correct from a historical point of view and "polite society" has maintained it.  Stupid maybe, but I'm sure we can all find lots of examples of those!


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## ireney

So, in order to be exact we should call them rooms where one can urinate and/or defecate in the right receptacle and (hopefully) wash after performing the aforementioned action alternatively to be used for washing even if aforementioned actions are not performed.

Toilet is by no means offending but it's not exact either is it? I mean it could very well mean that someone is dressing and making him/herself beautiful in a room where urinating and/or defecating would be REALLY frowned upon.

"Excuse me" is too vague in my opinion too since I use it when I am in a hurry and try to pass through a throng of people inadvertently causing discomfort to my fellow human beings. I also say "excuse me" when I get up to go answer the phone a function for which I don't need to remove/ displace any clothing.


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## .   1

Jim 89 said:


> Sure, if I want to go and relieve myself, I probably wouldn't want to broadcast the fact. I might try find some way around mentioning where I'm going but I'm not going to pretent that I'm going for a bath, a rest, a wash or even comfort. Normally I'd say "Excuse me.", "I'll be back." or something.


I find it odd that you have difficulty with the euphemistic toilet but yet you 'relieve' yourself in the toilet.
Words are indeed weird.

.,,


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## maxiogee

Jim 89 said:


> I don't find anything impolite about saying



Start right there - you used the word "I". We are, thankfully, all different. Celebrate that fact by recognising our diversity by allowing that others are offended by things which we take as part of everyday speech.

I don't know you, and have no wish to offend you, but I'm sure there is some word which you could insert into this sentence —> *"Go away, you're only a _ _ _ _"* which would offend you, but which, to me on the other side of the world, would be a commonplace expression.




> but if you don't want to use the word just say "Excuse me."


So how does someone in a strange location go about enquiring how to get there? Does one go to the nearest employee and ask "Excuse me, where's the excuse me?"


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## Porteño

What a fascinating subject! We used to call it the 'bog' at svhool in the UK although I can not imagine any relation to a marsh or fen or peat bog! The word you choose to use for this activity may often depend ont eh company you're with at the time. Among men it is not unusual to say '_I'm going for a pee_' or '_I'm going to have a shit_.' (straightforward and no beating about the bush),

Dimcl, in the UK the majority of homes have a bathroom and separate toilet or WC where there is no handbasin (sink in AE).

Just as an anecdote for a laugh, there is a shop in the King's Road in Chelsea, London which manufactures and sells toilet basins, the name of which is incredibly 'W.C.Crap & Sons!'


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## Dmitry_86

A very interesting discussion indeed. As a non-native I have found all this information very interesting and sometimes slightly weird as, for example, the usage of "restroom", "washroom" and "bathroom" more common in AE. However, I would like to summarize all the points of view expressed so far so as to know exactly particular names of "toilet" in different places. Below I have written the list of places where toilest definitely exist. Please, point out how it (toliet) is usually called there:

1) at schools, universities, colleges, offices (at work)
2) in public places (at railway stations, at hospitals, in supermarkets, in the street)
3) in cultural public places (at the cinemas, theatres)
4) in some means of transport (on the trains, on the planes, on the intercity buses)
5) At home


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## Porteño

Dmitry_86 said:


> A very interesting discussion indeed. As a non-native I have found all this information very interesting and sometimes slightly weird as, for example, the usage of "restroom", "washroom" and "bathroom" more common in AE. However, I would like to summarize all the points of view expressed so far so as to know exactly particular names of "toilet" in different places. Below I have written the list of places where toilest definitely exist. Please, point out how it (toliet) is usually called there:
> 
> 1) at schools, universities, colleges, offices (at work)
> 2) in public places (at railway stations, at hospitals, in supermarkets, in the street)
> 3) in cultural public places (at the cinemas, theatres)
> 4) in some means of transport (on the trains, on the planes, on the intercity buses)
> 5) At home


 
I would suggest that in BE, all of these would be referred to as the toilet (slang apart, of course).


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## Dmitry_86

Porteño said:


> I would suggest that in BE, all of these would be referred to as the toilet (slang apart, of course).


 
I agree with you especially after reading the previous posts in this thread. However, I am more interested in inscriptions on the doors of toilets. For example, as far as I know, in many public places one can see "WC". My question is concerned with these different names: "toilet", "WC", "lavatory" and so on.


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## Porteño

In that case, it would probably be as follows:

In most public places today there would be a symbol rather than words, otherwise:

1) at schools, universities, colleges, offices (at work) *men/women*
2) in public places (at railway stations, at hospitals, in supermarkets, in the street) *men/women (gents/ladies) *
3) in cultural public places (at the cinemas, theatres) *(gents/ladies)*
4) in some means of transport (on the trains, on the planes, on the intercity buses) *(toilet/WC)*
5) At home*(nothing)*

In some places you may still find 'public conveniences' or even 'public lavatories'.


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## JamesM

Dmitry_86 said:


> A very interesting discussion indeed. As a non-native I have found all this information very interesting and sometimes slightly weird as, for example, the usage of "restroom", "washroom" and "bathroom" more common in AE. However, I would like to summarize all the points of view expressed so far so as to know exactly particular names of "toilet" in different places. Below I have written the list of places where toilest definitely exist. Please, point out how it (toliet) is usually called there:
> 
> 1) at schools, universities, colleges, offices (at work)
> 2) in public places (at railway stations, at hospitals, in supermarkets, in the street)
> 3) in cultural public places (at the cinemas, theatres)
> 4) in some means of transport (on the trains, on the planes, on the intercity buses)
> 5) At home


 
In the U.S., "bathroom" would work in all of these situations in conversation. Oddly, I don't think we actually use the word "bathroom" on a sign, but everyone would understand "bathroom" and would direct you to the right place.

On a map or guide you would most likely see the word "restroom". This is also a common word on signs. In all situations except a home, "restroom" would be a polite word to use. I have heard people use "restroom" in homes but it strikes me as a little odd. I think of a restroom as a public facility. 

I can't imagine seeing "WC" or "toilet" on a sign in the U.S. I believe "lavatory" is used on planes.

[edit] I'm sorry.  I missed the additional informaion about the question.  The sign directing you to the location of the rooms would say "restroom", but for the actual sign on the door, I would expect to see the international symbols in any public place and the word "men" under the symbol for a man and "women" for the word under the symbol for a woman.  

I haven't read through the entire thread carefully so I may be repeating someone else, but in the U.S. "toilet" brings to mind the actual fixture you sit on, not the whole room.


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## Loob

Dmitry_86 said:


> I agree with you especially after reading the previous posts in this thread. However, I am more interested in inscriptions on the doors of toilets. For example, as far as I know, in many public places one can see "WC". My question is concerned with these different names: "toilet", "WC", "lavatory" and so on.


Ah, if you're talking about inscriptions on doors...

You're most likely in the UK to see symbols of a male (no skirt) and female (skirt).

You may well see "Ladies" and "Gentlemen"/"Gents"; "Women" and "Men"; M[ale] and F[emale].

You might see "WC", followed by "Ladies" or "Gentlemen"/"Gents" (or a symbol, or the other options above).

You are unlikely to see "toilet"; and "lavatory" is (I'd say) out of the question.


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## Dmitry_86

JamesM said:


> In the U.S., "bathroom" would work in all of these situations in conversation. Oddly, I don't think we actually use the word "bathroom" on a sign, but everyone would understand "bathroom" and would direct you to the right place.
> 
> On a map or guide you would most likely see the word "restroom". This is also a common word on signs. In all situations except a home, "restroom" would be a polite word to use. I have heard people use "restroom" in homes but it strikes me as a little odd. I think of a restroom as a public facility.
> 
> I can't imagine seeing "WC" or "toilet" on a sign in the U.S. I believe "lavatory" is used on planes.


 
So "restroom" is the *only* word in the *USA* used in public places mentioned above (aside from "lavatory", which can be seen on planes)?


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## TriglavNationalPark

Dmitry_86 said:


> So "restroom" is the *only* word in the *USA* used in public places mentioned above (aside from "lavatory", which can be seen on planes)?


 
The terms "washroom" and "bathroom" are also used in the U.S.


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## Loob

TriglavNationalPark said:


> The terms "washroom" and "bathroom" are also used in the U.S.


As inscriptions on doors?  (Straightforward question, I'm interested)


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## TriglavNationalPark

Loob said:


> As inscriptions on doors? (Straightforward question, I'm interested)


 
I would say that "restroom" is by far the most common word on signs, maps, and so on. However, you would still be more likely to see "washroom" on a sign than, say, "WC", which isn't used at all in the U.S.


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## JamesM

Dmitry_86 said:


> So "restroom" is the *only* word in the *USA* used in public places mentioned above (aside from "lavatory", which can be seen on planes)?


 
It is dangerous to make such a blanket statement. I am sure that it is possible to see something else. The U.S. is a _very_ large country and I haven't seen all of it. Overall, though, I would say that it is by far the most common and I cannot think of an example where "washroom" is used on a sign in my daily experience.


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## Dmitry_86

JamesM said:


> It is dangerous to make such a blanket statement. I am sure that it is possible to see something else. The U.S. is a _very_ large country and I haven't seen all of it. Overall, though, I would say that it is by far the most common and I cannot think of an example where "washroom" is used on a sign in my daily experience.


 
I did not make any statement. On the contrary, I asked a question in order to find out what are other ways of calling a certain place (which a BE speaker would call "toilet") in the USA. As you can see, there is a question mark at the end of the sentence in my previous post. So I would really appreciate it if you or someone else from the USA (since the BE options have been already mentioned exhaustively) introduced another synonym and the place where this word may be come across (seen).


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## Embonpoint

In AE, bathroom is also widely used. In a public place, signs will always say "restrooms,"  however many people say bathroom even for a public facility which does not have a bathtub. 

For example, sitting with friends, I'm more likely to say "Excuse me, I'm going to go to the bathroom." In asking directions (say from a waiter) I might say "restroom"  or "bathroom."

In a person's home, the place would always be called a bathroom. If someone came to my house for dinner and asked for the "restroom" I'd be inclined to send a bill for the meal.


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## Dmitry_86

I see the point. Imagine the situation (*in the USA* !!!) when, for example, someone living together with you says that he is going to the bathroom without adding any further information. In BE, by the way, it means that he is going to take a shower and wash himself (probably, including the cleaning of teeth, shaving and some other regular things, which are done every day or several times a week). However, in AE, as I might guess, it may mean *both* going to the toilet and washing yourself. For this reason, how would you manage to understand what *exactly* he is going to do? In my opinion, this phrase is ambiguous if no additional information is provided.


