This is one of a number of reputed synonyms for bathroom, recently discussed in WW:

http://www.wordwizard.com/ch_forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=18793

I don't find much support for it, not even in UD, and so I wonder if anybody else has heard it used this way

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966), about half-way down.

While everyone is drinking the free-flowing alcohol, George tells Martha to help the wilting Honey find the bathroom in a famous line:

Martha, will you show her where we keep the...eh, euphemism?

Tinman

quote:

Originally posted by dalehileman:
This is one of a number of reputed synonyms for bathroom, recently discussed in WW:

http://www.wordwizard.com/ch_forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=18793.
I don't find much support for it, not even in UD, and so I wonder if anybody else has heard it used this way

What is?

As an opening post in a thread entiltled "euphemism" I'd say that this is something of a non sequitur. The reference gives little additional help in determining which specific euphemism you are talking about.
Then again, poking around your posts on other forums, non sequiturs and surveys with unrevealed purposes and outcomes seem very much your forte.


Each to his own and all that but as conversational strategies they do run the risk of quite rapidly starting to alienate the others involved.

Don't they?

Can't say I'd considered "euphemism" to be the euphemism involved. Perhaps a little more clarity of expression and a little less "I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you" obscurity would be in order.

I wasn't sure, either, which euphemism you were referring to.

I know along the way we've discussed bathroom euphemisms here, too, but I couldn't specifically find where. However, we did discuss euphemisms here and here.

I think they're fun! Folks, what bathroom ones can we come up with?

Let us hope, most sincerely, that the word "euphemism" does not become an accepted euphemism for the place here subject to mention since, if it does, then it, too, will soon become unacceptable.

Then we'd need to find another euphemism to replace the "rude" word "euphemism"

Is the politically correct word for "bitchyness" eupheminism?

I got some static on WS also, was accused of the utmost rudeness. It looks like to avoid offense we'll have to find a more nearly euphemistic euphemism for the euphemism "euphemism"

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Let us hope, most sincerely, that the word "euphemism" does not become an accepted euphemism for the place here subject to mention since, if it does, then it, too, will soon become unacceptable.

Boy, I must be dense. I don't know what in the world you mean by this.

quote:

Boy, I must be dense. I don't know what in the world you mean by this. Confused

I simply meant that, if the word euphemism becomes another word for toilet/bathroom/lavatory/john/loo/khasi/bog/privvy/men's room/ladies' room/cloakroom then, before too long we won't be able to use the word "euphemism" either and will have to find another euphemism for the word euphemism itself.

quote:

Originally posted by Richard English:

quote:

Boy, I must be dense. I don't know what in the world you mean by this. Confused

I simply meant that, if the word euphemism becomes another word for toilet/bathroom/lavatory/john/loo/khasi/bog/privvy/men's room/ladies' room/cloakroom then, before too long we won't be able to use the word "euphemism" either and will have to find another euphemism for the word euphemism itself.

RE, you're right. Did you know the one about the pianist/composer Max Reger, who after a performance received a vitriolic
review from a noted critic of the day (c. 1906). The next day the critic received a well reported note from Reger stating:
"I am sitting in the smallest room in my house.
I have your review before me.
In a moment it will be behind me."
I quite like his euphemism "smallest room" for its accuracy and lack of affected distatste for "vulgarity".

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I quite like his euphemism "smallest room" for its accuracy and lack of affected distatste for "vulgarity".

Actually that's quite a common one in England although perhaps less common than used to be the case.

Well, since bathrooms in the U.S. have become humungous, one could hardly call it the smallest room in the house anymore.

Well,bathrooms might be large, but in the UK, the room that accommodates the lavatory, often quite a separate room from a bathroom, is usually the smallest room in the house.

Oh really? It's common to have the toilet in a room different from the bathroom?

In many houses, yes. It tends to be the slightly larger ones - but it's not at all uncommon.

We have just moved from a three-bed semi to a two bedroom bungalow and we have lost our separate toilet - more's the pity.