3 ms·

"restroom" Is "loo" any less ambiguous? Speaking of Brits, they did point out the perils of faulty phrase books many years ago: https://youtu.be/bNP7uQQT-oo

"restroom" Is "loo" any less ambiguous? Speaking of Brits, they did point out the perils of faulty phrase books many years ago: https://youtu.be/bNP7uQQT-oo https://youtu.be/bNP7uQQT-oo

benj111 7y ago
Strictly speaking it is less ambiguous. I understood it to be a shortened corruption of lavatory and it's worth noting that the English definition of that gives toilet, and the American definition gives the sink in the toilet, which kind of reinforces my point.
- bloak 7y ago
  I think we should all just say "toilet". Of course that was a euphemism originally (indirectly from French "toile"), but I think it's the closest we have to a neutral term at the moment. Unless we go for "excrementarium"
- denton-scratch 7y ago
  I took "loo" to be from "gardy loo", which in turn is a corruption from the French "gardez l'eau", meaning "watch out down there, I'm tipping this bucket out of the window". So "loo" would be from "l'eau", meaning "water"; so possibly "water closet", or WC, a.k.a. crapper.
  - benj111 7y ago
    My opinion wasn't particularly informed so ill happily defer. The only other explanation I heard was that it was a contraction of Waterloo.
PaulRobinson 7y ago
"loo" means toilet. We laugh when people talk about going to "the bathroom". "Oh aye, going to have a bath in the middle of dinner are you? Seems odd timing!" [snort, chuckle, hold bellies laughing at our bottomless wit] Even then only the poshest people talking about going to the loo. I've been in pubs where somebody has loudly proclaimed that they were "going for a dump, I'll be a while" and I have lost count of the number of conversations I've been party to in public about pissing, shitting, wanking (masturbation), or shagging (having sex), that would definitely not be welcome in American settings. Also, we say cunt a lot. Like, a lot.

3 ms·

"restroom" Is "loo" any less ambiguous? Speaking of Brits, they did point out the perils of faulty phrase books many years ago: https://youtu.be/bNP7uQQT-oo

by masonic 7y ago

"restroom" Is "loo" any less ambiguous? Speaking of Brits, they did point out the perils of faulty phrase books many years ago: https://youtu.be/bNP7uQQT-oo https://youtu.be/bNP7uQQT-oo

benj111 7y ago
Strictly speaking it is less ambiguous. I understood it to be a shortened corruption of lavatory and it's worth noting that the English definition of that gives toilet, and the American definition gives the sink in the toilet, which kind of reinforces my point.
- bloak 7y ago
  I think we should all just say "toilet". Of course that was a euphemism originally (indirectly from French "toile"), but I think it's the closest we have to a neutral term at the moment. Unless we go for "excrementarium"
- denton-scratch 7y ago
  I took "loo" to be from "gardy loo", which in turn is a corruption from the French "gardez l'eau", meaning "watch out down there, I'm tipping this bucket out of the window". So "loo" would be from "l'eau", meaning "water"; so possibly "water closet", or WC, a.k.a. crapper.
  - benj111 7y ago
    My opinion wasn't particularly informed so ill happily defer. The only other explanation I heard was that it was a contraction of Waterloo.
PaulRobinson 7y ago
"loo" means toilet. We laugh when people talk about going to "the bathroom". "Oh aye, going to have a bath in the middle of dinner are you? Seems odd timing!" [snort, chuckle, hold bellies laughing at our bottomless wit] Even then only the poshest people talking about going to the loo. I've been in pubs where somebody has loudly proclaimed that they were "going for a dump, I'll be a while" and I have lost count of the number of conversations I've been party to in public about pissing, shitting, wanking (masturbation), or shagging (having sex), that would definitely not be welcome in American settings. Also, we say cunt a lot. Like, a lot.