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## mplsray

Loob said:


> [In a question concerning the use of the terms "washroom" and "bathroom" in the US]As inscriptions on doors?  (Straightforward question, I'm interested)



I have seen neither one used. I would expect _bathroom_ to be used only in speech when referring to a public restroom, and then most often when a child is speaking or is being spoken to. The most common inscriptions on doors would be MEN and WOMEN, when words are used, while a very many public restrooms just have an icon on the door. 

In speech, if the word _restroom_ is not used, my impression is that the terms most commonly used are the _men's room_ and the _ladies' room._


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## GreenWhiteBlue

If the facilities used by the different sexes are in different directions, it would not be strange to see a sign indicating that the _Men's Room_ was one way, and the _Ladies' Room_ or _Women's Room_ was in the other direction.  In a school, it would not be surprising to see the doors of the such rooms intended for the use of the students labelled "Girls" and "Boys", while those intended for the teachers might be labelled "Male Faculty" and "Female Faculty".

If I were in a restaurant or a store, I would probably ask "Where is the men's room?" or "Where are the restrooms?"


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## Embonpoint

In response to Dmitry, the listener does not know exactly what one is doing, and it is frankly none of their business. That goes for short visits only though. If I had a friend waiting for me in my home and I planned to take a shower, I would not say "I am going to the bathroom." I would say "I'm going to take a shower."

To my ear, the words have different gradations of formality. Ladies room is the most formal, very slightly high-falutin to my ear. Restroom is in between, a pretty neutral safe term which will offend no one. Bathroom is the most casual term, but its use is not at all restricted to speaking with children, as someone suggested above. 

If I have a high-level lunch, I might say "excuse me, I'm going to the ladies room," but restroom would also be an option and bathroom would not be at all shocking. 

In asking directions from staff of large hotel, museum or theatre I would be most likely say "ladies room" or "restroom." If I did use bathroom in a large place I probably would use it in plural, as in "where are the bathrooms, please?" In a small family style restaurant I'd be more likely to say "where is your bathroom please?" 

The signs in the U.S. almost exclusively say "Restrooms" or if (as noted above) there are two signs pointing in different directions, "ladies room" and "men's room." Washroom or lavatory are both possible in the U.S. but sound a bit pretentious/foreign. The type of restaurant which might have a "washroom" might also have frilly Victorian curtains and pictures of English countryside all over the walls.

Embonpoint


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## Dmitry_86

Ok. My question is similar to that in post #65: how do you distinguish the meanings? "Restroom", as far as I understand, may imply not only "toilet" but a place for relaxaing and having entertainment.


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## Aidanr444

pinkpanter said:


> It's an euphemism (the room where you rest)
> 
> The British equivalent is cloakroom.


 
I've always believed the origin of "cloakroom" is from latin _cloaca, a sewer_.
But this etymological entry doesn't mention it


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## JamesM

Dmitry_86 said:


> I see the point. Imagine the situation (*in the USA* !!!) when, for example, someone living together with you says that he is going to the bathroom without adding any further information. In BE, by the way, it means that he is going to take a shower and wash himself (probably, including the cleaning of teeth, shaving and some other regular things, which are done every day or several times a week). However, in AE, as I might guess, it may mean *both* going to the toilet and washing yourself. For this reason, how would you manage to understand what *exactly* he is going to do? In my opinion, this phrase is ambiguous if no additional information is provided.


 
I'm sorry that I miscommunicated earlier. I did not mean that you had made the statement. I meant it would be dangerous for _me _to make a blanket statement. I learn new things about my own country daily.

Ironically, I think we use "going to the bathroom" to mean "use the toilet" more than anything else. If my son or wife is planning to wash up before a meal, he or she will say, "I'm just going to wash up before lunch/dinner." If someone is taking a shower or bath, the specific action is usually mentioned: "I'm going to take a shower now." If, however, someone is planning to use the toilet, it is common to hear: "I'm going to the bathroom" or "I'm going to use the bathroom", or even "I'm stopping off at the bathroom."

I imagine it's an odd euphemism for others, but it is automatic, at least in my experience.


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## Redshade

I have seen "male (sic) toilet" and, of course, "female (sic) toilet".

I have also heard the term "(shit)pot" used by working class people and also by the landed gentry, both groups being totally unconcerned about "correctness" or "polite sensibilities".

Use the expression in "middle class" company though and one would never be invited back.


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## Cypherpunk

On public signs pointing to the facilities_, restroom(s) _is the most common label, but_ bathroom_ is occasionally used. It would be very rare to find _washroom_ on a label or sign. In my area, the most common label (on doors) for bathrooms is Ladies/Gentlemen, but you often see Men/Women, too. People who are used to seeing homogenized, English-only signage in the US would probably be surprised by the number of restrooms that are also labeled _Damas/Caballeros_ (Spanish for Ladies/Gentlemen) in our area, as well.
You would be universally understood, here, if you asked where the bathroom or restroom is. My own least favorite dysphemism for bathroom is _pisser_. 

Finally, Dmitry, if someone says they are going to the bathroom, it is commonly understood that the person is going to relieve him/herself (and wash up, afterwards), unless s/he has said specifically that s/he is going to take a bath or shower. Oh, and I know it is common to bathe on odd-numbered days in many parts of Europe , but most people in the US shower or bathe daily.


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## Loob

And, James, if we're talking about signs on doors?


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## JamesM

Dmitry_86 said:


> Ok. My question is similar to that in post #65: how do you distinguish the meanings? "Restroom", as far as I understand, may imply not only "toilet" but a place for relaxaing and having entertainment.


 
A restroom in the U.S. is not a room for relaxing and entertaining.  That may have been its origin, but it is not its meaning now. It is a bathroom. In some theatres and cultural buildings it may include a lounge where women may rest on a couch or in chairs. (I think I have only seen a few men's lounges in my life.)  In no case is it a place for entertaining.


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## GreenWhiteBlue

Dmitry_86 said:


> "Restroom", as far as I understand, may imply not only "toilet" but a place for relaxaing and having entertainment.


 
If I were in a restaurant, or theater, or department store, and I saw a sign that said "Restrooms this way", I would never, ever understand that to mean anything other than "this way to the rooms that have toilets, urinals, and sinks."  I certainly would *not* understand it to mean "this way to a place for relaxing and having entertainment".


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## Embonpoint

JamesM is exactly right--going to the bathroom in the U.S. usually means going to the toilet. There's another fun term sometimes used, "I'm going to go powder my nose." That means, usually, that you are going to the toilet, but can also mean that you want to do almost anything, in private--like stand in a stall and text your other boyfriend. It can mean that you want to touch up your make-up...but mostly it is tongue-in-cheek to mean you're hitting that toilet we just can't mention in the U.S.

Dmitry--Your question reminds me that I have occasionally seen the title "Ladies lounge" used for a luxury restroom with a seating area. Other than that, no, you have no way of knowing if it's a simple toilet or if there is a chair or two. Unfortunately, a seating area in a restroom is very rare...I've only seen them in fancy restaurants and five-star hotels.


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## JamesM

Loob said:


> And, James, if we're talking about signs on doors?


 
This thread is moving quickly.   Here is what I said earlier about my impression of what is found on signs:



> The sign directing you to the location of the rooms would say "restroom", but for the actual sign on the door, I would expect to see the international symbols in any public place and the word "men" under the symbol for a man and "women" for the word under the symbol for a woman.
> 
> I haven't read through the entire thread carefully so I may be repeating someone else, but in the U.S. "toilet" brings to mind the actual fixture you sit on, not the whole room.


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## Embonpoint

Oh my goodness, we've forgotten the old-fashioned term "powder room."

Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast At Tiffany's routinely asked her dates for money to go to the powder room, presumably to tip the matron. But her dates gave her big bills, and she never gave them change. Nice to be young and beautiful.

These days, no one says powder room unless they deliberately mean to be humorous.


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## JamesM

Cypherpunk said:


> . People who are used to seeing homogenized, English-only signage in the US would probably be surprised by the number of restrooms that are also labeled _Damas/Caballeros_ (Spanish for Ladies/Gentlemen) in our area, as well.
> .


 
Now that you mention it, this is very common in our area as well, especially in department stores.


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## natkretep

Embonpoint said:


> if (as noted above) there are two signs pointing in different directions, "ladies room" and "men's room."
> 
> Embonpoint


 
You would actually see _rooms_ mentioned - ie not just _women/ladies/female_ and _men/gents/male_?

And if I said, 'Can you tell me where the gents is?', that wouldn't be understood?


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## Embonpoint

Natkretep--

It could be possible to have a sign which said only "ladies" or "gentlemen." 

If you ask for the "ladies" or the "gents" it would be understood but possibly read as foreign.

p.s. Nat, I've heard "the ladies" but don't remember from who. Could have been an American from a different class or region than my own, or a Britisher. For me, at least, if I heard that I'd think, "hmmm...where are they from?"


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## Wilma_Sweden

If you ask for the ladies' room in England, you'll be directed to the loo, no questions asked, unless you're a man, of course... 

Cloaca (sewer) and cloak are not related, they come from different Latin words, i.e. cloaca/clocca. They just look similar.

In any case, I find it amusing that discussions about words for basic human activities attract such great interest. Is there a similar thread for the (mainly American) expression of sleeping together while staying wide awake?   I've always found that an interesting ability... 

/Wilma


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## timpeac

Wilma_Sweden said:


> If you ask for the ladies' room in England, you'll be directed to the loo, no questions asked, unless you're a man, of course...


You would - but only because we would guess what you meant. We don't use (well in my experience) the terms "men's room" or "ladies' room". We just say "where's the men's/ladies' please?" I'm not even sure what it is short for (I would have guessed "toilet") - but if we once said "men's room" we don't use the longer phrase today.


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## natkretep

timpeac said:


> We just say "where's the men's/ladies' please?" I'm not even sure what it is short for (I would have guessed "toilet")


 
If 'gentlemen' and 'ladies' originally referred to people of a certain social class, rather than just polite terms for men and women, I would imagine the full terms would be _gentlemen's lavatory_ and _ladies' lavatory_ if we remember that 'lavatory' or 'loo' are U terms, whereas 'toilet' is non-U.

Here's wikipedia on U and non-U.

Nat


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## timpeac

natkretep said:


> If 'gentlemen' and 'ladies' originally referred to people of a certain social class, rather than just polite terms for men and women, I would imagine the full terms would be _gentlemen's lavatory_ and _ladies' lavatory_ if we remember that 'lavatory' or 'loo' are U terms, whereas 'toilet' is non-U.
> 
> Here's wikipedia on U and non-U.
> 
> Nat


What a fascinating list. I have lots and lots to say on that (some agreeing, some disagreeing, some nuancing to my understanding of this phenomenon that I have been made well aware of in my life) - but it's off topic here (this definitely deserves its own thread). I'll just note that yes - "lavatory" or "loo" are the posher version of "toilet" in that mentality. It's extremely interesting (I think) that often the "U" version is not (in fact, more often is not) the form that you would think is the posh one (the more latinate version). It's all about people who are comfortable enough in their expression not to feel the need to "prettify" their expression and those who either feel the need to or do not realise that some people think they have.

