On Sat, 19 May 2007 21:43:59 -0500, "Stephen Sprunk"
wrote:

"Boltar" wrote in message
roups.com...
On 16 May, 21:07, "Paul Scott" wrote:
At a guess, I would think Harrow-on-the-Hill would have
"facilities" (toilet has a realy unfortunate "ring" in American
English).

Why, what do they use "toilets" for over there? Or is it best not to
ask?

"Toilet" here refers to the device itself, not the room it's located in, and
to refer to one by name is generally considered rude or disgusting.

We typically refer to it as the "restroom" or "(wo)men's room" or
"bathroom", though the latter implies there's a bath or shower as well as a
toilet and sink. Females sometimes refer to the facilities as a "powder
room", as in "I have to go powder my nose", which is usually a euphemism.

You Brits do the same thing with "WC"; we haven't managed to shed all the
vestiges of your prudishness, even after 231 years...

As someone born and raised in America who came to the UK at 41 and has now
been here for 14 years, the differences between the US and UK vocabularies is
very interesting.

There is a class distinction here between those who refer to the "toilet" as
the room where the commodes and sinks are placed, and those who refer to it as
a "loo", or some other word. "WC" is hardly ever used except on some signs.

When I got here, I had the most difficult time forcing myself to refer to the
"toilet" when asking permission to go. If you use the word "bathroom" for a
facility without a bath/shower, you're thought of as weird, and using "go to
the bathroom" as a phrase meaning "to pee" is thought extremely bizarre.

--
Chris Hansen | chrishansenhome at btinternet dot com