To think you shouldn't say she's ON the toilet

If I say I'm in the bathroom then that invites attempts to get through the door because of 'look at my picture' or 'he hit me!'
I have reached the stage where I hear the footsteps coming up the stairs and I'm yelling out "I'm on the toilet" in the vain hope that I will at least be able to have 5 minutes of peace!
If you can't say you're on the loo in front of your family, how are you gonna cope when you need them to wipe yer bum in years to come 😅😉

I'd hate it too, depending on the circumstances being suitably vague is the best policy. To be fair, my partner doesn't really have the opportunity as I'll only wee if anyone is present in the house so not in there long.

Totally normal here in Birmingham too.

Oh well, my 6year old grandson has a recent aversion of going to the loo on his own. I have not the faintest idea why, but when he needs to go he announces "I need to wee, are you coming?" #alwayslookonthebrightside

I’m the same. I never use those words, it’s always an upset stomach. I hate phrases with the word toilet in it, I’ll say loo or bathroom. Toilet just makes me think of some of the horrible smelly public loos.

Everyone round here (NE) would say she’s on the loo, or she’s on the bog. lol. They might said she’s gone to the loo. Or she’s in the loo. No one uses the word bathroom unless you’re a younger generation who’s watched a lot of American tv. And I’ve never really thought about the use of the word ON being graphic.

YANBU. ‘On the toilet’ not necessary’ and sounds faintly scatalogical 😊‘In the bathroom’ much more acceptable.

No need to announce your purpose or destination! The trick is to be vague, not specific. You know they know, and they know that you know that they know . . .

‘She can’t come to the phone just at the moment’ is sufficient. You could be washing your hair, in the middle of baking, or wrangling a sheep - not just using the toilet!

‘Excuse me a moment’ is absolutely enough in any situation from visiting elderly great-aunts to inter-company meetings and conferences, and especially in m/f situations, such as today when I met my opposite number in a different organisation. Works well in other circumstances, eg when cornered by a crashing bore at a party

(‘Popping to the loo’ is quite acceptable between friends and family of course!)

And don’t tell me you’ve had the runs or been sick. ‘Bit of an upset tum’ covers all bases . . .

could be worse, you could be dropping the kids off at the pool.

Learned this the hard way with my son.

Go and wash your hands.
Where?
In the toilet!

Did not think for a second he’d walk pass the sink and actually wash them in the toilet.

I entirely agree......I would say "in the loo" or "having a pee" or "spending a penny" depending to whom I was speaking....

I'd prefer "in the bathroom" but our only loo is in the bathroom with a bath in.

I absolutely hate the use of bathroom instead of loo/toilet. I don't think it matters if he says on the toilet. I'd say 'in the loo' though.

I ring my elderly dad every day and if it takes a while for him to pick up he invariably says “I was just on the toilet”. I keep suggesting that he may like to come up with another greeting because it’s not always me on the end of the line 🤣

I think that Hyacinth would say lavatory, as per the National Trust!

My husband’s from Notts and he says ‘on’. I didn’t like it to start with, but 38 years later we are both going for a wee …

Cumbrian here, bathrooms are usually where you go to use the loo so we usually say, I’m going for a wee/pee or going to the loo/lav/bog. Never heard anyone say I’m going to the bathroom, they are in the bathroom. Get the piss taken, pun intended, and asked who you thought you were. Why are people such wet wipes over this stuff? Seriously not arsed at all. Tell me you’re going for a shit or shout you’re doing a shit whilst having one and I’d respect you more!

So vivid! He’s a veritable Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

“She’s at the loo” gives me an immediate picture of someone standing next to a toilet unsure what to do 😂😂😂

I think that’s a bit of a precious reaction — on the toilet is a very normal phrase and I don’t get why it’s offensive that someone might be on the toilet / using the bathroom / using the restroom - whatever you want to call it. Big deal.

I can’t stand it. My parents-in-law say it very loudly in front of lots of people.
where is Anele22?

She’s ON the toilet!

Nobody needs to know.

I'm Irish and I've never heard that @pontipinemum.
Both my parents were from rural backgrounds and never used it.
Yes it's a bit graphic.

This! I was always brought up with ‘in the toilet’ and we would always (privately) cringe and laugh when an acquaintance of ours used the phrase ‘on the toilet’ to indicate the location (activity?Yuck!) of her grown up son!
When I met my DH a few years later, I cringed again when I heard his DM use the same phrase. Call me a snob, but it sounds so ignorant. She has no self-awareness about it and will say it to anyone eg ‘Sorry, I couldn’t answer the door sooner:I was on the toilet’ (Eugh!). The fact that she’s so aspirational and judgmental in other ways makes it particularly ironic.

Ohhhhh…I was like ‘YABVU, I’ve said this thousands of times in my life’ and then saw your comment, @WaitingForMojo. Fascinated to know if this is a NW thing!

I mean, whether you’re in the loo or on the loo, they’re both just nicer ways of saying, “Give ‘er a minute, she’s taking a slash.” 😂