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"The Germans have figured out a cheap way to provide the public with bathrooms." Aren't the bathrooms the places where somebody can bathe?
by acqq 10y ago
"The Germans have figured out a cheap way to provide the public with bathrooms."
Aren't the bathrooms the places where somebody can bathe?
- chrisseaton 10y agoIt's a euphemism.
- manarth 10y agoEnglish seems to have an extraordinary number of euphemisms for "that room": Bathroom. Restroom. Water Closet. Loo. Bog. Khazi. John. Privy. I wonder if other languages have such an array of words for a toilet, and how much confusion they cause for foreigners.
- Symbiote 10y ago"Bathroom" and "restroom" are only used in American English. In other English-speaking countries, a bathroom contains a bath, and a restroom sounds like somewhere to go if you're tired. "Toilet" is also a euphemism, it's Middle French for a type of cloth. So is "lavatory", it means wash room. I can't think of a word that isn't vulgar or a euphemism.
- baha_man 10y ago"Toilet" is not a euphemism: "Toilet" was by etymology a euphemism, but is no longer understood as such. As old euphemisms have become the standard term, they have been progressively replaced by newer ones, an example of the euphemism treadmill at work. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toilet#Contemporary_Use https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toilet#Contemporary_Use
- chiph 10y ago"Crapper" is not a euphemism. It's the name of the man who invented the siphonic flush toilet: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Crapper https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Crapper
- troymc 10y agoYou forgot: Washroom. Lavatory. Outhouse. Mens' room. Little girls' room room. Potty. Half bath. And many more (mostly NSFHN). I suspect there's a deep reason for all the different words, probably because of the basic nature of what goes on within such rooms. I wouldn't be surprised if other languages have the same profusion of synonyms.
- marcosdumay 10y agoIn Portuguese, "banheiro" uses the exact same euphemism as bathrooms.
- foolano 10y ago> I wonder if other languages have such an array of words for a toilet, and how much confusion they cause for foreigners. Let me try in Spanish: servicio, baño, excusado, w.c, mingitorio, tigre (this is slang)
- 13of40 10y agoDo you think our culture is going to be uplifted somehow if we all switch to calling it "the shitter"?
- acqq 10y agoHow can you then refer to the rooms that actually have something where then somebody can take a bath? I'm serious, not a native speaker.
- Avshalom 10y agoYou'd say shower or bath. Truck stops often advertise "showers" for instance.
- CydeWeys 10y agoEven better, the showers will sometimes be free, on the condition that you buy so-and-so many gallons of diesel, or eat a meal at the restaurant.
- hamandcheese 10y agoIf you're in public and ask for a bathroom, it's assumed that you are looking for a toilet and not looking for a bath. I have never had to ask for a place with a bath in public - if I need a bath then I'm at a house or a hotel where I can find it.
- omginternets 10y ago>How can you then refer to the rooms that actually have something where then somebody can take a bath? Brace yourself: in the US and from what I've seen of the UK, the toilet and the shower are in the same room.
- acqq 10y agoInteresting. In my part of the world a bathroom must contain either a shower or a bathtub and a toilet (or a WC) must contain a toilet bowl. In the article the word toilet was used in the title, switching to the "bathroom" in the text was confusing.