Toilet euphemisms.

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Inspired by the 'candles' thread and MarkH's mention of the term "goign to check on the candle."

What other euphemisms have we got? How did we get them?

The gents toilet in the basement of the library (where a/v is) has two cubicles, one of which is covered in grafiti, some of which is irrelevant ("joe cole = england captain" - "no he's not"; "nothing beats a library shit"; "poor people suck" [this is Exeter University, remember]; "girls bums are lush"), but much of which is about a chap called Oli Paine, and how he is a 'wanker'. Over the course of several months, Oli Paine achieved a level of metaphysical notoriety amongst Dave, Billy and myself, as new grafiti about him would appear every so often and we'd wonder what he was really like. Then he came in a/v to watch some films! And he was a wanker! And it very nearly caused a huge explosion! (matter [Oli Paine] + anti-matter [Oli Paine's metaphysical toilet presence] = BOOM!)

So now going to the toilet is referred to as "going to see Oli."

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Monday, 27 January 2003 11:41 (twenty-three years ago)

i quite like the japanese term for toilet: otearai. handwash place.

― nathalie (nathalie), Monday, 27 January 2003 11:43 (twenty-three years ago)

problem is, nothing can beat that story. a few people may reply and mutter stuff about 'dropping the kids off' and 'having a brown derby at the wimpy' and shit like that, but really, why bother? nothing's gonna beat that 'going to see Oli' shit. i loved the part where he turned out to be a wanker. can you tell that story again? no, hang on, no need... *reads it again*... hahaha!

aw, i wanna meet him.

― g-kit (g-kit), Monday, 27 January 2003 11:47 (twenty-three years ago)

...and this is not so strange as you might think, there are lots of the words that *we* (we as in English speakers) use that have the same kind of origin. Apart from the obvious "bathroom" when no bathing is involved, "lavatory" is related to "laver" = to wash and "one's toilet" did (and indeed does) refer to washing. In fact, I've heard that originally, trains had two smallest rooms at the end of the carriage, one for "going" and another with the basin for washing one's hands. The former was marked W.C. for Water Closet and the latter 'Toilet'. Shrewd railway operators realised they could save space by combining the two in one room and kept the one sign on the door - Toilet.

― MarkH (MarkH), Monday, 27 January 2003 11:50 (twenty-three years ago)

Just thinking, the delivery of the euphemism changes as the urgency increases.

ie; "I absolutely must go and see Oli right away on a matter of great importance."

vs.

"I'll just go and check on Oli."

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Monday, 27 January 2003 11:57 (twenty-three years ago)

do you remember the Two Ronnies sketch at a party where Corbett is the guest who is desperate to go and keeps using euphemisms which Barker, the host, takes literally?

"I need to go to the smallest room".

"That'll be Camilla's room, she'll be asleep at the moment".

etc.

― MarkH (MarkH), Monday, 27 January 2003 12:02 (twenty-three years ago)

this is where roger's profanisaurus comes in handy

― minna (minna), Monday, 27 January 2003 13:34 (twenty-three years ago)

I remember that sketch. It went to quite astonishing lengths to keep itself going eg a bathroom with only a bath in it.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Monday, 27 January 2003 14:18 (twenty-three years ago)

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