Toilet or Loo?

[ILoveAfternoonTea]

Do you refer to the toilet/loo as the toilet or the loo?

My DP says that "toilet" is common. If I say toilet I get pulled up on it. IL's also say loo and I feel I have to watch what I say

It just seems strange as if you're in a shopping centre or restaurant the sign always says toilets, never ever loos

Fed up of being corrected

Either. You will find that most of mumsnet cringes at the use of toilet, but I don't get it.

What about lavatory?

Tell him/her to fuck off. Call it what you like.

Toilet would be an improvement. My kids just call it the bog.

The one I hate is 'lounge'. (Off the point, I know.)

Toilet, loo, bog, smallest room, ladies, to powder my nose, the shitter, to contemplate my navel, taking the newspaper for a walk.

We have a lot of names for the same thing.

Bog. Or even just day what you're doing, as in, "I'm off for a wee."

either loo or toilet here. We're not bothered so long as you do your shit in there and not in the garden or something!

Generally, words from the French are considered 'common' and the English versions are 'acceptable'. My DM is the kind of person who pulls me up in this too so I feel your pain.

We saw toilet home when talking to each other - ‘don’t use x toilet as it being bleached, use the other’. If out we use loo - ‘where is your loo’. If we have people over we calm it the loo - ‘the loo is second on the right’.

Loo, but it depends where I am. There's no point in asking for the loo if nobody is going to know what I am talking about.

My husband sometimes calls them bogs. Less so since we have been together, I suspect.

Toilet is what it's called, loo is a nickname. I'd say calling it a loo is common not the other way around! Get them told!

Maybe it's a Scottish thing but no one really refers to it as a loo up here.

Ah, this one never gets old.

Interesting though that "toilet" is considered common - unless your in-laws are Actually Properly posh? It always used to be that the Aspirational Middle Class people (aka the Mumsnet Massive) would insist on toilet because loo was apparently common, same as serviette v napkin. Obviously the AMC(MM) have cottoned on to this one in the intervening half-century

If you don't want to be considered the Trashy Relative, you could start calling it the privy. Or the garderobe.

Toilet or 'the bog' . Also scotland

It was lavatory when I grew up.

Or I say I'm going for a pee and don't specify where I'm going to do it

Weird!

I'd have thought toilet was the posh version and loo the slang!

However - I use both. Not consciously I just use whatever one leaves my mouth at the time!

I even completely lower the tone ag times with announcing I need a wee/pee or piss

It's a squeezy wee in our house!

Can you pick something he says, tell him it sounds rude, and correct him every time?

See how he likes it.

Otherwise I'd take the piss out of him by saying 'I'm going to the lavatory/ladies room/powder my nose/etc' and put on a very posh voice. Or a sarcastic one. If you have kids, you want them to copy you, ideally. It should really wind him up.

I usually say loo but don't care if others say toilet!

Also ask him does he think signs with 'Toilets' written on them are rude. You could point them out every time you are out and say 'look at that rude sign! It should say loos.'

Always been toilet here, 'loo' is considered posh and I'm not sure why, though it is true. Only middle class and above say it. I'm in North East England if that makes a difference, might differ per region.

Shitter, or lavatory if in the presence of royalty.

@mynameiscalypso

Generally, words from the French are considered 'common' and the English versions are 'acceptable'. My DM is the kind of person who pulls me up in this too so I feel your pain.

Both loo and toilet are derived from French though. Toilet from toilette, loo from l'eau.

A mix here. I tend to say "going to the loo" but "I need to find out where the toilets are".

Who gives a shit what it’s called?

Sorry, couldn’t help myself

You could do what my colleague did at the end of a work meeting an announce loudly, “I’m going for a slash”.

Spent a year working in the USA where they are even more precious about it than in UK. Most people called it the restroom, women's/mens room, washroom or bathroom. "Toilet" was considered embarasing. They would not have known what the loo was.

@Mycatismadeofstringcheese

You could do what my colleague did at the end of a work meeting an announce loudly, “I’m going for a slash”.

Slash always makes me think of men seeing how high they can pee up the walls. 🤣