Now where did I put my napkin? I've spilt my pudding down the sofa with the enjoyment of reading that.


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## Wilma_Sweden

timpeac said:


> You would - but only because we would guess what you meant. We don't use (well in my experience) the terms "men's room" or "ladies' room". We just say "where's the men's/ladies' please?" I'm not even sure what it is short for (I would have guessed "toilet") - but if we once said "men's room" we don't use the longer phrase today.


Interesting...! I spent four years of the '80s in the London area asking strangers for the ladie's room (using 'loo' with friends), and not a single person seemed to protest, which is why I (perhaps mistakenly) drew the conclusion that this was a common phrase. Instead, I should probably have drawn the conclusion that the English are too polite to tell a stranger/foreigner the proper term to ask for!  

The U/non-U issue is also very interesting, and it's definitely worth a topic of its own, if there isn't one already. I'm vaguely familiar with the 'posh English' accent, although I'm incapable of imitating it myself, but I didn't know about the vocabulary issue.

/Wilma


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## Packard

EVAVIGIL said:


> ...And this explanation:
> 
> The word toilet itself may be considered an impolite word in the United States... the word toilet is often substituted with other euphemisms... such as:...
> 
> *shit-house*
> 
> EVA.


 
I edited down the list you provided.  I would suggest that "shit-house" as a "polite" euphemism for "toilet" might get someone in trouble.  (There were some others that were nearly as bad.)

I wonder how often Cambridge's Advanced Learner dictionary has gotten non-native speakers in trouble.


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## timpeac

Wilma_Sweden said:


> Interesting...! I spent four years of the '80s in the London area asking strangers for the ladie's room (using 'loo' with friends), and not a single person seemed to protest, which is why I (perhaps mistakenly) drew the conclusion that this was a common phrase. Instead, I should probably have drawn the conclusion that the English are too polite to tell a stranger/foreigner the proper term to ask for!


 Well - it's immediately understandable, so presuming that you have a slight accent people would probably just assume that you were using an English term learnt from a different variety of English such as American.

If I heard a fellow Brit say that I probably wouldn't question/correct it either, but I think it would stand out and I'd probably conclude they'd been watching too much American TV recently.


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## Wilma_Sweden

timpeac said:


> Well - it's immediately understandable, so presuming that you have a slight accent people would probably just assume that you were using an English term learnt from a different variety of English such as American.
> 
> If I heard a fellow Brit say that I probably wouldn't question/correct it either, but I think it would stand out and I'd probably conclude they'd been watching too much American TV recently.


OK, so in John Le Carré's world, I would have been caught out by the MI5 as a foreign spy... 



Packard said:


> I wonder how often Cambridge's Advanced Learner dictionary has gotten non-native speakers in trouble.


The online version doesn't even include shit-house, and the word shit itself is marked as offensive everywhere, so I wouldn't worry too much.

/Wilma


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## panjandrum

Dmitry_86 said:


> ... is going to the bathroom without adding any further information. In BE, by the way, it means that he is going to take a shower and wash himself (probably, including the cleaning of teeth, shaving and some other regular things, which are done every day or several times a week).
> ...


Not so.
As others said above, someone going to the bathroom for those purposes would say what they were going for.  A visit to the bathroom, with no further context or comment, is a visit to the toilet.


Dmitry_86 said:


> Ok. My question is similar to that in post #65: how do you distinguish the meanings? "Restroom", as far as I understand, may imply not only "toilet" but a place for relaxaing and having entertainment.


I don't know of any use of "restroom" to mean a place for relaxing and having entertainment.


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## natkretep

EVAVIGIL said:


> (Quoting the Cambridge Advanced Learners' Dictionary): When referring to the room or the actual piece of equipment, the word toilet is often substituted with other euphemisms (and dysphemisms) such as:
> 
> ....


 
I'm surprised the word _latrine_ does not figure in the list. I was also surprised to find out that it's also used as a sign on a door. Here's a picture showing the sign 'male latrine' from Texas. Is this 'normal' in the US?


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## Porteño

natkretep said:


> I'm surprised the word _latrine_ does not figure in the list. I was also surprised to find out that it's also used as a sign on a door. Here's a picture showing the sign 'male latrine' from Texas. Is this 'normal' in the US?


 
You might expect to find that in military or Boy Scout camps. There certainly wouldn't be a 'female latrine' as far as know.


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## GreenWhiteBlue

Porteño said:


> You might expect to find that in military or Boy Scout camps. There certainly wouldn't be a 'female latrine' as far as know.


 
Why not?  You think female members of the military never have to go?

There are certainly female latrines on army bases for the use of female soldiers.  Where did you think they went?


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## GreenWhiteBlue

<<... response to deleted post ...>> the term used is actually "female latrine", just as one will find "male locker rooms" or "female locker rooms" in the facilities of various institutions.


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## Porteño

GreenWhiteBlue said:


> Why not? You think female members of the military never have to go?
> 
> There are certainly female latrines on army bases for the use of female soldiers. Where did you think they went?


 
I naively imagined they might have had a less 'macho' word for it-


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## Cypherpunk

Why? A _latrine_ is a structure built for the purpose of defecation and urination and for the sanitary control of wastes. There is no absolutely no implication that there will be running water, a place to wash up, or other niceties. It is entirely appropriate for the facilities one encounters during military service, regardless of the situation...


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## phredd

Well, I was looking for the origin of restroom attendants, and ended up here. (My son was asking about them)
After reading thru all theses post, they reminded me of when I was young about the words used for “restrooms”. The first time, my family was out camping, and we went on a long hike. I was very tired at the end, and was overjoyed when I saw a building that said restroom on it. I of course, was thinking that there would be a place to lay down and take a “rest”. I was very disappointed when I went in there.
The next time, was my very first day of elementary school. During the day, my teacher said that we were all going to the lavatory, which in my mind, I heard laboratory. I thought that we were going to do stuff like mixing chemicals up and stuff like that. Again, I was very disappointed when I went in there. I also made the mistake of mentioning this to the teacher, who thought it was funny, and so she had to write both words on the chalk board so the whole class could join in the fun! I am now 45 years old, but remember that morning like it was yesterday, pretty sad I guess.
Anyways, I guess this confusion was all due to the fact, that at home, we called it the bathroom, and that was all I knew as.
BTW, we had a cloak room in the same school, and that is where we hung our coats, and put our winter boots and lunches.


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## Pedro y La Torre

Washroom is the standard term as far as Canada goes, though I persist in saying toilet, if only to see the sometimes wincing reactions.


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## kalamazoo

<Non-English versions of the term deleted.> I don't know why people get so bent out of shape about this topic anyway.  Americans are hardly the only nationality that uses vaguely euphemistic but widely understood terms. I would classify "loo"and "lavatory" and "WC" as being just as euphemistic as "restroom."

I was visiting someone in Beijing once who spoke very little English.  I wanted to use the toilet and tried about four different ways of asking where it was,with little success. Finally her face brightened and she said "Ladies room?" which was not one of the terms I had thought of trying.


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## Swinky

So once again the question arose about the origin of the euphemism, "Restroom".  Upon researching it, coming across this thread in the process, perhaps this might be an answer:

In posh toilets, there used to be a "resting" area off from the "toilet" facilities area. These had sofas and chairs, tables and lamps.  The phrase is Victorian in origin and the couches etc. were for the tightly-corseted ladies to recline on for a 'rest' before having to go out again into the theatre, restaurant, department store or whichever public place they were at.  There was an attendant who kept the place clean and was tipped or paid by the users.

The word "toilet" itself used to refer to the the act or process of dressing and grooming oneself, from earlier times, eg she performed her morning toilet, and not to the act of bodily waste evacuation.

Terms and terminology change over time.


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## JamesM

"Toilet" in that sense still survives in American English when we refer to makeup, perfume, toothpaste and other items as "toiletries".  However, "toilet" in AE brings to mind the porcelain bowl and tank, very specifically.  In a period novel "performing her daily toilet" would make sense, but I have never heard anyone use it in American English in my lifetime other than as a cute reference to antique language in the same way someone might say "I am off to perform my morning ablutions" to mean "I'm going to go wash up now".


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## JustKate

I hope to be able to provide an actual source in a day or so, but I know I've read somewhere fairly authoritative that one of the ways the term "restroom" came to be used in AmE is that there used to be no place for a respectable woman to relieve herself when on a visit to town - say, if she came with her husband to go to the general store or something like that. Nor was there any place to, for example, take your 4-year-old to urinate or to take your baby if you needed to breastfeed it. In cities, there were department stores with ladies rooms, but these weren't usually available in smaller towns. Men could go to saloons and bars, but nice women couldn't and neither could girls. So the "rest room" was a public facility (I think - I'm not sure but I believe I've read this - that some of the early ones in the Midwest were actually maintained by farm organizations) that gave a woman a respectable place to go when on a visit to town - a place where she could urinate, sure, but also, you know, just generally tidy up, see to her children - or rest, if you will. It was called a "rest room" instead of a "toilet" because there were facilities there for other things besides the elimination of waste.

I agree with James that in AmE, toilet is used almost exclusively to refer to the bowl and tank. There's nothing particularly indelicate about it - I mean, I wouldn't bat an eye if a friend wanted to talk about what color toilet to get in her new bathroom or an acquaintance told a story about how his toilet broke New Year's Eve - but generally speaking, the only thing that word refers to for me is the bowl and tank.


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## Sparky Malarky

JamesM said:


> "Toilet" in that sense still survives in American English when we refer to makeup, perfume, toothpaste and other items as "toiletries". However, "toilet" in AE brings to mind the porcelain bowl and tank, very specifically. In a period novel "performing her daily toilet" would make sense, but I have never heard anyone use it in American English in my lifetime other than as a cute reference to antique language in the same way someone might say "I am off to perform my morning ablutions" to mean "I'm going to go wash up now".



This is the source of the term "toilet water," a rather weak perfume, the name of which caused me enormous confusion as a child.



JustKate said:


> II agree with James that in AmE, toilet is used almost exclusively to refer to the bowl and tank. There's nothing particularly indelicate about it - I mean, I wouldn't bat an eye if a friend wanted to talk about what color toilet to get in her new bathroom or an acquaintance told a story about how his toilet broke New Year's Eve - but generally speaking, the only thing that word refers to for me is the bowl and tank.



