A subject that has come up several times with my students is
how to refer to the washroom. As some of
them found out on a trip to New York, this
seems to be a Canadian word, and not commonly understood in the US. Though I cannot be completely sure of this, I
do know that there are a lot of names for that place.
In Public
The washroom (only in Canada)
the restroom
the powder room (used by women)
the Men's Room, the Ladies' Room
the boys' room, the girls' room
The little boys' room, the little girls' room
Having spent time in Europe,
some other words come to mind
the WC (wash closet, or water closet)
the gents', the ladies'
the lavatory
the loo
in the military/navy
the latrine
the head (on a ship, in the navy)
I have also heard it called
the privy
the outhouse (though this was once a structure built
outside, I have heard people use it for the room inside their house...though not
frequently)
Surprisingly
It is sometimes called the john or the can. No, I am not kidding.
My advice is to try them all and see which ones give you the best reaction. If you know any others, do not hesitate to add them to the comments box... and don't worry if you want to comment anonymously.
Whatever you call it, these days toilet usually refers to
the important piece of furniture in that room, and isn't usually referred to in
public, but can be used among friends.
