# "If it's yellow, let it mellow" in other languages? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 10, 2013, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-its-yellow-let-it-mellow-in-other-languages/657942 "2013-05-10T00:00:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-its-yellow-let-it-mellow-in-other-languages/657942/1 "2013-05-10T00:00:08Z")
In America we have a saying: “If it’s yellow, let it mellow; if it’s brown, flush it down.” This is talking about urine and poop in the toilet, meaning you don’t have to flush every time somebody pees. Is there an equivalent saying in other languages? ---
**Author:** ![skdo23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@skdo23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skdo23)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-its-yellow-let-it-mellow-in-other-languages/657942/2 "2013-05-10T00:07:19Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > In America we have a saying: “If it’s yellow, let it mellow; if it’s brown, flush it down.” This is talking about urine and poop in the toilet, meaning you don’t have to flush every time somebody pees. > > Is there an equivalent saying in other languages? Not sure, but I first learned of the concept from my great-grandmother when I used to visit her rural summer lakehouse (with somewhat makeshift plumbing and septic system) She mentioned that she learned of this concept as a child back in Wales, where the disposal infastructure quality was similar, and she would have spoken Welsh at that time. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-its-yellow-let-it-mellow-in-other-languages/657942/3 "2013-05-10T02:48:07Z")
The English proverb is comparatively recent. I don’t know that other languages have this as a proverb. I’ve certainly never encountered it in Welsh, but then, I don’t spend a lot of time discussion bathroom functions. ETA: A quick internet search shows the mnemonic “if it’s yellow, let it melyn” (_melyn_ being the Welsh word for yellow). ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-its-yellow-let-it-mellow-in-other-languages/657942/4 "2013-05-10T04:37:38Z")
In the islands they say “In this land of sun & fun, we don’t flush for #1”. I know that’s still English. ---
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-its-yellow-let-it-mellow-in-other-languages/657942/5 "2013-05-10T05:08:24Z")
I’m Swedish and I never heard a proverb like that, for what it’s worth. ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-its-yellow-let-it-mellow-in-other-languages/657942/6 "2013-05-10T10:51:21Z")
It seems somewhat dependent on local flushing culture. The Dutch would never have that saying, because there is a lot of water around and not flushing would be very rude and disgusting. We used to not flush for a wee in Wales because our water supply used to run out in summer. But we just did that, we didn’t have a rhyme for it. I didn’t know there was one! In Brazil some of the kids I worked with weren’t used to indoor plumbing and would forget to flush, so we were working on the other side: getting them to remember to flush. I guess we should’ve had a rhyme to help us with that. Hmm… “Depois xixi, depois cagar, não esqueça de puxar!” ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-its-yellow-let-it-mellow-in-other-languages/657942/7 "2013-05-10T11:06:05Z")
> [@Wakinyan](#): > > I’m Swedish and I never heard a proverb like that, for what it’s worth. And we also flush after #1. I am a regular at a pub visited by many Brits and I always find it utterly disgusting when people don’t flush. ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-its-yellow-let-it-mellow-in-other-languages/657942/8 "2013-05-10T12:09:14Z")
I first heard that phrase when I saw the movie “meet the fockers”. Don’t agree with it, always flush. I have a 2 button toilet, half flush for No 1 and full flush for no 2. I grew up as a kid with the toilet being a metal bucket with a toilet seat in a small wooden outhouse in the back yard full of redback spiders. sitting in there on a hot day trying to take a dump was an absolute assault on he nostrils. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-its-yellow-let-it-mellow-in-other-languages/657942/9 "2013-05-10T15:42:41Z")
> [@Floater](#): > > And we also flush after #1. I am a regular at a pub visited by many Brits and I always find it utterly disgusting when people don’t flush. You’re going to need to learn better environmental etiquette. Sorry, I know you were raised like that, but like with recycling, energy conservation and such, old habits will have to change. I want to point out to guys, that you will NOT splash the old urine in the urinal on yourself when peeing normally into a urinal. I even tested this. ---
**Author:** ![hiebram](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5fc32e/32.png) [@hiebram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hiebram)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-its-yellow-let-it-mellow-in-other-languages/657942/10 "2013-05-10T17:01:35Z")
Did you test it wearing sandals or flip-flops? Because I have had splashback hit me on the feet before. I’m very careful in public restrooms now. There is no rhyme in English for how gross it is to feel some strangers urine sprinkling on your feet. Second, I have only ever heard the rhyme applied to toilets at home. I think you could make a distinction between what’s appropriate home toilet etiquette versus public, with an increased need for general cleanliness and sanitation in the public sphere. ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-its-yellow-let-it-mellow-in-other-languages/657942/11 "2013-05-10T17:24:38Z")
Not really the same thing, but at the Jewish summer camp I once attended, there was a half-English-half-Hebrew saying: “if your pee is _tzahov_, _ze lo tov_.” Meaning “if your pee is yellow, that’s not good” (i.e. you’re at risk of dehydration). ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-its-yellow-let-it-mellow-in-other-languages/657942/12 "2013-05-10T17:25:29Z")
