# whats the big deal with the word "toilet" in the US? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 29, 2009, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-big-deal-with-the-word-toilet-in-the-us/501329 "2009-06-29T10:55:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-big-deal-with-the-word-toilet-in-the-us/501329/101 "2009-07-02T05:03:50Z")
> [@tetranz](#): > > This makes me wonder if one of the reasons why water saving dual flush toilets are pretty much non-existent in the US is because of the American reluctance to talk about certain things. Horror of horrors, someone might have to explain to a not very bright visitor or a customer buying one the obvious fact that most visits only require a half flush. They are standard in Australia and New Zealand and usually legally required in new buildings. I dunno. Every time we have a bad drought in California, plenty of people will either put up signs in the bathroom or give guests verbal instructions. The usual is “If it’s yellow, let it mellow–if it’s brown, flush it down.” Having a half-flush option seems like the simpler path. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-big-deal-with-the-word-toilet-in-the-us/501329/102 "2009-07-02T15:59:59Z")
[QUOTE=CurtC] I’ve never seen one. Do they have two buttons labeled “#1” and “#2”? [/QUOTE] The ones I’ve seen for home use have a [split flush handle](http://www.greatergoods.com/store/images/uploads/twoflush.jpg). Press the outer lever and get a half flush, press both levers and get a full flush. For commercial fixtures, [some let you push the handle down for a normal flush,](http://www.zurn.com/operations/ecovantage/images/catalog/DualFlushHandle-label.jpeg) or [push it up for a half flush.](http://www.plumbingsupply.com/images/dual-flush-handle.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-big-deal-with-the-word-toilet-in-the-us/501329/103 "2009-07-02T16:29:40Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > When I visited Spain, I found they used different words in different regions. Granada, Ronda: lavabos. Barcelona, Nerja, Sevilla: servicios. > > Nowhere: baños. I could never decide if they were just being snooty because of my Mexican accent or if they really didn’t understand. (I learned to use the proper regionalism but I still slipped up occasionally). I got late to this one, but I’m used to calling it baño only if it has an actual bathtub or shower. My grandparents in Barcelona have “baño francés,” a split bathroom: one room has the actual crapper (el báter, yes from the English WC); another one across the hallway has the bathtub, washbasin, bidet and medicine cabinet (el baño). I once worked in a factory where one of the rooms had a shower (for emergencies): that one was called el baño, the other ones were called servicios (this was in Castellón, for reference). Nevertheless, anybody who acts like they don’t understand “¿dónde está el baño?” is either an ignorant lout or a snotty buffoon. My Spanish coworkers in Scotland were in stitches when I told them that the Spanish expression “plantar un pino” shouldn’t be translated as “plant a pine” but “drop a log”… slang’s fun, innit? ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-big-deal-with-the-word-toilet-in-the-us/501329/104 "2009-07-02T16:50:32Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > For commercial fixtures, [some let you push the handle down for a normal flush,](http://www.zurn.com/operations/ecovantage/images/catalog/DualFlushHandle-label.jpeg) or [push it up for a half flush.](http://www.plumbingsupply.com/images/dual-flush-handle.jpg) So if someone says “one down and three up” they may not be talking about their motorcycle, but about how big of a crap they just took? ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-big-deal-with-the-word-toilet-in-the-us/501329/105 "2009-07-02T20:46:25Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > For commercial fixtures, [some let you push the handle down for a normal flush,](http://www.zurn.com/operations/ecovantage/images/catalog/DualFlushHandle-label.jpeg) or [push it up for a half flush.](http://www.plumbingsupply.com/images/dual-flush-handle.jpg) This is how the ones at PDX operate. ---
**Author:** ![carter6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/77aa72/32.png) [@carter6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carter6)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-big-deal-with-the-word-toilet-in-the-us/501329/106 "2009-07-03T01:18:24Z")
As an American living in Australia, I have to say I still can’t bring myself to ask for the toilet! I usually just say “ladies’ room,” “restroom,” or “bathroom.” My Aussie partner admits that he used to use “bathroom” as a kid because he found “toilet” gross too. But one time I made the mistake of asking for the “bathroom” when I was at an acquaintance’s campsite and basically got laughed out of town. I think they thought I was a stuck-up city slicker who expected the campsite to have world-class facilities of some sort - I tried explaining that it’s just a euphemism, but oh well! Although I did find it hilarious the first time I saw signs for the “Male Toilet” and the “Female Toilet” - it made me picture one porcelain fixture with a bowtie and the other with long eyelashes and lipstick. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-big-deal-with-the-word-toilet-in-the-us/501329/107 "2009-07-03T01:28:09Z")
