THE TOILET AND ITS SYNONYMS

As a visitor to a foreign country, you will definitely need to ask for the toilet.The English language offers a great number of words, which may vary not only from country to country, but also in degree of formality. It is important to note that some terms are very colloquial and, therefore, should be avoided in public and/or professional situations, mainly when you do not know the person you are talking to.

1. Lavatory = more formal expression, often used in airplanes.
2. Toilet= general expression in British English used by almost everybody.In American English, the word toilet refers to the fixture itself and not to the room that it is in.
3. Washroom= a room with a toilet and a place to wash your hands in it, in a public place such as a restaurant or school.
4. Loo=  British informal word for lavatory.
5. John= an informal American word for a toilet or bathroom. e.g I gotta go to the john.
6. Bog= British informal word, but sounds a little impolite.
7. Dunny= informal Australian/ New Zealand English.
8. Crapper= vulgar word for toilet.
9. Water closet = Another euphemism 'water closet' is often used in restaurants and hotels. Nowadays it has been shortened to the acronym ‘W.C.’.
10. 'ladies' and 'gentlemen' are the traditional notices posted outside public toilets in the UK. 'Gentlemen' has become abbreviated to ‘gents’.
11. powder room= a polite word for a women's toilet in a public building, such as a restaurant, hotel, theatre, etc.
12. The smallest room = An euphemism for toilet, which is now rather dated and is little used.
13. Little boys' room / little girls' room e.g Can you please tell me where the little girls’ room is?
14. Restroom= American word for toilet; a room with a toilet for customers to use in a restaurant or other public place.
15. Public convenience = it is a polite way to refer to public toilet.
16. Bathroom =1) in British English, it is a room in a house that contains a bath or shower, a washbasin, and sometimes a toilet. 2) General word in American English.
17. .An en-suite bathroom = it is directly connected to a bedroom: e.g I ‘d like to stay in a hotel room with an en-suite bathroom.

Here are some common expressions that English-speakers use to ask where the toilet is situated.

“Where is the ______________?”

“Can/ Could you tell me where the __________ is?

“Which way is the _____________?”

“I need to use the _________, where can I find it?

“Excuse me, where can I find the _______________?

‘Can/ Could I use the___________, please?

Obviously, in casual situations, native speakers use zillion ways to say that they need to use the toilet. However, as learners of English, you just need to use the following sentences in order to sound informal but polite.

"Excuse me, I have to go to the ________”.

“Excuse me, I’m just going to the________”

‘Excuse me, I just need to use the _______"