What do the British call a toilet?

Loo. Despite being a very British word for toilet, 'loo' is actually derived from the French phrase 'guardez l'eau', which means 'watch out for the water'.

What is the British slang for toilets?

What are toilets called in the UK?

Loo is an informal yet polite British term for toilet. The word “loo” has interesting origins and can be traced back to Medieval Europe, when chamber pots had to be emptied from bedroom windows onto the street below.

What is the polite word for toilet in the UK?

In the United Kingdom, “the loo” is a common term for toilet. 'The loo' is generally a safe term to use and likely won't ​offend​anyone. 'Lavatory' is a good option for people looking for a very formal word to use in very formal occasions​.

Why do the British call a toilet the loo?

Despite its British popularity for a slightly less crude way to call the toilet, the word “loo” is actually derived from the French phrase 'guardez l'eau', meaning 'watch out for the water”.

What do the British call the toilet?

Is it posher to say loo or toilet?

Toilet. This was on the original 1950s list and, to be honest, I'd rather chew glass than use the word toilet in polite conversation. It's a harsh word that was adapted from the French toilette which means your appearance, hence toiletries bag. Lavatory or loo is much more acceptable.

What did Victorians call the toilet?

The WC - Still in use today, the abbreviation WC stems from the term “water closet” which is what we used to call toilets in the Victorian era.

What is the posh word for toilet?

Latrine. The word Latrine has its roots in both Latin and French. It comes from the Latin word for wash, 'lavare'. Over time, this Latin word evolved into 'lavatrina' which was then shortened to 'latrina' before eventually becoming 'latrine' courtesy of the French people in the mid-1600s.

How do I ask for a toilet UK?

In the UK you can say “Can I use your loo, please?” or “Is it OK if I use your loo?” If you're in a restaurant and ask a waiter to tell you where the toilet is: Excuse me, where are the toilets? Older people in the UK use “the ladies” and “the gents”.

How do you politely ask for a toilet?

What is a female toilet called?

Synonyms of women's restroom (noun bathroom for women)

girls' room. ladies' room. little girls' room. powder room.

Why does the UK not have bidets?

It's clear that the widespread use of bidets in many countries has its advantages. The lack of popularity in the UK and US likely has to do with a combination of factors: unfamiliarity, lack of space, cost, and more.

What do they call a toilet in Australia?

Loo or dunny - Thesea are slang term for toilet. If you are a guest in someone's house for the first time, it is usually polite to ask permission to use his or her toilet. 'May I use your toilet please?' Some people ask, 'Where's the loo?'

What is the British slang for cigarette?

Fag or FAG may refer to: FAG, a brand of the Schaeffler Group. Cigarette, in British and Australian slang. Fagging, in British public schools.

Is it illegal to refuse a child the toilet UK?

Unfortunately, there's no law stopping schools from locking toilets during lessons, but that doesn't mean they should do it! Banning toilet breaks shows a lack of understanding of pupils' health needs and a lack of respect for children. For a child with urgency problems, this is not a feasible solution.

What is a men's toilet called?

A urinal is a fixture that men use. A toilet is a fixture for both genders. A urinal is a fixture that men use.

Does a toilet count as a bathroom UK?

A bathroom with just a toilet is typically referred to as a "water closet" or simply a "toilet." In the UK, you might well find at least some houses with a separate toilet that's not in the main bathroom, though it will be rare to find one that doesn't have a wash basin as well.

How did people wipe before toilet paper?

Leaves, sticks, moss, sand and water were common choices, depending on early humans' environment. Once we developed agriculture, we had options like hay and corn husks. People who lived on islands or on the coast used shells and a scraping technique.

What is the old name of toilet?

More musings from the w.c.:

By the early 1800s in the United States, toilet had become a synonym for both the bathroom and the porcelain waste-disposal device. “Latrine” reportedly was derived from the Latin “lavatrina” (for bath or privy) while “lavatory” comes from the Latin “lavare,” meaning “to wash.”

Where did human waste go before toilets?

Some designated “bathroom spaces” outside the village, or behind the bushes, or underneath the trees. Some went out to the riverbanks, letting the excrement get carried away by water—possibly to the dismay of the villagers living downstream. For as long as the settlements were small, those methods worked.

Is it posh to say serviette?

A serviette is an old French meaning “to serve”. In 1954 Nancy Mitford wrote in her essay on “The English Aristocracy” that to say serviette was not correct and the right term is napkin.

Is it posh to say napkin or serviette?

For example, the word 'lounge' is a no-no for the upper classes, 'dinner' is the preferred term for the evening meal, and 'napkin' is better than 'serviette'. Hanson goes on to say that a reflection of upper class social status is in using 'the Queen's English' rather than Americanised words, such as 'hey' or 'movies'.

Is the word toilet rude?

While toilet is an acceptable way to refer to the object itself, delicate euphemisms such as restroom or bathroom are preferred ways of describing the room in which it is found.

Why are toilets called dunnies?

The dunny was originally any outside toilet. In cities and towns the pan-type dunny was emptied by the dunny man, who came round regularly with his dunny cart. Dunny can now be used for any toilet. The word comes from British dialect dunnekin meaning an 'earth closet, (outside) privy' from dung + ken 'house'.

How do Australians say toilet paper?

And of course lavatory paper, loo paper and dunny paper. As an aside, dunny has been immortalised in a number of slang phrases. To be all alone like a country dunny is to be completely alone or isolated.