> [@carter6](#): > > But one time I made the mistake of asking for the “bathroom” when I was at an acquaintance’s campsite and basically got laughed out of town. I think they thought I was a stuck-up city slicker who expected the campsite to have world-class facilities of some sort - I tried explaining that it’s just a euphemism, but oh well! Many Americans would readily say they were “going to the bathroom” while they were peeing on a tree. ---
**Author:** ![carter6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/77aa72/32.png) [@carter6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carter6)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-big-deal-with-the-word-toilet-in-the-us/501329/108 "2009-07-03T03:23:57Z")
> [@](#): > > Many Americans would readily say they were “going to the bathroom” while they were peeing on a tree. That’s true, isn’t it. “Going to the bathroom” has turned around and become a euphemism for the act itself, so you could say, “My dog went to the bathroom all over my shoes,” if you were struggling to be uber-polite. (Why you would bring that up in the first place in such a hypothetically dainty situation, I don’t know, but you could phrase it that way.) ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-big-deal-with-the-word-toilet-in-the-us/501329/109 "2010-11-24T16:03:37Z")
I wanted to chime in on this with the caveat that I live in the south (US) and we may be poor as church mice but we are expected to act with manners and decorum: Toilets were what OTHER people had in thier houses, we had a commode. Using the word toilet to ask for the facilities is considered lower class not unlike crapper. I have heard both used for the room and the seat but not in polite company. Even the words bathroom- used only in the familiar say your own home or hotel room with someone in your immediate family, restroom - used in reference to facilities in public places, are frowned upon as being too specific. Ladies room or Mens room is pretty acceptable as long as it isn’t spoken of loudly. In fact, “powder my nose” seems to be the most acceptable and I have no idea what a male would say as this is not refered to in mixed company. I like what someone said earlier about the spirit of Victorianism cam to rest in the US and would say in the southern US at that. And before you Yankees get all het up that I am insulting you. There are rules in the south that are not in anywhere else and most of them seem to have their roots in Victorian times. Never refer to body parts even on a piano, alwys say yes ma’am and yes sir, children are an accessory to be admired and then put away, never discuss money, and ladies don’t have normal body functions even as mild as sweating (in 100 degree weather) we glow. I still know of women who refer to thier husbands by their formal name Mr. XYZ. It is different down here. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-big-deal-with-the-word-toilet-in-the-us/501329/110 "2010-11-24T16:23:36Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > I have seen signs on British shows like “Ab Fab” which say Toilets and have an arrow. I always think “that’s so classless.” When I was in Britain, and I saw a sign like that, I almost burst out laughing. To an American, such as me, it conjures up an image of a toilet bowl sitting out in the open somewhere. It’s not offensive at all, just kind of funny. Sort of like asking “where is the stove” when you want to know where the kitchen is. Where is the toilet? Well, it’s in the bathroom. Where else would it be? As others have said, Americans just don’t call a bathroom “the toilet”. A bathroom with only a toilet and a sink is called a half-bath. Yeah, that sounds odd if you try to analyze it, since the “bath” part of bathroom doesn’t come in halves. But there you have it. That’s just the way we talk. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-big-deal-with-the-word-toilet-in-the-us/501329/111 "2010-11-24T16:55:22Z")
And people don’t need to know with precision what it is you want to do in the restroom (public)/bathroom (residential). In the U.S., the facilities include the bath/shower, the washbasin/lavatory (which we call a “sink”), the commode/toilet, and a medicine cabinet which houses a variety of things that people sometimes need, like dental floss, antiseptic cream, and bandages. You might want to wash your hands, or your face, or take medication, or use moisturizer on your hands, or reapply your makeup, or something else. Maybe you need some privacy to let out a giant fart. Maybe you just want to hang around by yourself behind a locked door for a few minutes. Nobody really wants to know specifically that you are feeling an urge to micturate or defecate. European and Asian facilities sometimes also use euphemisms. Specifically, I’ve seen “W.C.” and “lavatory,” neither of which properly refers to the toilet itself. ---
