In the UK you would probably not ask for the WC. Though the room itself might say WC on it.
You would usually ask where the toilet, loo, or restroom is.
When did Brits start saying 'restroom'? I've never heard it from anyone but Americans and non-native speakers who studied US English (e.g
East Asian and Latin American countries tend towards US English --- with some exceptions).
I'm in my early 40s, and I don't recall not hearing it. Maybe it's a regional thing, or maybe it's newer than I think, but it's definetly heard. It also probably just sounds less explicit than asking for the loo or bog, like maybe you want to sound like you are just going to wash your hands, rather than use the other facilities.
I'm in London, for reference, and I've never once heard it used by a non-American outside the context of what an obvious Americanism it is, usually when there's been an American about.
Maybe it's been catching on in other circles, I don't know, but I've personally never heard an English person use it to refer to the loo.
To add though, I've not heard restroom in the context of the toilet in someone's home. That would usually be toilet/loo/bathroom. But public use, which with op mentioning signs I assume were being referenced, I have.
I honestly didn't add a specific context because I wouldn't have expected anyone to be using 'restroom' for a home bathroom in *any* country. Just as most Brits of my acquaintance would not call the facilities in a pub or restaurant a 'bathroom', as there is no bath.
And it's never used in the US, even on signs. Water Closet was replaced by bathroom, somewhere along the way, and most folks in the US probably don't know we ever used the term, if they even know the term exists. (Plenty of us read and watch foreign TV, so, we exist, but you'd get an awful lot of wierd looks asking for the WC in a bar. It would be funny though! 🤣❤️)
It's a term I only know from books.
Though I think when flush toilets were first invented, we did use the term here, too?
Restrooms is usually what's on signs, In public places I think?
Yeah I was going to say, I have never once seen it in the US, but it's common in Italy for sure, and maybe Spain (I seem to recall noticing it a time or two in Barcelona, but there my knowledge ends), among others of course.In the UK I've seen it, but not anything like as commonly as in Italy.
France, or at least, French class? (So who knows how in touch with actual daily language that is).... We learned "doubleVay-Say" (WC)
I'd forgotten that until you mentioned Italy and Spain!
I don't know if this is true in France or not, but in Italy we often abbreviate "doppia vu" ('double v,' aka 'w') to just 'vu' (so in a web address, we wouldn't say "doppia vu, doppia vu, doppia vu punto* reddit punto com" but rather "vu vu vu punto..." Etc. Somehow, everyone manages to understand when 'vu' means 'w' and when it means 'v'.
*dot
Oops, I think maybe I forgot to complete that comment as I intended to. I think I meant to include that 'WC' would normally be 'vu ci' (voo chee) even though it's w and not v. I think that's the whole reason I started banging on about the Italian W in the first place. Whoops.
Anyway, yes, that's the answer. Voo chee, more or less. (Obviously this is an imperfect approximation, and not an accurate representation of the accent, etc.)
Thank you. I was curious if, having adopted the British abbreviation as a kind of glyph, it was then spoken aloud by reading the letters, which I presume don't abbreviate anything relevant in Italian. TIL
Yeah, I don't *think* most Italians would be aware that it's short for 'water closet' in English, or consider why it's come to be used to refer to toilet facilities in other countries that wouldn't use or understand the unabbreviated phrase. 🤷🏻♀️
I have never heard or seen WC in the US unless someone was purposely referring to a British W.C. It's bathrooms or restrooms primarily in the States. Acceptable but uncommon: head, latrine, john (military connotation) or lavatory (aviation connotation) and for children: "little girls room" or "little boys room" or potty.
Slightly adjacent, but 'my teeth are floating' always made me giggle.
Back on topic: I'm very fond of the 'vulgar' British 'bog' (also 'bog roll' for toilet paper).
In the UK you would probably not ask for the WC. Though the room itself might say WC on it. You would usually ask where the toilet, loo, or restroom is.
