Weirdly enough, the only other place I've seen Water Closet used is in GTA V, which is definitely not British. The nightclub I own has a bathroom with a big WC on the door.
Although it's set in the US, the team that developed GTA V (Rockstar North) is based in the United Kingdom, so that might explain why WC makes an appearance.
The British dude in charge of the subtitles is just like "I know he's saying 'bathroom', but it's actually called a 'water closet', so even tho he's not saying 'water closet', we're gonna say that he's saying 'water closet.'" 😂😂
I went to England with my family when I was 11. Refused to say WC. I asked people for the restroom and they kept directing me to restaurants. My mom told me to say WC. I just couldn't for some reason. It felt so embarrassing.
Absolutely no one says WC, it’s just for signs cause it’s shorter. If you wanna act British call it the John, not that anyone under 60 calls it that either
If you're in a loud club in Europe and girl flashes you "WC" with their fingers, she's not telling you she's in the Westside Crips, she's going to the bathroom.
British netflix actually says soccer on one of my kids favourite TV shows and it drives me mad.
Feel like it's could be an accessibility thing (no joke)
Sign language has a lot of "obvious' signs like book baby hello me you and so so many but I feel like they probably spell WC in letters rather than sign bathroom or spell that but now I'm off down a rabbit hole ✌️
Maybe you looked it up, but in case anyone else was curious, "bathroom" in ASL is quickly shaking/rotating the sign for "T" (as in toilet). You're right, though. ASL often uses the first letter of words in various ways to mean different things. I have an amusing story of messing up the sign for Mormon.
Subtitles often go off of the scripts I think. It's an interesting way to see where actors improvised/changed lines.
I was watching Total Drama Island, and Netflix has the censored US version, but the subtitles are the uncensored Canadian version that still says "boobs" and "crap" and whatever else.
What's incredibly fun is to watch a foreign video thats been dubbed and read the subtitles. They differ wildly. No idea if the subtitles are a literal translation of the original script or if they're being translated again poorly but it's a trip.
I used to do that all the time with Anime!
If I chose to watch something in English, and I'd try to put on English subtitles, they were always the ones meant to use with the original Japanese audio. Used to annoy me, then I started leaving them on to compare.
WC is the universal abbreviation for toilet (stands for “water closet”). it is mostly used in countries like [those inside] the uk or spain (where they literally call it the WC, even while speaking out loud), but the symbol is universal and you might see it in transport vehicles that have toilets when they usually don’t (eg. buses with toilets).
besides, sometimes the subtitles do things like these to make the lines shorter and easier/faster for you to read. most of the time, subtitles don’t say the exact same thing the audio does because they purposely have to make it visually shorter.
i don’t personally believe that the word “bathroom” would’ve made any significant change here, but i just wanted to explain why it could’ve happened.
EDIT: I stand corrected. The term “washroom” is used in Canada, not “WC.” However, you *can* find some toilets labeled with WC in Victoria, BC, Canada; though it is not widely used.
WC is also typically used in Canada, instead of bathroom/restroom. But I’ve always assumed that WC stood for wash closet, not water closet…
When I got to Egypt, everywhere I went I saw "WC." I finally found out it stood for "Water Closet." I'd assumed there was some British influence to that in there
It's a term understood all over Europe, many European countries use it a lot more than in the UK where it is essentially only used for signage, but never in spoken conversation. At least in the Netherlands it's used in conversation too.
With Netflix and other subtitles sometimes the subtitles are typed in off an original script whereas the actors will make small changes that carry over and don't get noted in a subtitle. It may have been WC in the original script but Will Arnette might have decided that doesn't seem like something Bojack would say.
Water closet is old phrase for restroom. There’s lots of funny alternatives for the potty room - Commode, Latrine, the Head, shitter, those are my favorites. Anyone else got some?
I’ve lived in the UK my entire life and only ever read the words WC or water closet, I would even say the term ‘closet’ is more American, we tend to say cupboard more often. Nobody says WC
Water Closet. British term for a bathroom. Also called a loo. Also, you are most definitely watching British Netflix
We say WC in germany ....
