| Idiomatic expressions about "toilet" needed | |
|---|---|
| May 28, 2008 03:51 |   |
| guestjunior | A foreigner who visted China said to his Chinese interpreter: "I wonder if I can go somewhere?" His interpreter misunderstood him and said: "Yes, you can go any where in China". The foreigner felt surprised. What the foreigner really mean is that he wants to go to the toilet. He used the idiomatic English expression but the Chinese interpreter did not know. In western cultures, there are a lot of euphemistic expressions for going to the toilet. Some of them are difficult for non-native speakers to understand. For example: ＂Excuse me, would you like to tell me where the loo is?＂ ＂I would like to powder my nose＂ ＂Last night I went to visit John twice.＂ ＂go and see one's aunt＂ These expressions used to trouble me a lot. They contain profound cultural background. What else do you usually say in daily life when you mean you want to shit or piss? I am researching on such expressions. I will appreciate if anyone can help. |
| May 28, 2008 05:25 | #1 |
 | In America, the most formal and polite way to say it is to say, "I need to go to the rest room." A slightly less formal but acceptable way is to say, "I need to go to the bathroom." I have not been to Europe, but I believe most people there say, "I need to go to the toilet." |
| May 28, 2008 10:00 | #2 |
| I hate the American eupahamisms. As we say in English, 'Let's call a spade a spade' (no idea where that originates). I DO NOT want a rest so I will not ask for a restroom, I DO NOT want a bath so I will not ask for the bathroom, I DO WANT the TOILET. What is wrong with the word toilet???? In China, it is easiest to ask for the WC as that has become the standard abbreviation here and most restaurant staff know this term. |
| May 29, 2008 03:59 | #3 |
| ＂Excuse me, would you like to tell me where the loo is?＂ ＂I would like to powder my nose＂ ＂Last night I went to visit John twice.＂ These expressions are too euphemistic. WC has already universally accepted. |
| May 29, 2008 04:24 | #4 |
| We have another quaint saying 'to spend a penny' must have been a time and inmany places still is a fee to use the public toilets. I think the correct use of the word 'john' for American's is "The John" and 'the head' and 'the can' none of which are particularly polite and are usually used by men - not so much by women unless............depends on the company they keep There are many other expressions but you'll usually only hear them spoken amongst friends or over a beer or two, seldom in genteel company. You can buy books about this kind of colloquial language. |
| May 29, 2008 04:26 | #5 |
| Oh and let's not forget the 'ones' and 'twos' and going 'potty' another favourite Americanism although we in AUS use it when we are toilet training children |
| May 29, 2008 05:23 | #6 |
| Ha! That's funny...I remember my parents used to use the "ones" and "twos" method, but my grandmother was a little more forthcoming. She caught me off guard when as a 10 year old she asked me if I needed to "tinkle" or "grunt"! It still makes me smile to think of those words coming out of my grandma's mouth. |
| May 29, 2008 05:32 | #7 |
| Quite right, although originally "going potty" was used when toilet training children in America too. It has gained broader acceptance as American culture has become more coarse. And I must respectfully disagree with Paul. Euphemisms serve a useful purpose. They allow us to keep a little polish on our civilized language. As was pointed out, we speak more coarsely and more directly about bodily functions when we are in more informal company. I see nothing wrong with that. It helps us teach our children that there is a time and a place for everything. I wish we still did a little better job of it in our country. I can remember feeling embarrassed a few years ago when my 10 year old (at the time) niece talked about farting in front of her 60 something year old grandmother (my mother). |
| May 29, 2008 20:47 | #8 |
| Interesting topic! It reminds me an interesting anecdote between my friend and me. My friend said to me: "it is time for dinner, let's dine out" I said:"where shall we go" "Somewhere" I couldn't help laughing out loudly. He was puzzled since he was an English-beginner. I explained to him. He laughed out loudly. |
| May 29, 2008 23:40 | #9 |
| WC is best in China. Its popular. |
| Jun 2, 2008 14:01 | #10 |
| As an old sailor, I've been going to the head for years and never thought of going to the head as uncouth. I had to do a web search to recall the story about why a head is called a head on board ship: "The use of the term "head" to refer to a ship's toilet dates to at least as early as 1708, when Woodes Rogers (English privateer and Governor of the Bahamas) used the word in his book, A Cruising Voyage Around the World. Another early usage is in Tobias Smollett's novel of travel and adventure, Roderick Random, published in 1748. "Head" in a nautical sense referring to the bow or fore part of a ship dates to 1485. The ship's toilet was typically placed at the head of the ship near the base of the bowsprit, where splashing water served to naturally clean the toilet area." |
Page 1 of 2 < Previous Next > Page:
Post a Reply to: Idiomatic expressions about "toilet" needed
Copyright © 1998-2024 All rights reserved.