General Question

talljasperman's avatar

What is a restroom?

Asked by talljasperman (21916points) October 4th, 2015

The original meaning not bathroom or toilet.

Observing members: 0 Composing members: 0

19 Answers

zenvelo's avatar

Women, being considered delicate creatures, often had public bathrooms with a couch or a place to sit for a bit.

But mostly it is a euphemism for a public toilet; polite society does not refer to the action of the evacuation of one’s bowels or bladder.

JLeslie's avatar

It’s a nice way to say bathroom. Plus, there is no bath in public bathrooms, but there is a place to sit. LOL. At least in America there is. In some countries they don’t have toilets. In America some of the larger restrooms actually have a lounge or sitting area.

Pachy's avatar

Being a devoted Anglophile, I love the Brits’ word for it—loo.

JLeslie's avatar

John, or is it jon? Here in the states.

josie's avatar

A Victorian Age euphemism for a place, in a public environment, where human critters go to pee and shit.

ibstubro's avatar

Shithouse 101.

Have you ever had a toilet call in the washroom?

elbanditoroso's avatar

@Pachy – they shortened “lavatory” to “loo” because they couldn’t spell it.

Or there are these possibilities: link

filmfann's avatar

I always called it the kaibo. That is a term from the Boy Scouts.

rojo's avatar

I saw a sign today that read “Accessible Mens Toilet” and I thought to myself, you know, that is a pretty darn good idea because if I reaaallllly needed to go and the only thing around was an “Inaccessible Mens Toilet” I would be pretty frickin’ upset and someone would have a mess to clean up.

whitenoise's avatar

We have a true restroom, here, at work. A place where you can go to lay down for a bit, in case you feel you need to.

(please warn a co-worker in case you do while feeling not too well.)

LostInParadise's avatar

Interesting all the names that are used, none of which refer to what we usually mean by going to the bathroom – bathroom, lavatory and latrine all have word origins related to cleaning. My favorite is powder room and the associated phrase, said mainly by women, “I have to powder my nose”. Does anybody ever actually powder their nose? We need a totally new word that is not made up of any components that refer to what the room is used for.

snowberry's avatar

@LostInParadise hence the name “powder room”. Not a place where explosives are kept. Lol

ragingloli's avatar

A euphemism for the shit-house

Love_my_doggie's avatar

Americans hate the word “toilet” and have all sorts of euphemisms to avoid saying it. I don’t know anyone who’d say, “I need to use the toilet.” Instead, people say things such as, “I have to stop at the restroom,” or “May I use the bathroom?,” or “I’d like to wash my hands,” or just plain, “Please excuse me.”

I suppose that any private or public facility is a rest of sorts. The person gets to wash up, comb his/her hair, repair her lipstick, straighten his necktie, etc.

2davidc8's avatar

Personally, I like “the head”. LOL

rojo's avatar

I know on jobsites it is not unusual to hear someone say they are going to the shitter (nobody uses shit-house unless it has the term brick in front of it).

Love_my_doggie's avatar

@2davidc8 If you “hit the head,” do you also talk “on the horn”? :-)

2davidc8's avatar

@Love_my_doggie Yes, but only when it means the phone, not that other meaning. ;) ;)

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