I agree.  In BrE, "I'm going to the toilet" means "I'm going to go to the room where the toilets are."  In AmE, "I'm going to the toilet" usually means "I'm sitting on it right now."


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## HnB'ed

You mean "I'm in the toilet," not "i'm going to the toilet," means "i'm sitting on it right now,"  right? However, if you say "i'm going to the toilet," you envision the toilet bowl, not the room where it's located. Did I get that right? As a subscription to what has previously been posted about the term "toilet," it indeed is a fact that the porcelain bowl is referred to as such in AE. In the same way, I've often heard Americans calling "toilet room" the enclosed area where the toilet is located in a hotel private bathroom.


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## JustKate

"In the toilet" isn't commonly used in AmE, at least not in most dialects, including the ones I'm most familiar with it. If I heard someone say "I'm in the toilet" I am familiar enough with the idiom that I would assume that he meant he was in the bathroom, but the picture it would automatically bring to my mind is someone literally in the toilet bowl.  I know what the phrase means in some forms of English, but it's also a fact that it's not what it ordinarily means to *me*. 

To use a slightly less silly example, say I had a dog named Fred, and my husband called out to me "Help! Fred's in the toilet!" I'd assume that meant that Fred was in the toilet bowl, not in the room that contains the toilet.

Edit: I've never heard that little alcove you mention called a "toilet room," HnB'ed, but then again, I don't know that I've ever heard of a special name for it.


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## HnB'ed

What I've got the greatest trouble figuring out is how can one say "I'm going to the toilet" while he or she actually sits on the toilet bowl? You cannot go to a place and be there at the same time, can you? I mean, not in the three dimensional world we belong, unless you can explain how this could work sense-wise in plain language. Also, wouldn't "I'm using the toilet" be a better way to say that you're sitting on the toilet? What do you think?


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## Sparky Malarky

HnB'ed said:


> What I've got the greatest trouble figuring out is how can one say "I'm going to the toilet" while he or she actually sits on the toilet bowl? You cannot go to a place and be there at the same time, can you? I mean, not in the three dimensional world we belong, unless you can explain how this could work sense-wise in plain language. Also, wouldn't "I'm using the toilet" be a better way to say that you're sitting on the toilet? What do you think?



You are absolutely right.  However, Americans frequently say "going to the toilet" or even "going to the bathroom" to mean defecating, and sometimes urinating.  Example:  Mom, the dog went to the bathroom on the rug!


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## HnB'ed

Now I got it. It's an idiomatic expression like saying "I need to see a man about a dog," "I need to wash my hands"  or " I need to spend a penny." Thank you for making it clear to me, Sparky Malarky.


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## Sparky Malarky

HnB'ed said:


> Now I got it. It's an euphemistic idiom like saying "I need to tell a man about a dog," "I need to wash my hands" or "I'm going to spend a penny." Thank you for making it clear to me, Sparky Malarky.




Exactly.  Women would often say (especially in public) "I need to go powder my nose."  This is why a room with only a toilet and a sink (not a tub or shower) is sometimes called a "powder room."


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## HnB'ed

I just looked up "go to the toilet" in NTC's AE Idioms Dictionary and here's what it says: "to use a toilet for defecating or urinating," and the example phrase given is "Excuse me, I have to go to the toilet." Now, I'm sure you'll recognize that in this example either "toilet room" or "toilet bowl" would work as a substitute for toilet, right? The only person that in actuality knows what of a room or a bowl he or she has iin mind is the person that utters the phrase,  since it really makes no difference for the person(s) this.phrase is addressed to whether it's the toilet room or the toilet bowl that is being referred to (neither for the one that says it actually), the essential idea that this phrase conveys being  in either cases...the same.


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## Loob

I'm afraid I don't understand your comment, HnB'ed.

"Toilet" is a euphemism, just as much as "bathroom" or "restroom".


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## HnB'ed

Well, when one says "I have to go to the toilet," it makes no difference for the person(s)  this phrase is addressed to whether it's a toilet bowl or a toilet room that one has in mind since the sense in either cases is the same: a need to go dispose of one's body wastes.


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## Loob

I'm afraid I still don't understand your post 106, HnB'ed.

Oh, and by the way, it's not 





HnB'ed said:


> "I need to tell a man about a dog,"


it's "I need to see a man about a dog".


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## HnB'ed

Then, let's take an example, if you don't mind. Say I'm American and you're British. We're both sitting in a cafe and you suddenly express the need to go to the restroom by saying "I have to go to the toilet." Now, who cares if you as a Briton picture the word "toilet" as the room or I , as an American, picture it as the bowl, since the essential idea of the phrase is conveyed in either cases, i. e., a need for privacy to dispose of one's body wastes (it can  be for urination, defecation, vomiting or for whatever other imaginable things one can do in a toilet) who cares, as long as the overall sense of the phrase "go to the toilet" is understood, no mattter which definition of the word "toilet" one's have in mind. Now, if you'll excuse me, may I be allowed to go to the bathroom? I badly need to see a man about a dog...


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## Loob

And your point is...?


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## HnB'ed

My point is that, as far as the phrase "go to the toilet"  is concerned, the essential idea of what is conveyed is understood by native speakers from both sides of the Atlantic, whether it's the "toilet room" sense or the "toilet bowl"  sense that one has in mind.


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## JustKate

I think I understand what you're saying, HnB'ed, and while I partly agree, I don't agree entirely. There is, after all, more than one reason to need to get to that particular room, and there are, in addition, circumstances in which it's necessary to say why you're going there and circumstances in which it isn't. So whether the same "essential idea" is being conveyed depends on circumstances. What, after all, is the "essential idea"?

What makes expressions such as "I need to go to the toilet" a bit tricky is that their meaning and appropriateness varies depending on the dialect of the person speaking (or listening) and the context in which they are stated. If in the local dialect "go to the toilet" just means "go the room that contains the toilet," then there's nothing wrong (as far as I know) with excusing oneself from a business lunch to "go to the toilet." But in contexts in which the phrase "go to the toilet" is a euphemism for "urinate or defecate," then a person should probably not use it when excusing himself from that business lunch. There nothing obscene or horrible about needing to pee, even during a business lunch, but it is generally inappropriate to discuss one's bodily elimination plans with one's business acquaintances.  

There are times when it is necessary, of course - e.g., "I'm feeling really queasy and I think I need to get to a bathroom/toilet/restroom right away!" - and certainly these things can be brought up in a casual way to people one has that sort of relationship with. But if one is, for example, at a business lunch, one does not usually announce why one is leaving the table, and it's considered impolite to speculate. And that's the danger of "I need to go to the toilet." In the wrong circumstances, it can seem like the person isn't just excusing himself to go to that particular room for whatever reason, but is instead telling all of us what he intends to do there.


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## timpeac

By the sound of it in AE "to go to the toilet" can have 2 potential meanings (but only one at all likely) - to be currently urinating or defecating (likely) or to approach the toilet bowl (unlikely - would only be used in a sentence like "he went to the toilet and lifted the lid to look inside").

In BE there are 3 potential meanings: most likely - to go to the room where the toilet is situated. Next likely - to be currently urinating or defecating (possible, but perhaps unlikely from the simple fact that you don't normally announce this while you are mid-flow and because the first meaning is so common). Similarly it would be indelicate to announce that someone is in the middle of their necessities so in answer to "where is John?" you would reply "he has gone to the toilet" and probably not "he's going to the toilet" (although you could in a context, say, where a toddler is using his potty and you are commenting on this fact). Least likely - to approach the toilet bowl (just as in AE, and just as unlikely).


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## wildan1

It all boils down to the fact that North Americans relate the word_ toilet_ to the specific plumbing fixture, not the room it is in. 

Since the term is too specific for us for whatever historical or esthetic reasons, for public facilities we normally use instead _restroom_ (in the US primarily) or _washroom_ (Canada primarily) to describe the place we are going to do… whatever. At home, it's _the bathroom_.

English-speaking Europeans refer to those places as _the toilet_… 

...and in North America, we don't.


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## natkretep

wildan1 said:


> English-speaking Europeans refer to those places as _the toilet_…


This is a monster of a thread, and it's in the earlier posts, but it's worth restating that non-American speakers use a wide range of terms apart from _toilet_. I'm very likely to say _loo_ or _ladies_ or _gents_​ for instance.


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## Broccolee

<Added to this thread. Nat, Moderator>
Hi,
I’d like to know in our every-day conversation, for example, if you are together with your family, and if you want to go to the washroom, what do you say? Please tell me what do you usually say in family, in work, etc. Thank you.


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## Florentia52

Broccolee, please read the previous posts in this thread. I'm sure you'll find your answer.


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## zaffy

Jim 89 said:


> Sure, if I want to go and relieve myself, I probably wouldn't want to broadcast the fact. I might try find some way around mentioning where I'm going but I'm not going to pretent that I'm going for a bath, a rest, a wash or even comfort. Normally I'd say "Excuse me.", "I'll be back." or something.



does 'relieving oneself' refer to both peeing and pooing?


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## natkretep

Usually peeing.


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## Roymalika

Please note that this post and the following ones have now been added to a previous extensive thread discussing this topic.  DonnyB - moderator.
Hello everyone
Please let me know whether there is any single name for both bathroom and washroom?

I live in my friend's apartment. In that apartment, there's one washroom and one bathroom. This is a newly built apartment. The washroom and the bathroom have not yet been distempered. Some more maintenance is yet to be done. I asked my friend via a text msg whether the bathroom and the washroom have been distempered or not.
I want to use a single word for both bathroom and washroom to ask my friend this question.


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## velisarius

What do you mean by the term "washroom", Roymalika?


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## Roymalika

velisarius said:


> What do you mean by the term "washroom", Roymalika?


This is what I mean by washroom and bathroom:
Washroom= a room where there's a toilet, where people defecate/urinate.
Bathroom= a room where there's a shower, where people take bath.


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## velisarius

Thank you. I would never have guessed.

Since they are two separate rooms, I wouldn't know how to refer to them both in one word. In British homes, a bathroom often includes a toilet (for excretion purposes), and there is usually also a small separate downstairs WC with just a toilet and hand basin for guests to use. 

I suggest using "the bathroooms", but that might be confusing for speakers of AE. Is your friend likely to be more familiar with AE or BE terms?


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## reno33

In the USA, almost all such places are simply called "bathroom".  If you have 2 story house with a bathroom on each floor, the bathroom on the first floor (the ground floor) is simply called "downstairs bathroom" regardless of what it contains and what you can do in it.  In the past, these "downstairs bathrooms" might have been known as "the powder room" or "the guest bathroom" but those terms are rather dated.
In public buildings, these bathrooms are usually called "restrooms".  If you're in a restaurant or other public establishment, the question one should ask is "Can you tell me where the restroom is?"