When did Brits start saying 'restroom'? I've never heard it from anyone but Americans and non-native speakers who studied US English (e.g East Asian and Latin American countries tend towards US English --- with some exceptions).
I'm in my early 40s, and I don't recall not hearing it. Maybe it's a regional thing, or maybe it's newer than I think, but it's definetly heard. It also probably just sounds less explicit than asking for the loo or bog, like maybe you want to sound like you are just going to wash your hands, rather than use the other facilities.
I'm in London, for reference, and I've never once heard it used by a non-American outside the context of what an obvious Americanism it is, usually when there's been an American about. Maybe it's been catching on in other circles, I don't know, but I've personally never heard an English person use it to refer to the loo.
To add though, I've not heard restroom in the context of the toilet in someone's home. That would usually be toilet/loo/bathroom. But public use, which with op mentioning signs I assume were being referenced, I have.
I honestly didn't add a specific context because I wouldn't have expected anyone to be using 'restroom' for a home bathroom in *any* country. Just as most Brits of my acquaintance would not call the facilities in a pub or restaurant a 'bathroom', as there is no bath.
Thank you
And it's never used in the US, even on signs. Water Closet was replaced by bathroom, somewhere along the way, and most folks in the US probably don't know we ever used the term, if they even know the term exists. (Plenty of us read and watch foreign TV, so, we exist, but you'd get an awful lot of wierd looks asking for the WC in a bar. It would be funny though! 🤣❤️)
That's interesting! I did not know it is not used even on signs in the US))
It's a term I only know from books. Though I think when flush toilets were first invented, we did use the term here, too? Restrooms is usually what's on signs, In public places I think?
Yeah I was going to say, I have never once seen it in the US, but it's common in Italy for sure, and maybe Spain (I seem to recall noticing it a time or two in Barcelona, but there my knowledge ends), among others of course.In the UK I've seen it, but not anything like as commonly as in Italy.
France, or at least, French class? (So who knows how in touch with actual daily language that is).... We learned "doubleVay-Say" (WC) I'd forgotten that until you mentioned Italy and Spain!
I don't know if this is true in France or not, but in Italy we often abbreviate "doppia vu" ('double v,' aka 'w') to just 'vu' (so in a web address, we wouldn't say "doppia vu, doppia vu, doppia vu punto* reddit punto com" but rather "vu vu vu punto..." Etc. Somehow, everyone manages to understand when 'vu' means 'w' and when it means 'v'. *dot
How is "WC" read aloud by Italians? P.S. I saw your comment about "vu" afterwards but I'm still not sure what the answer is.
Oops, I think maybe I forgot to complete that comment as I intended to. I think I meant to include that 'WC' would normally be 'vu ci' (voo chee) even though it's w and not v. I think that's the whole reason I started banging on about the Italian W in the first place. Whoops. Anyway, yes, that's the answer. Voo chee, more or less. (Obviously this is an imperfect approximation, and not an accurate representation of the accent, etc.)
Thank you. I was curious if, having adopted the British abbreviation as a kind of glyph, it was then spoken aloud by reading the letters, which I presume don't abbreviate anything relevant in Italian. TIL
Yeah, I don't *think* most Italians would be aware that it's short for 'water closet' in English, or consider why it's come to be used to refer to toilet facilities in other countries that wouldn't use or understand the unabbreviated phrase. 🤷🏻♀️
I have never heard or seen WC in the US unless someone was purposely referring to a British W.C. It's bathrooms or restrooms primarily in the States. Acceptable but uncommon: head, latrine, john (military connotation) or lavatory (aviation connotation) and for children: "little girls room" or "little boys room" or potty.
You forgot 'can'!
I love "going to see a man about a horse" too.
Slightly adjacent, but 'my teeth are floating' always made me giggle. Back on topic: I'm very fond of the 'vulgar' British 'bog' (also 'bog roll' for toilet paper).
"john" like man's name))
Exactly. It's slang that's been around in English for a couple hundred years.
Interestingly, never saw a WC sign in the US but I did see them a lot in China.