What is the British word for toilet?

THE LOO. The 'loo' is very common in the UK & Ireland, and is a safe and polite way to say toilet.

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How do you ask for a toilet in English?

What is your English level? Take our short English test to find out.
  1. 'Could you tell me where the bathroom is please' 'Where are the toilets please? ' ...
  2. 'Excuse me but where is the loo? ' 'I'm just going for a patter on the porcelain' ...
  3. 'Could you tell me where the restroom is please? '

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What is a fancy word for bathroom?

synonyms for bathroom

On this page you'll find 19 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to bathroom, such as: lavatory, restroom, powder room, toilet, washroom, and water closet.

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Why do British people call the toilet the loo?

Despite its British popularity for a slightly less crude way to call the toilet, the word “loo” is actually derived from the French phrase 'guardez l'eau', meaning 'watch out for the water”.

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What is a posh word for going to the toilet?

synonyms for go to the bathroom

Compare Synonyms. defecation. discharge. elimination. excretion.

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28 English Words & Phrases for the TOILET

30 related questions found

Do British say toilet or restroom?

Bathroom is a polite way of calling attention to the toilet and is used commonly in the UK. The bathroom typically means a space which also has a shower or bath in it, though it will always contain a toilet as well.

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What is the old English word for bathroom?

Privy is a very old word for what we'd call the bathroom, with it earliest citation in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) from 1225. The word privy comes from the Old French privé, “intimate friendly; a private place.”

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What is a men's toilet called?

A urinal (US: /ˈjʊərənəl/, UK: /jʊəˈraɪnəl/) is a sanitary plumbing fixture for urination only. Urinals are often provided in public toilets for male users in Western countries (less so in Muslim countries). They are usually used in a standing position.

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What do plumbers call a toilet?

Because it had water, it became known as the water closet. Somehow the name stuck, and plumbers continue to refer to a toilet as a water closet. That's what the “WC” imprinted on most toilets stands for.

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Why do Aussies call toilets dunnies?

The dunny was originally any outside toilet. In cities and towns the pan-type dunny was emptied by the dunny man, who came round regularly with his dunny cart. Dunny can now be used for any toilet. The word comes from British dialect dunnekin meaning an 'earth closet, (outside) privy' from dung + ken 'house'.

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What is the Aboriginal word for toilet?

5. The word Djilawa (meaning toilet) has been included on all their bathroom doors.

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What is a Swedish toilet?

Public toilets in Sweden are self-cleaning (rotating toilet seats) or cleaned manually on a regular basis, especially toilets in malls and sit-down restaurants, so you don't have to worry about a dirty situation when you go to do your business. Sweden doesn't have many squat toilets either.

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Why do Americans call a toilet a John?

The name “John” was later derived from “Jake” and “Jack.” Secondly but most notable amongst historians, John was the name of the first man credited with inventing the first flushing toilet. John Harington was born during the time in which Queen Elizabeth reigned. His mother was a member of the queen's chamber.

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What is a Victorian toilet called?

The Privy. A privy was basically an unlined cesspool in the ground with a wooden hut built over it. A wooden shelf stretched across, with a nice, bottom sized hole in the middle. You sat here and did your business, with your waste dropping down into the hole.

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What did Victorians call the bathroom?

However, many houses weren't connected to the sewer system or piped water until the early 1900's. For the working classes the “privy” was one or two toilets shared amongst the inhabitants of a whole street. These were often nothing more than a wooden bench with a hole in it over a brick built ash pit.

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What is garbage in British English?

Rubbish is the usual word in British English for the things that you throw away because you no longer want or need them. Garbage and trash are both used in North American English.

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What are Indian toilets called?

Squat toilets are common in many Asian countries, including China and India. They are also widespread in Nepal, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Myanmar, Iran and Iraq.

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What do British people call biscuits?

Scone (UK) / Biscuit (US)

These are the crumbly cakes that British people call scones, which you eat with butter, jam, sometimes clotted cream and always a cup of tea.

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What do Brits call sinks?

Note - *if the sink is in the kitchen - it's a sink, but if it's in the bathroom it's a basin.

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What is the most polite word for toilet?

'Lavatory' is a good option for people looking for a very formal word to use in very formal occasions​.

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What is the slang word for toilet bowl?

pisser (coarse slang) pooper (slang) porcelain god (slang) porcelain goddess (slang) pot.

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What are German toilets called?

The bathroom is the “Badezimmer” in German and the “toilet” is the “Toilette”. Both words work but if you're at someone's home, it's more common to ask for the “Badezimmer” while in public you would directly ask for the “Toiletten”.

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What did Vikings use instead of toilets?

Interesting enough, according to the BBC Primary History site, there were no bathrooms in the Viking home. Most people probably washed in a wooden bucket or the nearest stream. Instead of toilets, people used cesspits, which are holes dug outside for toilet waste.

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What did Romans call toilets?

The word “latrine,” or latrina in Latin, was used to describe a private toilet in someone's home, usually constructed over a cesspit. Public toilets were called foricae. They were often attached to public baths, whose water was used to flush down the filth.

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