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## boozer

I have never heard the word 'washroom' and if I did hear it I would take the meaning at face value - a place where you wash yourself, i.e. a kind of *bathroom* where you cannot do 1 or 2, i.e. there is no toilet bowl.

All toilets, WCs, lavatories, restrooms, etc., are places where you can do 1 and 2 but you cannot take a shower or a bath.

The only word that might give me the idea of an all-in-one place is 'the facilities', though people usually imply, euphemistically, again 'a toilet'. Still, the word is general enough to convey both meanings.


reno33 said:


> If you're in a restaurant or other public establishment, the question one should ask is "Can you tell me where the restroom is?"


When I was in the US I carelessly (and on occasion stubbornly) asked about 'the toilet' (calling a spade a spade, hey  ) and was invariably understood. I suppose they benevolently treated this as some sort of European quirk. Of course, I knew all too well that I should ask about 'the restroom'...


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## ewie

velisarius said:


> I suggest using "the bathroooms"


 I'd call them _the bathrooms_.


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## reno33

I'm surprised no one's mentioned what is used all over Europe (or was, when I was younger).......the famous W.C.. (water closet).  I wonder is that's still used.


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## boozer

Everywhere I have been in Europe, it is either WC or some local variation of the word 'toilet'. When said, especially in English, the abbreviation WC may not be understood, though.


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## Englishmypassion

boozer said:


> I have never heard the word 'washroom'...



Really? I hear it so many times every day!


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## Roymalika

Englishmypassion said:


> Really? I hear it so many times every day!


Would you also call them "bathrooms" as ewie would (post 7)?


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## Englishmypassion

Yes, bathrooms usually have both facilities.


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## pachanga7

I assume the washroom with the toilet also has a sink for washing your hands? If so it could be referred to as a “half bath”, a term used for bathrooms without a shower or tub, in private residences but not public places. Public restrooms are not expected to have showers and tubs in them and can just be the bathroom, restroom, the facilities. For your friend’s apartment though the term would work well at least in AE.

If it has all three: toilet, sink and bathing facilites, it’s a “full bath”.


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## Roymalika

Englishmypassion said:


> Yes, bathrooms usually have both facilities.


But I was talking in post 3 about the bathroom that has only the bathing facility and the washroom that has only the washing (defecation/urination) facility. I wonder why that washroom that has only the washing facility can be called a bathroom?  
Bathroom should only be meant for taking bath in it, as the name indicates (_*bath*room_).


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## ewie

Roymalika said:


> Bathroom should only be meant for taking bath in it, as the name indicates (_*bath*room_).


If you're going to bring Logic into it, Roymalika, I wonder why you would call a room that only has a toilet in it a _*wash*room_


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## Alex Branco

I have heard also that *washroom* would call a Loo in British, right? Maybe it sounds like a part of regional dialect. But I think that Bathroom everyone can understand very well.


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## Englishmypassion

Roymalika said:


> Bathroom should only be meant for taking bath in it, as the name indicates (_*bath*room_).


English doesn't work like that. (See cloakroom, restroom, coatroom, pigeonhole, catgut, asshole (used for people), even bedroom)


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## Uncle Jack

Alex Branco said:


> I have heard also that *washroom* would call a Loo in British, right? Maybe it sounds like a part of regional dialect. But I think that Bathroom everyone can understand very well.


"Loo" is still common in Britain. "Washroom" is not, and choosing such an unusual word would automatically make me think it was somewhere where you washed, and that it probably did not contain a toilet or a bath. In my mind, I imagine a row of sinks in a hostel or similar type of accommodation.

In Britain, if you actually need to refer to the rooms, rather than politely referring to someone going to the toilet, then I would expect people to use the most accurate description. Your two rooms would be a "toilet" (possibly a "loo", a "lavatory" or a "W.C") and a "shower room" (possibly a "bathroom"), and I really cannot imagine anyone using the same expression for both rooms.


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## RM1(SS)

boozer said:


> I have never heard the word 'washroom'


It's fairly common in AE to mean a public restroom.


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## kentix

RM1(SS) said:


> It's fairly common in AE to mean a public restroom.


And the norm in Canada (from what I've learned online).


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## YourWorldIsNotReal

In Philippine English it's "comfort room" (CR) or "rest room".


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## kentix

Also, what does distempered mean? I've never heard that word anywhere, let alone in relation to construction.


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## Uncle Jack

kentix said:


> Also, what does distempered mean?


"Distemper" is a chalk paint that used to be widely used for painting interior walls, up until the early twentieth century in Britain, so far as I am aware, and has come back into fashion in recent decades. I understand it is very satisfying to put on and gives a lovely appearance when new, but all my experience has been with old flaky powdery distemper that cannot be painted over because nothing will stick to it, and is a right pain to remove. Anyway, it appears this is what the rooms are to be painted in.

Here is an article: What Is Distemper Paint?


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## Xamayca

RM1(SS) said:


> It's fairly common in AE to mean a public restroom.


Interesting! Here this would be understood as the room where the washing machine is/the room where you wash clothes.


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## RM1(SS)

That's the laundry room.


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## ewie

RM1(SS) said:


> a public restroom.


That's a room where dead folk are displayed before funerals. _[Okay, I'm making stuff up now.  My point is that one man's washroom is another woman's bathroom is another fluidly-gendered-person's laundry room etc. etc. etc.]_


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## KHS

I'm a speaker of AmE, and I never use 'washroom,' so perspective is everything.
(Just as a side note, I use AmE instead of AE as a courtesy to speakers of Australian English, so that I indicate I don't think A *has to* mean American.)


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## Loob

I'm still fascinated by the idea that "wash" means "defecate/urinate", as implied by 





Roymalika said:


> ... the washroom that has only the washing (defecation/urination) facility.


But then nearly all the terms we use are euphemisms, including "toilet".


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## kalamazoo

My Norwegian tenants In the US referred to the room where the washer and dryer are as the "washroom" and I felt I needed to explain to them that that was the "laundry room" and if someone said he was going to the washroom, he probably wasn't planning to wash his clothes.  I am an AmE speaker and although I probably don't ever use the word washroom I do hear it sometimes.  I think it is for a public facility though, not in your house.


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## RM1(SS)

Loob said:


> But then nearly all the terms we use are euphemisms, including "toilet".


I like the idea of referring to the room, or to whatever facilities it may contain, as the "euphemism".

"I'll be right back -- I just need to go visit the euphemism."


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## Hildy1

boozer said:


> When I was in the US I carelessly (and on occasion stubbornly) asked about 'the toilet' (calling a spade a spade, hey  ) and was invariably understood.


That's a euphemism too, as Loob points out. It has just been around longer than some others, and being a little older and more familiar, may seem more direct.


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## kentix

People say that all the time but I just don't think it's true.

Is laundry room a euphemism for washing machine? Why don't we just call it "the washing machine room"? Or would that would be dirty?

In a public building wouldn't we have to call it the "toilet, sink, mirror room" if we wanted to be honest and completely truthful? Or would it be the "toilet, sink, mirror, soap, toilet paper, hand towel room"? There are so many functions that can take place in a room like that I think it's silly to focus on one piece and say the two are synonymous.

Why don't we call it the stove, oven, refrigerator, sink, microwave, dishwasher, garbage disposal, food cupboard room? Because it's a kitchen and it has multiple uses which can all be summarized with one convenient name.

I don't know about all of you, but half the time I go into the bathroom (at least at home) I don't use the toilet. Why should I ask for a toilet when I don't need one? Sometimes I just need to comb my hair before walking into someone's office. I wouldn't dream of asking "Where's the sink?" in that scenario. Or "where's the sink room?" Just give the room one name and use that for everything it offers. We use bathroom or restroom generally. Yes, it doesn't describe in detail all the things that are possible to do there but neither does kitchen, or bedroom, or living room, or garage.


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## natkretep

RM1(SS) said:


> I like the idea of referring to the room, or to whatever facilities it may contain, as the "euphemism".
> 
> "I'll be right back -- I just need to go visit the euphemism."


Now and again, I hear people referring to needing to _use the facilities._

I know the room with the washing machine as the utility room. 'Laundry room' sounds rather grand for something in a house, unlike, say, a hostel.

_Added_
I see Wikipedia notes that 'utility room' is more common in BrE, and that 'laundry room' is the normal AmE term.


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## Jektor

Roymalika said:


> I want to use a single word for both bathroom and washroom...
> .


More ideas for you here in these Word Ref threads:
forum.wordreference.com - toilet bathroom
forum.wordreference.com - threads: toilet restroom WC loo

.


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## boozer

Loob said:


> I'm still fascinated by the idea that "wash" means "defecate/urinate",


 What, you didn't know?!?! 


Hildy1 said:


> That's a euphemism too, as Loob points out. It has just been around longer than some others, and being a little older and more familiar, may seem more direct.





Loob said:


> But then nearly all the terms we use are euphemisms, including "toilet".


You are absolutely right, the two of you. I should have thought of that, too. 
Then, if you want to call a spade a spade what do you do? Has latrine ever meant anything else?


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## Roymalika

ewie said:


> I'd call them _the bathrooms_.


Washroom is not a bathroom. Two British English speakers in the below closed thread said that. Please have a look at post 2 and 3:
bathroom / toilet (BrE)


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## ewie

Several native speakers are of the opinion that what you call a _washroom_ is most emphatically *not* a washroom.
I'd probably call _a bathroom_ any room that has a bath and/or a shower and/or a washbasin and/or a toilet.


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## Roymalika

ewie said:


> Several native speakers are of the opinion that what you call a _washroom_ is most emphatically *not* a washroom.


If that is not a washroom, what is that then?


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## ewie

A toilet.


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## Roymalika

ewie said:


> A toilet.


But toilet is a piece of hardware that collects urine/feces. Toilet is not a room. I am asking what the room is called that only has a toilet in it.


----------



## ewie

A toilet.

You're just going to have to take my word for it.


----------



## Roymalika

ewie said:


> A toilet.
> 
> You're just going to have to take my word for it.


OK. The hardware is a toilet. The room that has it also called a toilet. Right?


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## ewie

Yes.


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## Roymalika

ewie said:


> Yes.


I'm sorry, but why did you call it a "bathroom"? (Post 7)


----------



## ewie

That was in reply to your request for a term that covered *both* 'a room with only a toilet' *and* 'a room with a bath or shower'.  *Collectively* I'd call them _bathrooms_.
I wouldn't refer *only *to a room that *only* had a toilet in it as a _bathroom_.