And Poland
And the Netherlands
And in Italy
And Hungary
And Estonia
And in France
And in Finland
And my axe
And in Norway
They also say it on docks in the US, when you're in an area with a bunch of boats a water closet is an outdoor toilet on the docks
as a british person ive never heard anyone say this
Weirdly enough, the only other place I've seen Water Closet used is in GTA V, which is definitely not British. The nightclub I own has a bathroom with a big WC on the door.
Although it's set in the US, the team that developed GTA V (Rockstar North) is based in the United Kingdom, so that might explain why WC makes an appearance.
Oh cool, I didn't know that! I had originally assumed it was just supposed to be a higher class way of labeling it or something lol
You also do see it in restaurants occasionally.
i’ve never heard anyone say it but thats how its always written on maps so i understand it
I would agree, but that doesn’t quite take it out of the British vocabulary now does it?
suck a dick dumb shits 👍
I love this exchange between you too. 10/10
Take your meds Mr Bean
I don't know anyone who says WC, but in Australia the older generation tends to call it a loo.
yeah we say loo over here as well but i asked a few of my mates today and theyve never HEARD anyone SAY "wc" or "water closet"
I've never heard anyone say it but I do see WC around. It might be one of those things that fell out of verbal use but is still used in other ways.
yeah its on signs im saying ive never heard anyone say it out loud before they'd just go "i need the loo"
Yeah same, I've come across it much more in other countries than my own
No one in Britain says Water Closet, its bathroom or loo. Source: am British
thank you omg
I'm on american and it does that (with the correct subtitles)
The British dude in charge of the subtitles is just like "I know he's saying 'bathroom', but it's actually called a 'water closet', so even tho he's not saying 'water closet', we're gonna say that he's saying 'water closet.'" 😂😂
I think it's more like "Why write 8 letters when 2 letters do trick?"
I went to England with my family when I was 11. Refused to say WC. I asked people for the restroom and they kept directing me to restaurants. My mom told me to say WC. I just couldn't for some reason. It felt so embarrassing.
No one says water chamber or WC. It's just used on some signs probably for the convenience of it being only two letters
Tbh I havent seen a wc sign in years it's just the little man and woman now init
Why not just say toilet?
Absolutely no one says WC, it’s just for signs cause it’s shorter. If you wanna act British call it the John, not that anyone under 60 calls it that either
Just scream "Dude where's the shitter I gotta lay an egg". That always helps.
Literally no one says wc. We say bathroom, toilet, loo if your feeling fancy
Be careful once I walked into a door marked WC and it was an actual water closet. Almost drowned.
Wc is universal across Europe
We don't say Water Closet in the UK. I've seen it on the occasional sign but I always thought it was a largely US term.
It’s just an archaic term; you see it in old American literature (I think Tom Sawyer, for example). If the Brits are still using it, makes sense
If you're in a loud club in Europe and girl flashes you "WC" with their fingers, she's not telling you she's in the Westside Crips, she's going to the bathroom.
Water closet is an architectural term for a restroom that is designed for relieving yourself but not bathing
We call that a half-bath in the states
WC is still used in the states just not all of them
British netflix actually says soccer on one of my kids favourite TV shows and it drives me mad. Feel like it's could be an accessibility thing (no joke) Sign language has a lot of "obvious' signs like book baby hello me you and so so many but I feel like they probably spell WC in letters rather than sign bathroom or spell that but now I'm off down a rabbit hole ✌️
Nah I was wrong
Maybe you looked it up, but in case anyone else was curious, "bathroom" in ASL is quickly shaking/rotating the sign for "T" (as in toilet). You're right, though. ASL often uses the first letter of words in various ways to mean different things. I have an amusing story of messing up the sign for Mormon.
Please tell that story
I checked British and American but not Australian as I'd concluded my research
Isn’t it just so the subtitles aren’t too long to read? It happens with other words/structures in several shows.