**Author:** ![SeldomSeen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-big-deal-with-the-word-toilet-in-the-us/501329/112 "2010-11-24T17:01:59Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Americans ask "where’s the bathroom/restroom/little girls’/boys’ room etc. because it’s really none of anyone’s business you have to shit so bad you’re touching fabric. Seriously, if you wore your “light day” and today turned into a “turbo-absorbant gusher” tampon day then however logical it may seem, there’s no need to ask a total stanger, “where’s your tampon dumping place?” > > Who cares why you want the place? Maybe you just have to blow your nose or wash your hands. Which reminds me of a (supposedly true) story I heard once… The storyteller was travelling as an interpreter for an American businessman in Saudi Arabia. At dinner one evening with a Saudi bigwig the businessman excused himself from the table saying “I gotta go visit the little boy’s room” Whereupon the Saudi turned to the companion and said gently “So…your friend…, he likes little boys?” ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-big-deal-with-the-word-toilet-in-the-us/501329/113 "2010-11-24T17:08:00Z")
There’s also the joke about the young American woman traveling to England to meet her fiance’s parents for the first time. She asks for the “bathroom” and is directed (with some odd looks) to a room that has no toilet. Not wanting to come back out and ask again, she tries to climb up onto the washbasin to pee and breaks it. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-big-deal-with-the-word-toilet-in-the-us/501329/114 "2010-11-24T17:26:55Z")
> [@adhemar](#): > > And before you Yankees get all het up that I am insulting you. We won’t. Heck, we don’t even know what “het up” means! 😃 (See, you shouldn’t feel bad, Commonwealth folks … things don’t even translate WITHIN the USA!) ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-big-deal-with-the-word-toilet-in-the-us/501329/115 "2010-11-24T17:40:20Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Because the National Electrical Code requires at least one outlet in each room. (Actually, there are exceptions, but it’s easier to just install the outlet than to try to explain that to a local inspector.) What are the exceptions? We have a room in our master bathroom just for the toilet. There is a light and a fan but no outlet. > [@Godfrey\_Daniels](#): > > I use “men’s room”, and quite often hear females refer to the “lady’s room”. However, I kind of like “lavatory” and will probably use that in the future. Concise, and polite. I like it. When I first moved from Indiana to Maryland, I was in the 4th grade. I noticed that a lot of kids got permission to leave the room to do science experiments, couldn’t figure out why that was so popular. I had never heard the word “lavatory” and thought they were all asking to go to the laboratory. > [@jasonh300](#): > > With the caption “The direct language of mid-20th century signage is missed. You never see the word toilet anywhere any more. Pictographs have replaced such bourgeois nomenclature.” The author of that caption needs to look up the word “bourgeois.” > [@tetranz](#): > > This makes me wonder if one of the reasons why water saving dual flush toilets are pretty much non-existent in the US is because of the American reluctance to talk about certain things. Not at all reluctant. Remember when there was a water shortage in NYC and Ed Koch said, “If it’s yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown flush it down!” ---
**Author:** ![Walmarticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Walmarticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walmarticus)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-big-deal-with-the-word-toilet-in-the-us/501329/116 "2010-11-24T17:45:41Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > 😕 > > American here, from Louisiana (also have lived in Mississippi). “Bathroom” is near universal. “Restroom” is a bathroom in a public place. > > “Toilet” meaning “the actual room with a toilet, sink, tub, shower, etc.”? That usage is all but unknown down here, though it would be easily understood in context. Agreed. North Carolina here. _Bathroom_ is universal, _restroom_ is a public bathroom. The room has never been a toilet. The _shitter/crapper_ can, however, be the room or fixture. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-big-deal-with-the-word-toilet-in-the-us/501329/117 "2010-11-24T18:00:18Z")
I sometimes say, “I gotta go to the little penises room”, but only in polite company. Otherwise, what’s the point? I go to the “W.C.” when I want to drink bourbon, cheat at cards, and grouse about my hatred of dogs and children. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-big-deal-with-the-word-toilet-in-the-us/501329/118 "2010-11-24T18:02:24Z")
I thought they said I Need the Loo in Europe? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-big-deal-with-the-word-toilet-in-the-us/501329/119 "2010-11-24T18:10:03Z")
[moderating] Even if this old zombie could have been considered GQ before **adhemar** brought it back to life this morning, it’s definitely an IMHO now. Thread moved. [/moderating] ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-big-deal-with-the-word-toilet-in-the-us/501329/120 "2010-11-24T18:11:05Z")
It seems odd to me that people are saying that “toilet” sounds low-class. To me, calling the room anything _but_ “toilet” sounds prissy and pretentious. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-big-deal-with-the-word-toilet-in-the-us/501329.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-big-deal-with-the-word-toilet-in-the-us/501329.md?page=7)