Loo British Bathroom
The restroom which was also the ladies waiting room on early twentieth century railway stations was a place of comfort and seclusion for the d.
Loo british bathroom. Other terms are also used some as part of a regional dialect. If you say bathroom as in mrhen s answer in the uk people will probably understand you but if you are out and about rather than in someone s home then they might be a little confused. We probably get the word loo from this expression although some people think it comes from room 100 which is what european people used to call the bathroom. One theory is that in the 1900s waterloo iron cisterns were a common component of british outhouse toilets.
What is the origin of the british word loo for a bathroom or restroom. Loo may be short for waterloo a common brand of cast iron toilet cisterns. This ongoing list was compiled by laurence brown. A there are many theories about this word but few firm facts and its origin is one of the more celebrated puzzles in word history.
Q from barbara blakeport. This is historically problematic since by the time the term loo. In british english bathroom is a common term but is typically reserved for private rooms primarily used for bathing. When i worked at a large art gallery in london and american tourists asked for the bathroom we always had a chuckle.
Laurence is a british expat living in indianapolis indiana. We british are strange people as we have both rest rooms and toilets each with their separate purpose. Wikipedia backs this version as well don t miss the list of euphemisms for toilet there including poop house wtf dunny and necessary. I was the mean english teacher who made my kids ask to use the lavatory or bathroom instead of the toilet i know it s said but i don t like it.
There are several theories about the origin of this informal british term for a toilet the first and most popular is that it derived from the cry of gardyloo from the french regardez l eau watch out for the water which was shouted by medieval servants as they emptied chamber pots out of upstairs windows into the street. It s loo not lou and it refers specifically to the lavatory itself. Most experts argue it s french in origin or at least has french connections though the opinions differ on what these might be. Another word for bathroom.
Toilet is fine but will make some more old fashioned people wince. An alternative to loo is lavatory which is something you might hear in higher class circles. Incidentally british people find it very amusing that americans refer to the bathroom when it lacks the presence of a bath.