h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hotels do.

My bedroom has been rahter like a hotel, since I was a child... A According to my parents, I always treated the place as an hotel anyhow.... I assumed they were refering to the endless stream of strangers I took up to the bedroom

2legs. Are you Jimmy Savile?

PP.

you are Jimmy Savile?

and I claim my 2 shillings reward!

No... even I am not quite* that* camp

Mr Deadful

"Folk etymology. No links have been found between the terms, with 'loo' coming into common use long after 'gardyloo' (gardez l'eau) fell out of common use."

Is that not the point about folk knowledge and habits? They usually reflect the life of the common people- and therefore an oral tradition.. I get the impression from a very vague acquaintance with Cockney rhyming slang that many of the terms drew upon an enduring folk knowledge of London's history. And in fact I was just looking this morning at a history book's second edition c1925 that made the point that London life was scarcely changed at all by the industrial revolution, in contrast to Lancashire. London had its revolution back in the times of "Gardez-l'eau" when London led and won the revolutionary struggle of that time.. In fact I wonder whether the term is not connected with the Huguenot's settling in Spitalfields and bringing with them a French obsession with making their own space as clean as possible, often just by piling all the rubbish on to public space.

Cass

Not really no... 'folk etymology' is a nicer way of saying 'it's made up', it has nothing to do with actual folk traditions.

Like most of the allegedly acronymic origins of words. It's simply that for some reason people can't get their heads around the idea that a word simply developed and *we don't know how*.

Having had a job that involved cleaning the loos at work, I can definitely confirm that the gents' stinks, and there's no way of getting rid of it. Definite reason not to share till they learn to aim.

Malabarista

Sadly one of the things that males may have to adjust to as they get older is that aiming is no longer actually possible..

But it takes some time for male pride to accept a decline in ones ability to perform well on that particular instrument.

Cass

Any gardener with experience of a hose nozzle
can attest to inexplicable dribbles and even
stray spray to the sides when the nozzle gets
worn or corroded with age. The spirit is still
quite willing but the flesh is weak.

And yet in defense of my age and gender I must
say it is the young drunks who do their worst.


~jwf~

Gentlemen, if you can't aim, sit down.

I do, I do.

Gentlemen should please refrain
From spraying with disdain

I think it was Jack Nicholson who first made me aware of this need to abandon the habits of a lifetime- in some film where he played a character of "a certain age" as the French would say.

Cass

If you have directional diffs, yes, please sit down. If it helps, don't think of it as an inconvenience in the conveniences, rather a chance to take the weight of your feet for a minute or two.

In Canada we have a lot of snow in winter and
the tradition of writing one's name in the snow
with a well directed stream of hot urine is often
developed into a fine art among young men. The
length of your name can prove problematic.

Now, it might be entirely speculation on my part
but I have long suspected that this activity may be
the true origin of cursive writing. No one of my
acquaintance was ever able to stop and start
their flow to 'print' their name.


~jwf~

My, er, 'pen' is going to corrode? Nooooooooo!

I will be reduced to leaving illegible initials then!

PP

Was that really PP ? Or a load of the other stuff?

Cass