What do you call the toilet?
Depending on where in the world you are, or sometimes even where in a specific country you find yourself, you’ll probably hear people excuse themselves to the bathroom in a number of interesting ways.Below we’ve included some of the most common, some strange and some rather interesting words that people use when referring to the toilet.
Lavatory
Lavatory is a British / North American term used for a room containing a toilet.Loo
1940s: many theories have been put forward about the word's origin: one suggests the source is Waterloo, a trade name for iron cisterns in the early part of the century; the evidence remains inconclusive.The word is very commonly used in reference to a toilet, particularly in England… “I’m off to use the loo”.
WC / Water Closet
This is the abbreviation commonly cited on toilet signs and means Water Closet. The term water closet refers specifically to flush toilets.Jacks
The term “jacks” is commonly used in Ireland when referencing the toilet and has an incredibly interesting history. Thomas Crapper is credited with inventing the first flushing toilet, Jack Powers (of Ireland) invented the first “multi-cubicle” toilet - which we’re all very familiar with today. This gained him a lot of fame and it is rumoured that this is where the name has originated from. Read this interesting article by the Waterford Whispers News for more information.House of Office
This is a less commonly heard reference for a toilet/bathroom, and on occasion can also come to mean the kitchen or pantry. The term essentially refers to “duty or function” and came to refer to the toilet in roughly the 1700s.Chuntie
In the North-East of Scotland the common dialect, Doric, is often misconstrued as being a language all of its own thanks to its fun way of creating words that seem nothing at all like the meaning.Chuntie actually means “Chamber Pot” but in modern times has come to mean the toilet or bathroom.
Khazi
Although the word itself is Cockney in origin, it’s more likely to be heard around Liverpool. The word is believed to be a variant of the word carsey and is derived from the Italian word casa (house).Bog
In the United Kingdom areas of marshy, soft ground are often referred to as “bogs” and it doesn’t take much to figure out the connection. Toilets and outhouse cesspits were often named “bog houses”, due to their similarities and over time has been shortened to bog.Dunny
This is a funny one… The term "danna" in old English came to mean “shit”. In Scotland and Northern England, the term dunny was commonly used to mean the passageway or outhouse. It seems that this term travelled across the world and has also been used in Australia!Shithouse
This is one you’ll commonly here on both sides of the pond - common in both the British Isles and America… and we think is pretty self-explanatory.John
This is a heavily American term and there’s little in the way of evidence of where this term was coined, but it’s definitely one that is commonly heard.Crapper
Thomas Crapper is famed for having invented the first flushing toilet. This isn’t completely true, although he did patent many parts within the flush toilet (including the ballcock).The term crapper is assumed to have been in reference to Thomas Crappers name; the tale is that American servicemen stationed in England during WW1 saw the name Crapper on the toilet cistern and coined the expression “I’m going to the crapper”.
Thomas Crapper is definitely someone of interest, who did a lot for the advancements toward the flush toilet. Read more about him and his work here.
Vin
The word vin is rarely used in modern day English but was coined by English Aristocracy and the upper classes. It can, on occasion, still be heard in private schools by children asking to be excused to go to the toilet during class.Latrine
Latrine is the word used to describe an open trench or pit for urination of defecation. Although it is commonly used by the US Military to describe any place where human waste is disposed of.As you can probably see in this post the United Kingdom is renowned for nicknaming the toilet, we can only speculate that this may have something to do with their sensitivity and politeness. What do you call the toilet?