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## Packard

In the USA (as far as I have ever experienced), we have a "full bath" and a "half bath".

A full bath includes the above mentioned toilet, plus either a shower or a bathtub or both, plus a sink.

A half bath has a toilet and a sink, but no bathtub or shower.


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## Myridon

Packard said:


> A full bath includes the above mentioned toilet, plus either a shower or a bathtub or both, plus a sink.


With a shower instead of a tub, it is often called a three-quarter bath.


----------



## Packard

Myridon said:


> With a shower instead of a tub, it is often called a three-quarter bath.


Perhaps that is true.  I will check. And I find that there is a full bath, 3/4 bath, 1/2 bath and 1/4 bath.  The site linked defines them all.

They call out four (4) elements to a bathroom:


Toilet
Shower
Bathtub
Sink
A full bath includes all four elements.
A 3/4 bath includes three elements.
A half bath includes two elements.
A quarter bath includes one element.

1/2 Bath... 1/4 Bath... 3/4 Bath - What Does It All Mean? - The Blake Team

As you browse the home listings in your area, you’ll never come across a 1/2 bedroom or a 3/4 living room, but these fractions sure do pop up a lot next to bathrooms! What do these terms mean ?


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## kentix

And I would never call a room a toilet so you are not going to find one answer that fits everyone.


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## Roymalika

kentix said:


> And I would never call a room a toilet...


So what would you call a room that only has a toilet in it? A *toilet room*?


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## kentix

It's very uncommon where I live and I have no name for it. If there is a sink in there it's a bathroom.


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## Uncle Jack

Packard said:


> A full bath includes all four elements.
> A 3/4 bath includes three elements.
> A half bath includes two elements.
> A quarter bath includes one element.


Gosh! To me, these are four bathtubs in decreasing size. I might call the one I have in the bathroom upstairs "a 3/4 bath". Incidentally, the room contains all four of your elements, and I would call it a bathroom, toilet or loo, depending who I was speaking to and in what context. The downstairs loo contains only a toilet, and I call this a toilet or a loo, but when visitors ask for the bathroom, I may direct them there instead.


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## RM1(SS)

Roymalika said:


> So what would you call a room that only has a toilet in it? A *toilet room*?


A bathroom, as has been said before.


----------



## kentix

Uncle Jack said:


> Gosh! To me, these are four bathtubs in decreasing size.


All of those uses of "bath" are real estate shorthand for "bathroom".


----------



## Egmont

Roymalika said:


> So what would you call a room that only has a toilet in it? A *toilet room*?



The basic problem here, and with this thread, is that most English-speaking countries don't have rooms like that. I've never seen one in visiting many homes in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand. (I can't speak for India.) Because the concept doesn't exist, English never needed a word for it, so there isn't one. Various posters here have suggested things we might call it, but if your question is what we do call it, the answer is simple: we don't. I've seen such rooms in homes in Russia, so there's probably a Russian word for them, but this is the wrong forum to ask about that - and you probably don't care about Russian words anyhow.


----------



## kentix

I saw a few references to "toilet alcove" online.


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## Myridon

kentix said:


> I saw a few references to "toilet alcove" online.


... which would generally be inside the room with the sink/tub/shower like a toilet stall in a public restroom.


----------



## Uncle Jack

Egmont said:


> The basic problem here, and with this thread, is that most English-speaking countries don't have rooms like that.


This is not true in Britain. My current house has a room like this, as does my best friend's mother's house - this is the only toilet in her house. My house was probably built in the 1910s (some time between 1900 and 1925, at any rate) and hers was built immediately before the Second World War (1939). I am not quite sure, but I think the new house my parents bought in 1976 had a room like this as well, but it might have contained a small sink. Certainly, this arrangement of having just a toilet in a room to itself used to be common. 

Now that I remember, my Nan's only toilet was in a room by itself as well; her house was probably built in the mid-twentieth century. In both my Nan's and my friend's mother's house, the bathroom (with bath and sink) is next door to the toilet, both opening off a hallway.


----------



## heypresto

My mum's (and currently my) house has one too. Growing up here, I always thought friends' houses that had a bath and a toilet in the same room were odd. What if somebody wanted to use the loo when someone was in the bath?


----------



## ewie

I reckon toilet-only rooms (_toilets_, or _loos, _if you use that word) are fairly common in the UK, though perhaps a bit less so than in the past


----------



## Loob

My current house (built in the 1950s) had a room like that, until I had a  washbasin added.
The name for the room, as ewie says, is _toilet _or _loo_.


----------



## Hildy1

My house in Western Canada, built in 1912, also has a room with just a toilet. The room next to it has a bathtub and a washbasin. We would have had a washbasin added to the toilet, but there is not enough space.

Many people here have never seen that before, but there are quite a few 1912 houses in our part of town, and some of them probably have the same arrangement.


----------



## Loob

What do you call that room, Hildy?


----------



## Hildy1

As you do: the toilet, or the loo.

I think most people here would call it the toilet, not the loo. You can't trust me to use only North American expressions, since my husband is from England and I have also spent time there.


----------



## Roymalika

It's very surprising to hear that some American English speakers like RM1(SS) call that type of room a *bathroom*. 

Is it surprising / odd to British English speakers too? Does it grate on you when someone call that room a *bathroom*?


----------



## Cagey

Where I live, this arrangement is called a "split bathroom."


Roymalika said:


> Hello everyone
> Please let me know whether there is any single name for both bathroom and washroom?
> 
> I live in my friend's apartment. In that apartment, there's one washroom and one bathroom. [....]
> I want to use a single word for both bathroom and washroom to ask my friend this question.


Where I live, this arrangement is called a 'split bathroom', or 'spit bath', 'bath' being short for bathroom, as kentix says above.
I have seen it more often in older houses than new ones.

If I had to refer to the rooms individually, I would refer to the one with the toilet as the 'toilet'.   The other one would depend on the context. If I wanted to wash my hands, I would ask for the washroom.  If the lightbulb needed to be replaced, I would talk about 'the room with the bath.'  Similarly, I would ask about 'the room with the bath', if I wanted to know whether that room in particular had been distempered.


----------



## Hermione Golightly

I'm British, so I call a room with only a toilet in "a toilet". It might have a hand-wash basin in too but I still call it 'a toilet'. If there's a bath, or a shower, or both, I call it 'a bathroom' regardless of any other items in it.


----------



## Hermione Golightly

I think we have all got used to the Americans calling toilets 'bathrooms'.


----------



## natkretep

When we had our house renovated about 15 years ago, my father-in-law asked for a room with a toilet that could be accessed from outside the house - which gardeners and other workers could use.  And it has a tiny corner sink. We call it the outside loo or, of course, the outside toilet. (Maybe Americans would still call this room the bathroom?)


----------



## kentix

I don't call rooms toilets. If you can't flush it, it's not a toilet.


----------



## boozer

Hermione Golightly said:


> I'm British, so I call a room with only a toilet in "a toilet". It might have a hand-wash basin in too but I still call it 'a toilet'. If there's a bath, or a shower, or both, I call it 'a bathroom' regardless of any other items in it.


 100%
If you can't take a shower or a bath, it is just a toilet or a loo.


----------



## Uncle Jack

Roymalika said:


> Is it surprising / odd to British English speakers too? Does it grate on you when someone call that room a *bathroom*?


Not at all. It is common enough for someone to ask to use the bathroom. Usually the person asking has no idea what is actually in the room (apart from a toilet), but even if they did, it would not matter. I don't see this use of "bathroom" as American, and I recall it being common in Britain when I was growing up in the 1970s. "Rest room" we knew as American, and I think "washroom" would have baffled us entirely.
American visitor: Can I use your washroom?​British host: Oh, you can wash your hands in the kitchen sink.​


----------



## ewie

Uncle Jack said:


> Not at all. It is common enough for someone to ask to use the bathroom. Usually the person asking has no idea what is actually in the room (apart from a toilet), but even if they did, it would not matter. I don't see this use of "bathroom" as American, and I recall it being common in Britain when I was growing up in the 1970s. "Rest room" we knew as American, and I think "washroom" would have baffled us entirely.
> American visitor: Can I use your washroom?​British host: Oh, you can wash your hands in the kitchen sink.​


*Presumably:*
Indian visitor: _Can I use your washroom?_
British host: _Oh you can use the kitchen sink ~ it's nearer._
Indian visitor:


----------



## Englishmypassion

Drunk Indian visitor: But how do you climb up?


----------



## ewie

"Oh we keep a stepladder by the side for these contingencies"


----------



## Roymalika

ewie said:


> *Presumably:*
> Indian visitor: _Can I use your washroom?_
> British host: _Oh you can use the kitchen sink ~ it's nearer._
> Indian visitor:


Can you explain to me please in what sense the word "washroom" is used in English-speaking countries? In India and Pakistan, "washroom" is what I said in post 3: a room with a toilet in it. Or sometimes there's a washbasin in the room to wash hands. But I am sure this is not how "washroom" is used in the UK/US.


----------



## DonnyB

Moderator note:
It seems to me that this would be an ideal opportunity to merge this thread with our previous monster-thread covering the various names used all over the world for the little room used for this particular purpose.

If you feel you have the stamina for it, please read down from the top on page one to see them all.  

DonnyB - moderator.


----------



## boozer

ewie said:


> "Oh we keep a stepladder by the side for these contingencies"


That would require marksmanship on the part of the user under trying circumstances, though. Would it not be better to construct the kitchen sink a tad lower?


----------



## heypresto

Roymalika said:


> In India and Pakistan, "washroom" is what I said in post 3: a room with a toilet in it. Or sometimes there's a washbasin in the room to wash hands. But I am sure this is not how "washroom" is used in the UK/US.



 You're right.


----------



## Uncle Jack

Here's what I think of as a washroom. As I said earlier


Uncle Jack said:


> In my mind, I imagine a row of sinks in a hostel or similar type of accommodation.


----------



## heypresto

Because that question has been answered several times already.


----------



## heypresto

There may be others, but see Uncle Jack's posts #138 and #200. I agree wholeheartedly with him.


----------



## RM1(SS)

Hildy1 said:


> My house in Western Canada, built in 1912, also has a room with just a toilet. The room next to it has a bathtub and a washbasin. We would have had a washbasin added to the toilet, but there is not enough space.
> 
> Many people here have never seen that before, but there are quite a few 1912 houses in our part of town, and some of them probably have the same arrangement.


Of all the houses I've ever lived in (including the one I live in now, which was built in 1890), the only one that didn't have a tub and a toilet in the same room was the one that had no inside plumbing whatsoever.


----------



## ewie

Uncle Jack said:


> Here's what I think of as a washroom. As I said earlier
> 
> View attachment 31339


----------



## Roymalika

ewie said:


>


Ewie, what is the purpose of these type of washrooms? And are they common in British houses?


