# What do you call this? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 3, 2016, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this/753737 "2016-05-03T00:31:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this/753737/1 "2016-05-03T00:31:46Z")
Help settle an argument… Seen at job construction sites, races, & other events (concerts in the park, etc.), frequently in this shade of blue but sometimes in other colors, too. They go by many names, some of them kind of cutesy. What do you call one of [these](http://www.davesseptic.com/construction_portable_toilets.php)? I’m purposely not listing any names nor making this a poll so as to not jade the results. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this/753737/2 "2016-05-03T00:44:33Z")
It says what it is right there in your link. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this/753737/3 "2016-05-03T00:48:53Z")
Toilets. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this/753737/4 "2016-05-03T00:51:58Z")
Porta potties. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this/753737/5 "2016-05-03T00:55:41Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Porta potties. Yep. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this/753737/6 "2016-05-03T00:57:06Z")
Outhouse. ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this/753737/7 "2016-05-03T00:57:35Z")
Yes, porta potties. I’ve heard porta johns also, but not near as often. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this/753737/8 "2016-05-03T01:04:58Z")
Porta-potty most of the time. I seem to remember calling them Z boxes when I was a kid, but I have no idea why, and could find no references to that name on Google. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this/753737/9 "2016-05-03T01:14:25Z")
port-a-johns. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this/753737/10 "2016-05-03T01:16:24Z")
Porta Potty or Porta John ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this/753737/11 "2016-05-03T01:23:00Z")
Porta Potty. ---
**Author:** ![BrassyPhrase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@BrassyPhrase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrassyPhrase)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this/753737/12 "2016-05-03T01:23:50Z")
Always Portapottys (whatever spelling ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this/753737/13 "2016-05-03T01:27:36Z")
Port a potty (however it might be spelled). I always assumed that was a trade name that became used as a common name. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this/753737/14 "2016-05-03T01:32:03Z")
Australian here - port-a-loo. ---
**Author:** ![spamforbrains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this/753737/15 "2016-05-03T01:38:54Z")
porta potty. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this/753737/16 "2016-05-03T01:43:30Z")
Port-a-loo or port-a-potty. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this/753737/17 "2016-05-03T02:01:46Z")
Where I grew up, they were called Kybos, because the word “KYBO” was prominently embossed on the side. I still use that word and people say 😕 . ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this/753737/18 "2016-05-03T02:32:45Z")
Port-a-potty Once in a while I’ll see one with a creative trademarked name. “Oui Oui” and “Drop Zone” potties are fairly common around here. ---
**Author:** ![Sandra\_Battye](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sandra_battye/32/552_2.png) [@Sandra\_Battye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sandra_Battye)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this/753737/19 "2016-05-03T02:49:51Z")
They are [gumps](http://www.andygump.com/) to people who worked at the SoCal Renaissance Faire years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this/753737/20 "2016-05-03T02:56:36Z")
The early consensus seems to be port a potty. I’m curious what the argument was. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this/753737.md?page=2)