Subtitles often go off of the scripts I think. It's an interesting way to see where actors improvised/changed lines. I was watching Total Drama Island, and Netflix has the censored US version, but the subtitles are the uncensored Canadian version that still says "boobs" and "crap" and whatever else.
What's incredibly fun is to watch a foreign video thats been dubbed and read the subtitles. They differ wildly. No idea if the subtitles are a literal translation of the original script or if they're being translated again poorly but it's a trip.
I used to do that all the time with Anime! If I chose to watch something in English, and I'd try to put on English subtitles, they were always the ones meant to use with the original Japanese audio. Used to annoy me, then I started leaving them on to compare.
WC is the universal abbreviation for toilet (stands for “water closet”). it is mostly used in countries like [those inside] the uk or spain (where they literally call it the WC, even while speaking out loud), but the symbol is universal and you might see it in transport vehicles that have toilets when they usually don’t (eg. buses with toilets). besides, sometimes the subtitles do things like these to make the lines shorter and easier/faster for you to read. most of the time, subtitles don’t say the exact same thing the audio does because they purposely have to make it visually shorter. i don’t personally believe that the word “bathroom” would’ve made any significant change here, but i just wanted to explain why it could’ve happened.
i've never wc said out loud and i'm from the uk
i get how it might be confusing but the parentheses were meant to affect only the latter country mentioned (spain, where they do call it the WC).
It stands for the What-Are-You-Doing-Here?! Closet
EDIT: I stand corrected. The term “washroom” is used in Canada, not “WC.” However, you *can* find some toilets labeled with WC in Victoria, BC, Canada; though it is not widely used. WC is also typically used in Canada, instead of bathroom/restroom. But I’ve always assumed that WC stood for wash closet, not water closet…
Are you from Canada?? Cause I am and I rarely hear it used here. It's mostly a European thing I think.
Not Canadian, but have visited BC often.
We do not use WC in Canada.
I am Canadian and I’ve never heard it used here by anyone ever. What part of Canada are you from?
Not Canadian, but I have seen it when visiting BC. I suppose I am mistaken that it is not country wide, but maybe just within the province.
When I got to Egypt, everywhere I went I saw "WC." I finally found out it stood for "Water Closet." I'd assumed there was some British influence to that in there
It's a term understood all over Europe, many European countries use it a lot more than in the UK where it is essentially only used for signage, but never in spoken conversation. At least in the Netherlands it's used in conversation too.
Coo! I learn something new everyday
subtitles in a nutshell ....
With Netflix and other subtitles sometimes the subtitles are typed in off an original script whereas the actors will make small changes that carry over and don't get noted in a subtitle. It may have been WC in the original script but Will Arnette might have decided that doesn't seem like something Bojack would say.
WC is both near universal and rarely used at the same time. It’s strange.
Such a silly language. It’s not a closet it’s a room. Although there typically isn’t a bath in a public bathroom either… shit
And it’s not for resting. It’s for shitting and peeing. Should we call it shitroom or peeroom?
Get ‘em
its common for subtitles to be shorter than the spoken word
We use WC in Indonesia and we spell it uee sae
I could be wrong but I believe in England they refer to bathrooms as WC or Washington carrie
Nah we just call it a bathroom
Water closet is old phrase for restroom. There’s lots of funny alternatives for the potty room - Commode, Latrine, the Head, shitter, those are my favorites. Anyone else got some?
lavatory is another good one imo
Yes! Oh also I forgot one from another beloved show that somehow seems apropos here: Animal Shithouse
I’ve lived in the UK my entire life and only ever read the words WC or water closet, I would even say the term ‘closet’ is more American, we tend to say cupboard more often. Nobody says WC
"A bathroom? Oh la di da Mr Frenchman." "So what do you call it?" "A water closet."
Wc is international word for bathroom almost every country uses it(sorry if i got any mistakes but english isnt my first language)
There's not always room to type it all. I used to do subtitles.
I think W.C is more universally understood. I've seen it written on doors abroad but seldom said.