Bellows Plumbing, Heating & Sewer

Random Plumber Talk

Where Do You Spend Your Time?

Friday 4/2/2010

How much of your life do you spend on the toilet? Obviously, unless you keep very accurate records, you’ll never know for sure (and people may start to talk about you if you carry a little binder around and keep diligent notes on your bathroom habits).  It’s actually been estimated that the average person spends around three years* of his or her life on the potty.  That’s a little unsettling, isn’t it?  You’d probably better make the most of every minute you’re there. Here’s a bit of trivia to help you pass a bit of that time – terms that we’ve used for the bathroom through the years and through the world…

Backhouse (17th Century England)
Bagnio (during the Ottoman Empire, also term used for a house of prostitution, isn’t that interesting…)
Balnea (Ancient Roman bath houses)
Bathroom
Bog (England)
Can
Crapper (although Thomas Crapper was an established plumber in 19th century England, he did not invent the toilet, and even this term actually predates him*)
Comfort Room
Commode
CR – short for Comfort Room (Phillipines)
Dunny (Australia)
Facilities
Head (Royal Navy, US Navy, US Marine Corps)
House of Ease (17th Century England)
House of Office (17th Century England)
Khazi (Liverpool, England / old cockney term)
Jacks (Ireland)
Jakes (Tudor England circa 1530)
John
Johnny
Johnny House
Ladies’ Room
Latrine (US Army & Air Force)
Lavatory or Lav
Little Boys’ or Little Girls’ Room
Little House (17th Century England)
Loo
Mens’ or Womens’ Room
Netty (Northern England)
Powder Room
Privy (North England & Ireland)
Restroom
Shithouse
Shitter
Toilet
Urination Station (corny, I know)
Vin (English Upper Class)
Washroom
Water Closet
WC – short for Water Closet (various, including Mexico, France, Germany & The Netherlands)

*No references are provided because this data was collected from a myriad of unreliable and possibly a few less than reputable sources. It is also minutely possible that I just made some of it up, so it would probably be ill-advised to quote any of this as actual fact…just so ya know.

Posted: by Amy Jansen
Tags: Fixtures, Plumbing Humor