----------



## ewie

Oh no, you wouldn't find one in a private house.  They only exist in places like barracks and youth hostels.


----------



## Roymalika

ewie said:


> They only exist in places like barracks and youth hostels.


Also at public toilets at bus stations?


----------



## ewie

In the public toilets of UK bus stations they'll have a row of washbasins *and* a row of toilets (in cubicles).  (They never have anything else.)  We call such rooms _toilets_.

*Desperate passenger to bus station employee: *_Excuse me, can you tell me where the toilets are, please._
*Bus station employee: *_They're down there on the left._

As the name suggests, the primary purpose of a _washroom _is to wash [English sense] in.  They might have showers as well as basins.
If showers are in a room of their own (no toilet, no basin, no bath), the rooms are called _shower-rooms_.


----------



## Roymalika

ewie said:


> In the public toilets of UK bus stations they'll have a row of washbasins


But the image that Uncle Jack posted also contains a row of wash basins.


----------



## ewie

Yes. I was explaining how the washroom shown in Uncle Jack's image differs from the toilets found at a bus station.
_Washroom_: row of washbasins, and possibly showers.
_Bus station toilets_: row of washbasins, *and* row of toilets. Nothing else.


----------



## Hermione Golightly

Wherever there are public toilets there will be washbasins, as a basic hygiene legal requirement.


----------



## Uncle Jack

Roymalika said:


> But the image that Uncle Jack posted also contains a row of wash basins.


Conceivably, it also contains toilets - you cannot see what is on the left - but then it would be unlikely to be called a "washroom" in Britain. It is reasonably common for hostels and barracks to have washrooms which contain only washbasins.


----------



## Roymalika

Uncle Jack said:


> It is reasonably common for hostels and barracks to have washrooms which contain only washbasins.


_Wash*ro**om*_ - as the name suggests, it should be a *room* with walls and a roof which contains washbasins. If there's no roof and no side walls, then obviously it should not be called a _wash_*room*. Then it will only be a row of washbasins. Nothing else. Right?


----------



## heypresto

Yes, something like this is not a washroom:


----------



## natkretep

ewie said:


> As the name suggests, the primary purpose of a _washroom _is to wash [English sense] in.  They might have showers as well as basins.
> If showers are in a room of their own (no toilet, no basin, no bath), the rooms are called _shower-rooms_.


Has anyone flown British Airways in the last year or so? The safety announcement is on a video with Comic Relief (press release here) and everybody (all British actors like Joanna Lumley, David Walliams, Olivia Colman and so on) says _washroom _there. I am surprised and wondered about the reason for this choice. On other airlines, I frequently hear _lavatory_ used. (OK never mind that _lavatory_ actually means 'place for washing'.)


----------



## reno33

*"Toilet"* sounds a little *"racy"* to AmE speakers' ears.  Uttering such phrases as "Where's the toilet?"....."I'm going to the toilet"........."He's in the toilet" and similar, sound positively *aggressive and  somewhat  obscene* in the land of the free.

The usual phrase uttered in public in the USA in almost any situation is (for men): * "Where's the mens' room?" *or* "Can you tell me where the mens' room is?" *or similar.     Same for females, mutatis mutandis of course.


----------



## velisarius

"Toilet" sounds a little twee in BE. (excuse the partial pun of _t-wee_)

I guess they thought _washroom_ sounded neutral, classless, and understandable for travellers from all over.


----------



## natkretep

velisarius said:


> I guess they thought _washroom_ sounded neutral, classless, and understandable for travellers from all over.


I expect you're right, veli.


----------



## sdgraham

reno33 said:


> *"Toilet"* sounds a little *"racy"* to AmE speakers' ears. Uttering such phrases as "Where's the toilet?"....."I'm going to the toilet"........."He's in the toilet" and similar, sound positively *aggressive and somewhat obscene* in the land of the free.


I would make an exception in this case:


----------



## dojibear

reno33 said:


> "Toilet" sounds a little "racy" to AmE speakers' ears. Uttering such phrases as "Where's the toilet?"....."I'm going to the toilet"........."He's in the toilet" and similar, sound positively aggressive and somewhat obscene in the land of the free.
> 
> The usual phrase uttered in public in the USA in almost any situation is (for men):  "Where's the mens' room?" or "Can you tell me where the mens' room is?" or similar.



I can confirm this with a short anecdote. Long ago I was in a restaurant in Frankfurt, Germany and needed to use the men's room. I was visiting - I do not speak more than 30 words of German.

I kept asking the waitress about "Herren" (men's) and pointing to the back. I think she told me yes, there were some men in a back room. Finally she understood, and said "oh, the Toilette". I never thought of using the word "toilet", although that is what I needed.


----------



## Loob

natkretep said:


> Has anyone flown British Airways in the last year or so? The safety announcement is on a video with Comic Relief (press release here) and everybody (all British actors like Joanna Lumley, David Walliams, Olivia Colman and so on) says _washroom _there. I am surprised and wondered about the reason for this choice. On other airlines, I frequently hear _lavatory_ used. (OK never mind that _lavatory_ actually means 'place for washing'.)


What did British Airways say before, Nat? If by any chance it was "toilet", perhaps the change was due to AmE-speakers threatening violence as per reno's post 221 ...[Edit - now deleted]


----------



## kentix

Please don't take that seriously.


----------



## sdgraham

dojibear said:


> I never thought of using the word "toilet", although that is what I needed.


Actually, the common German term is :"WC," which, although it's pronounced "Vay-Tzay," means " water closet." 
Go figger


----------



## natkretep

Loob said:


> What did British Airways say before, Nat? If by any chance it was "toilet", perhaps the change was due to AmE-speakers threatening violence as per reno's post 221 ...


I had to look for the older version which involved cartoons. I watched the whole 5 minutes (more than what I would do on a plane!) and found that it didn't mention toilets or lavatories or washrooms before!


----------



## Jektor

dojibear said:


> I can confirm this with a short anecdote. Long ago I was in a restaurant in Frankfurt, Germany and needed to use the men's room. I was visiting - I do not speak more than 30 words of German.
> I kept asking the waitress about "Herren" (men's) and pointing to the back. I think she told me yes, there were some men in a back room. Finally she understood, and said "oh, the Toilette". I never thought of using the word "toilet", although that is what I needed.
> .


See this thread on the German board (in English):
> "Badezimmer, Bad, Klo, Toilette, WC, Gäste-WC, Waschraum, mal müssen...
forum.wordreference.com - bathroom-toilet-badezimmer
.


----------



## Thomas Tompion

Does nobody dislike euphemisms to the point of saying 'Shithouse'?


----------



## ewie

Only when referring to a gentleman's or lady's physique, Mr T ~ _built like a brick shithouse_ 
For me a _shithouse_ is always very specifically an outside toilet.



I do often use _bog(s)_, though.

 I know that some low persons call toilets _shitters_.


----------



## Thomas Tompion

Yes, Mr E, you remind me of the old Oxford story of the student who was woken by his scout (servant) in the morning with the news: _Terrible storm in the night, Sir.  It flooded out the dons' toilets, the undergraduates' lavatories, and the scouts' bogs!_


----------



## ewie

What do you reckon to British Airways' use of _washroom_, Mr T? [#215]


----------



## sound shift

ewie said:


> What do you reckon to British Airways' use of _washroom_? [#215]


I'd say it's nothing more than yet another example of British business using AmE so as not to puzzle AmE speakers/learners. Got to think of everything that could put off potential punter$.


----------



## Thomas Tompion

ewie said:


> What do you reckon to British Airways' use of _washroom_, Mr T? [#215]


I think SS makes a good point.


----------



## kentix

sound shift said:


> I'd say it's nothing more than yet another example of British business using AmE so as not to puzzle AmE speakers/learners. Got to think of everything that could put off potential punter$.


But we don't use washroom like that so it doesn't sound like a viable explanation to me. Washroom is favored by the Canadians, not by us. Every domestic U.S. flight I've ever been on uses the word lavatory. If they really didn't want to "confuse" Americans they would use the word lavatory. And by the way, I've only ever rarely heard lavatory used outside the airline context. As few times as that's been, it's still been more times than I've heard the word washroom.

However they made the decision to use that word, I'm sure it cost them thousands of dollars and involved numerous meetings.


----------



## natkretep

kentix said:


> But we don't use washroom like that so it doesn't sound like a viable explanation to me.


As veli said, this might just be an _avoidance_ of 'toilet' that AmE dislike. 'Washroom' won't be misunderstood or found to be opprobrious.

I was also a little surprised when the flight attendant (British man in his 40s) asked me for my 'trash' (also very un-British sounding).


----------



## sound shift

kentix said:


> But we don't use washroom like that so it doesn't sound like a viable explanation to me. Washroom is favored by the Canadians, not by us.


I think someone should let Harper Collins know:





> Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
> 
> *washroom* /ˈwɒʃˌruːm -ˌrʊm/ n
> 
> US  Canadian
> a euphemism for *lavatory*


----------



## kentix

natkretep said:


> I am surprised and wondered about the reason for this choice. On other airlines, I frequently hear _lavatory_ used. (OK never mind that _lavatory_ actually means 'place for washing'.)


As I said above, every U.S. flight uses the word lavatory. It makes no sense to substitute the word washroom (basically unknown in the U.S.) for lavatory to avoid a word that people are fully used to in the first place. The real question is, do any airlines actually say toilet?


----------



## sdgraham

kentix said:


> The real question is, do any airlines actually say toilet?


Since I never paid enough attention during my flights on non-U.S. carriers, I did a Google search for "airlines toilet sign images" and learned a lot, but although I could identify several "toilet" signs in airports, I found none I could identify as aboard aircraft.


----------



## kentix

The reason AE speakers don't talk about someone being in the toilet is because this is what those words mean.





It's not a matter of dislike. It's a matter of absurdity. We don't go around climbing into toilets. We don't know anyone who does. It would be very, very unusual circumstances to see someone in a toilet. Most people wouldn't even fit.

So we don't use that term not because we're uncomfortable, but because in AE it's wrong. A toilet is a thing that holds water and flushes. A toilet can be installed in a bathroom, restroom, washroom, outhouse, lavatory, powder room, prison cell, or some other room. But none of those rooms in AE are a toilet because they don't hold water and they don't flush.


----------



## ewie

kentix said:


> However they made the decision to use that word, I'm sure it cost them thousands of dollars and involved numerous meetings.


   


natkretep said:


> I was also a little surprised when the flight attendant (British man in his 40s) asked me for my 'trash' (also very un-British sounding).


I would've replied, "My _what_?"


