In the US if you called it a loo or a bog no one would know what the hell you were talking about. Calling it a toilet would sound a bit rude, and a lavatory would sound stuck up. In the US, it is called a bathroom or a restroom.
I should point out that in the US the word ‘toilet’ refers ONLY to the actual porcelain thing that you sit on and shit in. That is, when you are in the bathroom, you sit on the toilet. Other uses for the word will get you strange looks.
I don’t think calling it a toilet in the US is necessarily rude, but I would certainly concede that “bathroom” and “restroom” are the default terms. I don’t believe “washroom” is exclusively Canadian, as I use the term occassionally, and I’m originally from Chicago.
Part of the problem is that in Europe, often the toilets ARE separate from the bathrooms. At the very least, the universal term seems to be “W.C.” for the toilet. That said, come on, you UKers certainly know what a “bathroom” is, when spoken by an American. It’s not like I lose all comprehension when y’all start talking about lifts, flats, lorries, prams, fags, jumpers, bangers, boots, bonnets, knickers, etc…
Bear in mind also that in most American homes, most toilets are located in the bathroom. Peculiarly, a room holding only a toilet and sink is known as a “half-bath,” and I’ve even heard of using “quarter-bath” to describe a room with only a toilet. Interstingly, I know of no American term to describe a bathroom that doesn’t have a toilet in it - which gives a pretty good idea of why we think that a toilet is automatically included in “bathroom.”
Take a look at real estate ads: a fairly standard suburban arrangement is 2 - 1/2 or 3 - 1/2 baths; one for the master bedroom, one or more serving various combinations of children’s bedrooms, and a single half-bath, often on the ground floor and designed for guest use.
I remember reading the stuff about the Ayatollah Khomeini in a book that came out while he was still in power.
I don’t remember the name, but it gave rules supposedly according to the Ayatollah, one of which was “Don’t pee in the direction of Mecca” (or should it be “Makkah?”).
Unfortunately, I don’t remember the exact name, and–needless to say–I couldn’t vouch for its veracity on enumerating the Ayatollah’s views–but the book did indeed exist.
Another possible source for the urination = sin concept is in 1 Kings 16:11.
The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Jehovah’s Witnesses) notes that what they translate as “urinates against a wall” is related to Hebrew idiom for males.
I admit that the relationship between urination and sin in this passage is a real stretch, but it came to mind because I once read an anti-Christian diatribe that inferred these people had been killed precisely due to pissing against a wall. Perhaps the relationship was deduced because “he sat on his throne”, hohoho.
That is EXACTLY how I learned of this Bible passage! “Spock’s World”
It’s been rebooted!
This thread is over a decade old.
I never really found anything to that but in Regards to this:
Sounds a lot like the ‘leave no trace’ movement in hiking/backpacking.
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