General Chat

Where did the expression "MINDING YOUR 'Ps' and 'Qs' " come from? What about these expressions : "I'm going to spend a penny", "I'm going to the loo", "I'm going to see my aunt". Rather confusing for a foreigner!!

Minding your P's and Q's - Minding your Pleases (P's) and Thank You's (Q's) In other words mind your manners Spending a penny - that's how much it used to cost - one old penny - to use a public lavortary Not sure about the other two. Don't know how loo became an abreviation for Toilet or lavortary. As for Going to see my Aunt - not heard that one myself ! Janet

P's and Q's I think it comes from the printing trade - the lower case letters are mirror images of each other, and when typesetting it would be easy to mix them up. Most WCs in public conveniences used to have a slot in the door in which you had to put a penny in order to open the lock.

I used to do typesetting myself for a while and had never thought of that one.

Hi Rick will think I've swallowed the dictionary again but here goes! I do words ... it's my job ... One theory is that it comes from the mediaeval cry of 'gardyloo' (from the French "regardez l'eau") shouted by people when they emptied their chamber-pots out of the upstair windows into the street. This term was not really still being used at the time Loo came in so some people think it comes from the French term le lieu ('the place'). A third suggestion is that it refers to the trade name 'Waterloo', which was on the cisterns in outside toilets. Take your pick! My Dad always went ' to see a man about a dog" ! xxx Ann xxx

I'd forgotten about "going to see a man about a dog". My father used to say this too.

He never came back with a dog though, did he? I was permanently disappointed :(

My daughter is married to a boy with the surname of "Loohuizen" which translates for us into "Loo houses". Thank you for letting me know about "gardyloo", and now it has been confirmed seems to be the correct answer. But why "gardy"? Or shouldn't I ask so many questions?

Lots of theories abot Ps and Qs - Pints and Quarts; Please and than-Qs; Pees and Queues . My personal favourite is - Printers have to look at moveable type with the letters reversed, so that a p looks like a q and a q looks like a p, so they have to be careful. The phrase sounded good so it became a general term for being careful. Loo is easy - In the days when people used to empty the chamber pots out of the window into the drain in the street they would shout "Gardy Loo" (Guardés l'eau - watch out for the water) to warn passers bye. This incidentally also gave rise to the idea that a gentleman would always walk on the outside of a lady. Going to see my aunt is just one of hundreds of euphenisms relating to lavatories.

It's because in French they shouted "Regardez l'eau" meaning "watch out for the water" or somthing along those lines. Us Brits changed the pronounciation to gardyloo which was shortened to 'loo. (er - I think!) A

My Grandad always use to go and turn the bike round.

Several myths have grown up around Thomas Crapper because of his association with the WC. People say: He invented the toilet. He invented the flushing syphon cistern. His name is the origin of the slang word ‘crap’. The myths about Thomas Crapper The facts Myth 1: Thomas Crapper invented the toilet No he didn’t. No one person invented the WC. Thomas Crapper was an entrepreneur, inventor and sanitary engineer in the late 19th century. He made and sold sanitaryware from his business in Chelsea. His company was awarded no less than four Royal Warrants between 1886 and 1937 for supplying sanitary products to Royal Households. But he did not make WC bowls. Many ‘Crapper’ WCs were made here in Staffordshire by firms such as Thomas W. Twyford and badged with the Crapper & Co name. This was a common practice in the industry. Myth 2: Thomas Crapper invented the flushing syphon cistern No he didn’t. He did improve upon it, and popularised the ‘Water Waste Preventer’ cistern that used a syphon flushing action. He successfully promoted it to Water Authorities and it became the standard in British cisterns. Myth 3: The slang expression ‘crap’was taken from Thomas Crapper's name This is partly true. ‘Crap’ was an old English word for ‘rubbish’. It went out of use in the 16th century, but early settlers took the word to America where it later became slang for ‘faeces’. American soldiers visiting London in about 1917 saw cisterns with ‘CRAPPER’ stamped across them in large letters. They found this highly amusing and began calling the whole WC suite ‘the Crapper’. The influence of American culture has caused the word ‘crap’ to return to the language in England. Today in both Britain and America the WC is sometimes called the ‘Crapper’

I'd never heard of Thomas Crapper before. Where on earth do you find out these things? My teacher never told me. Oh, of course, the library. But in which book? What an informative evening I'm having whilst my husband is watching tv. I'll be leaving the pc for the tv when snooker comes on though. Can't miss that - just a slave.

I always say I am just going to see my aunt. In fact, one colleague at work thought for months I had an aunt in another office!! Going to see a man about a dog Going to water the horse Going to commune with nature were all ones my grandfather used

Talking of 'going to see my aunt', I work in a school and one day heard one of the mums telling another mum - in one of those stage whispers - that her auntie came to visit during the night. I was totally confused and had to ask several people the significance ... and for those of you who are still blissfully unaware, it's that once-a-month-ladies-thing. So can anyone tell me the origin of that one??

I've heard them called 'bunnies' before, but haven't a clue why. But I do remember that the incinerator in the girls' loo at school had the brand name 'bunny' on it - any connection?

The favourite euphemism for going to the toilet that I have heard (especially for no. 2s, this one): I'm just going to turn my bike round!

Im just off to water my lilies ! Elaine x

My grandfather was always "off to see the vicar"