----------



## RM1(SS)

kentix said:


> But we don't use washroom like that so it doesn't sound like a viable explanation to me. Washroom is favored by the Canadians, not by us. Every domestic U.S. flight I've ever been on uses the word lavatory. If they really didn't want to "confuse" Americans they would use the word lavatory. And by the way, I've only ever rarely heard lavatory used outside the airline context. As few times as that's been, it's still been more times than I've heard the word washroom.


My first-grade teacher called it a lavatory; that's the only time I recall hearing the word in the wild.  I've heard "washroom" many times, though.


----------



## boozer

kentix said:


> The reason AE speakers don't talk about someone being in the toilet is because this is what those words mean.
> 
> .....
> A toilet is a thing that holds water and flushes. A toilet can be installed in a bathroom, restroom, washroom, outhouse, lavatory, powder room, prison cell, or some other room. But none of those rooms in AE are a toilet because they don't hold water and they don't flush.


That is very interesting, Kentix. I am sure you are right, of course, but why, then, does The Home Depot feel it necessary to further specify they are selling 'toilet bowls' under the heading of 'toilets, toilet seats and bidets'?
[Maybe *I* am the reason why - and people like me - because, as it happens, for me 'toilet' is mostly the room that contains everything and the thing on which you sit is 'the toilet bowl'  ]


----------



## kentix

This is a toilet bowl on the Home Depot site.




It's a replacement part, from what I can see. It lists it as "toilet bowl only". Obviously it's not functional by itself without the "tank" component.

In everyday use, the phrase "toilet bowl" is usually even more limited than that. It refers to the inside of the bowl that is in direct contact with the water.

*<brand redacted> Power Toilet Bowl Cleaner*

_The angled bottle targets hard-to-reach areas, including under the rim, leaving your entire toilet bowl clean, deodorized, and disinfected._


----------



## natkretep

Has anyone watched _Silent Witness_ (the 2019 series - otherwise series/season 23 - episodes 1 and 2)? It's set in London. There was a neon sign 'The Wash Room' in a pub. (I think it is an actual sign from the Washington pub in Belsize Park.) It features attacks in the toilet. Perhaps the term is making some inroads in London?


----------



## Uncle Jack

natkretep said:


> I think it is an actual sign from the Washington pub in Belsize Park.


If the pub is the "Washington", I think you might have right there the reason they might call their facilities "The Wash Room". Alternatively, they might use the name for a private function room and it was misappropriated by _Silent Witness_ for other purposes.


----------



## natkretep

1. I don't think the reference is to the American Washington. There is an English Washington. The pub looks thoroughly English and serves English food (The Washington in Hampstead).
2. 'Washroom' is said to be Canadian rather than American.
3. I have seen someone's Instagram of the sign and the reference was to the toilets.


----------



## Uncle Jack

natkretep said:


> 1. I don't think the reference is to the American Washington. There is an English Washington. The pub looks thoroughly English and serves English food (The Washington in Hampstead).
> 2. 'Washroom' is said to be Canadian rather than American.
> 3. I have seen someone's Instagram of the sign and the reference was to the toilets.


It never occurred to me it was anything to do with George Washington, Washington DC, Washington State or any other American "Washington", just that if you have a pub called the Washington it is not surprising if they use part of the pub's name in any vaguely plausible situation. I am a little disappointed they chose something as bland as the toilets though; it would have sounded far better to me as a function room. Imagine telling your American relatives that the wedding reception is going to be held in the Wash Room.


----------



## kentix

natkretep said:


> 2. 'Washroom' is said to be Canadian rather than American.


----------



## nnyy

[Threads merged at this point.  DonnyB - moderator]
I learned that W.C means a toilet.
Is this word used in the US as well?
I have never seen this expression in the states.
Thanks a lot!


----------



## reno33

W.C. (water closet) with the meaning "toilet" is very seldom - if ever - used in the USA.  I myself have never seen it used in the USA.


----------



## entangledbank

I think these days it might be used on architects' plans, but not really anywhere else.


----------



## dojibear

In the US "bathroom" is the common term for the room, and "go to the bathroom" is the common expression for "use the toilet".

If a sentence needs to talk about the toilet (not the sink or other things in the room) the word "toilet" is used".

Does "WC" mean the toilet or the room?


----------



## Ponyprof

It's an old fashioned and perhaps British phrase. I've never heard it spoken in Britain or North America.


----------



## billj

I've no idea about the US, but it's common enough on signs in the UK. It's even used to mark public toilets in Asian countries like Turkey!


----------



## tunaafi

billj said:


> I've no idea about the US, but it's common enough in the UK.


As entangledbank says, it may be used on plans, but I have rarely seen or heard it elsewhere in the UK.


----------



## billj

The first three that I clicked on Google. The first two pics in London, the second somewhere in Europe.

New map reveals location of public loos across UK - find your nearest here

Toilets in London

https://juliegilley.typepad.com/.a/6a00e55005a36888330176164f463c970c-pi


----------



## Myridon

billj said:


> I've no idea about the US, but it's common enough on signs in the UK.


It would only be on signs in the US in faux British establishments such as Ye Olde Pub or Limey Bastard's Fish and Chips (I'm making those names up. ) .


----------



## JulianStuart

dojibear said:


> In the US "bathroom" is the common term for the room, and "go to the bathroom" is the common expression for "use the toilet".
> 
> If a sentence needs to talk about the toilet (not the sink or other things in the room) the word "toilet" is used".
> 
> Does "WC" mean the toilet or the room?


It's the closet where the porcelain object is to be found.  In BE, toilet usually refers to the room (and only in certain contexts might it refer to the object), while in AE it (nearly) always refers to the porcelain object.


----------



## Uncle Jack

dojibear said:


> Does "WC" mean the toilet or the room?


In BrE, it could be either, but usually it would be the room; the "C" stands for "closet", after all (the only reasonably common use of "closet" in BrE). "Toilet" itself is probably used more often for the room than the thing in the room.

WC used to be very common when I was a child in the 1960s/1970s, and would often be used in speech. From my recollection both "WC" and "lavatory" were far more common than "toilet". Now "toilet" is almost universal. "WC" survives on direction signs (where it is widespread, on new signs as well as old) on plans of buildings, and on the outside of public lavatories or lavatories in public places.


----------



## Ponyprof

I have lived in older houses where the toilet sat in its own small room, and the bath tub had its own room.

In the derelict row house I lived in in London in the 1980s, the toilet was in a tiny room on the landing and the bath tub was in a lean to pantry addition to the kitchen to tie into the only hot water source from the on demand wall heater or "geyser". The house has since been completely renovated.

In that situation the toilet really was a closet, though we didn't call it that. And the bath was nowhere near the toilet! So some of these words make sense in older configurations.


----------



## JulianStuart

Ponyprof said:


> I have lived in older houses where the toilet sat in its own small room, and the bath tub had its own room.
> 
> In the derelict row house I lived in in London in the 1980s, the toilet was in a tiny room on the landing and the bath tub was in a lean to pantry addition to the kitchen to tie into the only hot water source from the on demand wall heater or "geyser". The house has since been completely renovated.
> 
> In that situation the toilet really was a closet, though we didn't call it that. And the bath was nowhere near the toilet! So some of these words make sense in older configurations.


Indeed.  It was very common in the UK that the porcelain item was in a small "room" - closet-sized and not in the same room as the bath or sink.


----------



## tunaafi

Indeed, it was common in older houses for the toilet to be outside the main building.


----------



## nnyy

tunaafi said:


> As entangledbank says, it may be used on plans, but I have rarely seen or heard it elsewhere on the UK.



Thanks for your answer.
I have a question. Why


tunaafi said:


> As entangledbank says, it may be used on plans, but I have rarely seen or heard it elsewhere on the UK.



Thanks for your reply.


----------



## reno33

In the USA, the expression is:   *Flush the toilet !* and there's no doubt what appliance they're talking about.


----------



## JulianStuart

reno33 said:


> In the USA, the expression is:   *Flush the toilet !* and there's no doubt what appliance they're talking about.


That's true in the UK too it's just, as noted above, that the word more frequently refers to the room rather than the appliance.


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## kentix

I'm watching a Canadian TV series called _Intelligence_. A Canadian agent has gone down to Seattle in the United States because he's working on a joint operation with the American DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration). The DEA has set up a sting operation on a Canadian drug smuggler. He is supposed to meet someone in a restaurant. But it's a fake restaurant where all the employees and customers are really American DEA agents. The American DEA agent in charge is waiting in a car outside with the Canadian. One of his people radios to him about the suspect, "He's in the washroom."

Canadian TV writer fail.


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## JulianStuart

Perhaps he ("one of his people") was trying to speak Canadian English for the benefit of the Canadian agent in the car?


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## kentix

No.  (It might actually have been a quick phone call. I can't remember. The series is from 2006 and these people use their flip phones _constantly_.

(You'd be in the hospital if you took a drink every time one of them dramatically flipped their phone closed.)


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## dojibear

kentix said:


> One of his people radios to him about the suspect, "He's in the washroom."


The sentence sounds natural to me (in AE). How is it a "fail"?


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## kentix

No place I've ever lived in the U.S. would people call the bathroom in a restaurant a washroom.


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## KHS

I checked Ngram Viewer for AmE:


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## KHS

Seattle is pretty much a border city, and you do see more cross-over of Canadian/US English in situations like that.


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## dojibear

Thanks for the NGRAM. Good to know. To me "washroom" sounds okay, but it must be my dialect. Maybe I'm that little blip at the bottom of the NGRAM.


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## kentix

KHS said:


> I checked Ngram Viewer for AmE:


But you left out restroom, which is by far the most likely in my experience for a restaurant, at least for anything not very low end.

The trouble is it is almost impossible to search for while excluding domestic bathrooms. The vocabulary overlaps but the frequency is completely different. Restroom is probably near zero domestically. It's almost impossible to do an accurate, restaurant-only search, because bathroom is an option for both.

Also, most of the results for toilet on your graph is probably a reference to the porcelain device. It's not a reference to a room. All the graph shows is just every mention of the word toilet in any context. It's more or less useless for drawing any conclusions.


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## KHS

Your wish is my command.  I tried restroom as two words, but that showed even fewer instances than spelling it as one word.  (I also went back and tried washroom as one word, but it was still at the bottom.)


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## KHS

Of course, bathroom might be so high because Ngram includes books in which people talk about the "facility" in their own homes.  So, we can't really control for context.


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## kentix

That's what I'm saying. I see no way around it. You can't even separate the two meanings of toilet.


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## KHS

kentix said:


> That's what I'm saying. I see no way around it. You can't even separate the two meanings of toilet.


Oh, yes, sorry.  My eyes just zipped past that part.


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