Toilet / serviette / couch

[Notallmilsarebad]

This is inspired by the ‘do you want bog’ thread. I saw a few people mention the words toilet, serviette and couch are all words that the middle classes would never say.

I have never heard of this before and I actually thought that saying serviette was the posh way of saying napkin. Is it the other way around? What other words like this are there that I need to learn about?

I say toilet, couch, napkin, sitting room, pudding (but ‘dessert menu’ if in a restaurant), died, granny.

My mum insists on 'supper'. She wants to be posh.

Well, I think it’s just as easy to say “died” kindly, but I’m certainly not going to tell you how to do your job!

I've often been told there is a bathroom on the plane but I've never been able to find it. Just as well I always have a shower before leaving home.

Loo, napkin, sofa, lounge/living room (use both), pudding, we eat tea or dinner depending on who I'm speaking to, I use the word died as I'm child counselling trained and I don't think it helps to be ambiguous.

I'm London lower middle I suppose by birth but upper middle/elite by the new scale now I suppose. We really don't care to be honest!

I loathe "toilet". But it's absolutely widespread. In London you don't hear many people talking about a "couch" or "settee".

"Supper" at home, "dinner" is out (we were taught).

Lounge, living room, sitting room, all redundant now.
Apparently it's the family room.

Settee is one I read about years ago. I thought couch was Australian so wouldn't apply in the UK?

Due to the confusion I have a sofa.

Settee sounds very old fashioned to me. I can’t imagine many people born post 1960 using that word.

Couch is widely used in America. I notice American decor types use sofa to sound a bit more elevated. I'm Irish and couch is the commonly used term there. As is sitting room.

My poor DC got in lots of trouble for saying ‘what?’ Or ‘what was that?’ at nursery / early school and quickly learnt to say pardon there but what at home.

I will quote again the fabulous Jilly Cooper line that I put on the other thread: "Mummy says 'pardon' is a much worse word than 'f*ck'" 😂

I think perhaps the middle classes have traditionally gone for euphemisms (like the ghastly "passed away") rather than using the actual, honest word. And the pseudo-French thing is true too.
Also, the middle classes want to be "posh" but that's a very non-U word and the upper classes would say "smart" instead.

I will quote again the fabulous Jilly Cooper line that I put on the other thread: "Mummy says 'pardon' is a much worse word than 'fck'" 😂*

🙃

I'm Irish and it's always couch and living room or sitting room but lounge is never used.

no. unless it's in reference to the lounge part of a pub.

I think you should just say what you’re comfortable with. To me, it’s loo/napkin/sofa 🤷‍♀️ I don’t care what other people call them.

A serviette is the linen cloth the sommelier has over his arm when proffering the wine.
Napkin is for mealtimes.
Yes, my children say what, or what did you say. They also say fuck!
My youngest however are 27 so it’s really quite reasonable.

Some of those in the picture aren’t the same thing though. A graveyard is a burial plot in a churchyard while a cemetery is a separate burial plot, for example. I’d say chimney piece and mantle piece are different things too. Didn’t look any further.

I agree but when it’s actually happening in front of you I just can’t do it. I channel Hyacinth Bucket and use “gone” or “passed”. Have to prioritise the client at that time rather than my internal snobbery…

Always said closet for using the loo. I know that's a completely different meaning in America.

It's the terms my granny used.

She had a parlour, which we weren't allowed to go in.

And when my parents used to say to me 'don't say what, say pardon', she used to wink at me and say 'never beg for pardon'.

That might be the one I'm thinking about actually! They're both great reads.

Same, I think of "bathroom" as being an American usage. Irritates me as being so coy. It was always toilet when I grew up, or dunny if we're talking slang. I think loo came in a bit later, but it's what I say most often now. Ironically in my unit, it is in the bathroom - but there's no bath.