> [@hiebram](#): > > Did you test it wearing sandals or flip-flops? Because I have had splashback hit me on the feet before. I’m very careful in public restrooms now. There is no rhyme in English for how gross it is to feel some strangers urine sprinkling on your feet. > > Second, I have only ever heard the rhyme applied to toilets at home. I think you could make a distinction between what’s appropriate home toilet etiquette versus public, with an increased need for general cleanliness and sanitation in the public sphere. Here’s what I did. I took an out of service urinal, filled it with brightly colored water. I then took a old white sheet, from thighs to feet, then “urinated” with a squirt gun filled with plain water. No colored drops on the sheet. Nothing came OUT of the urinal onto the sheet. Now, then I reversed the est. Urinal with plain water, “peed” with colored water. I then got drops on the sheet. So, you’re peeing on your own feet, friend. Sorry. Or maybe the next dude over is spraying. :eek: You make a point, but the public toilets can be used so many more times, there is an increased need for water conservation. But sure, unless extreme water conservation efforts are being requested, it’s Ok to flush. _Once_. Only once, and after. And, only if you try to use the urinal as often as possible, instead of a toilet. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-its-yellow-let-it-mellow-in-other-languages/657942/13 "2013-05-10T20:18:43Z")
> [@gracer](#): > > Hmm… “Depois xixi, depois cagar, não esqueça de puxar!” Google says this means. “After wetting, then shit, do not forget to pull” ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-its-yellow-let-it-mellow-in-other-languages/657942/14 "2013-05-10T20:47:00Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Here’s what I did. I took an out of service urinal, filled it with brightly colored water. I then took a old white sheet, from thighs to feet, then “urinated” with a squirt gun filled with plain water. No colored drops on the sheet. Nothing came OUT of the urinal onto the sheet. Now, then I reversed the est. Urinal with plain water, “peed” with colored water. I then got drops on the sheet. . . That’s almost \*\*\*disturbingly \*\*\*thorough … ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-its-yellow-let-it-mellow-in-other-languages/657942/15 "2013-05-10T21:06:29Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > Google says this means. > > “After wetting, then shit, do not forget to pull” Sort of, equally bad grammar. More like “After a wee, after shitting, don’t forget to flush” - I made up a rhyme that would be useful for reminding children to flush. Because as I said in the post, the existence of such a rhyme in other languages is dependent on flushing etiquette in that culture. If you don’t want to teach people _not_ to flush, you won’t need that rhyme. I happened to need an opposite rhyme. Fun fact: “puxar” is the most annoying Portuguese word. It means to pull, but is pronounced as push. And it is written on doors everywhere. Stupid doors. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-its-yellow-let-it-mellow-in-other-languages/657942/16 "2013-05-10T21:21:01Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > That’s almost \*\*\*disturbingly \*\*\*thorough … Yeah. :eek: I had several debates about this with rabid pro-flushers, so when the opportunity came up in a new restroom with a never used and even water not yet turned on urinal, I just had to do the experiment. Sort of a mythbusters moment. I even tried it with the water on. There was a dude at work that would flush constantly during urinal use…..:mad: ---
**Author:** ![drew870mitchell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drew870mitchell/32/3946_2.png) [@drew870mitchell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drew870mitchell)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-its-yellow-let-it-mellow-in-other-languages/657942/17 "2013-05-10T21:59:00Z")
First, to every guy in this thread, you are spraying yourself. The urinal water may potentially also splash back out depending on your urinal’s design, but you are definitely splashing yourself, with pee straight from the source. It’s bizarre how many people live in denial of this. > [@DrDeth](#): > > Yeah. :eek: I had several debates about this with rabid pro-flushers, so when the opportunity came up in a new restroom with a never used and even water not yet turned on urinal, I just had to do the experiment. Sort of a mythbusters moment. I even tried it with the water on. > > There was a dude at work that would flush constantly during urinal use…..:mad: He might have been self conscious of the noise, or used it as a distraction to cover the noise of potentially embarrassing urological problems like difficulty starting or dribbling. I refer you to the legend that they’re installing speakers which mimic flushing sounds in Japanese bathrooms for exactly this reason. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-its-yellow-let-it-mellow-in-other-languages/657942/18 "2013-05-10T23:37:47Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > You’re going to need to learn better environmental etiquette. Sorry, I know you were raised like that, but like with recycling, energy conservation and such, old habits will have to change. Since this is GQ, I’m sure you have a citation for saying that I’m going to have to change. It isn’t a habit, either. It’s basic sanitation. Bathrooms are not supposed to stink. Pee stinks. And, frankly, I don’t give a shit about wasting water. We’re nowhere near running out, and the cost for said water is really low. If it were really a precious commodity, it would cost more. I mean, toilet water wouldn’t even need to be freshwater. We are nowhere near running out of salt water. ---
**Author:** ![manila](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@manila](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manila)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-its-yellow-let-it-mellow-in-other-languages/657942/19 "2013-05-11T02:14:33Z")
> [@Floater](#): > > And we also flush after #1. I am a regular at a pub visited by many Brits and I always find it utterly disgusting when people don’t flush. And with that username I bet you flush twice! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-its-yellow-let-it-mellow-in-other-languages/657942/20 "2013-05-11T02:30:30Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Here’s what I did. I took an out of service urinal, filled it with brightly colored water. I then took a old white sheet, from thighs to feet, then “urinated” with a squirt gun filled with plain water. No colored drops on the sheet. Nothing came OUT of the urinal onto the sheet. Now, then I reversed the est. Urinal with plain water, “peed” with colored water. I then got drops on the sheet. > > So, you’re peeing on your own feet, friend. Sorry. Or maybe the next dude over is spraying. :eek: > > You make a point, but the public toilets can be used so many more times, there is an increased need for water conservation. > > But sure, unless extreme water conservation efforts are being requested, it’s Ok to flush. _Once_. Only once, and after. And, only if you try to use the urinal as often as possible, instead of a toilet. I thought you were a woman? Or previously identified as such? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-its-yellow-let-it-mellow-in-other-languages/657942.md?page=2)