Family-Appropriate Jokes

Sheila: “I really need the loo, mate. You about done your business in there?”
Voice inside the water closet: “Just signing the paperwork.”
Sheila looks concerned.
Sheila: “I thought you wanted this to be a family strip?” Voice from out of frame: “And what family doesn’t have potty jokes?”

I know my family certainly had a lot of potty jokes. Mind you, I’m not at all sure my family could have been called “typical” (and certainly not, heaven forefend, “normal”), and perhaps we attracted other families and friends who thought in similar terms. However, the water closet was, is, and shall forever remain the most vital room in the house, so let us celebrate it appropriately. All in favor… no, wait, that might be going too far…

I went searching for the origins of the British term “loo,” and the best explanation comes from The Word Detective. It would be impolite to steal their thunder (yes, there are two authors), so please read their brief, thorough, scholarly explanation. (Consider subscribing to their page as well; they’re quite good!)

Chapter

  • Miscellaneous Goodies

Location

  • House

Characters

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Older Comments (Closed for Reply)

Darevenin
February 18, 2020, 9:57 am | # | Reply
And I guess he or she has to sign it in 3 copies… 😐
 

Tristan Black Wolf
February 21, 2020, 2:16 am | Reply
Happily, the usual 2-ply should do the trick…

Nebs
September 9, 2020, 7:45 pm
I figured “loo” had the same origins as “lieu,” so it just meant “the place.” The first people who could afford indoor plumbing were the posh sort who refused to acknowledge that the lower half of the body exists in polite company. Which place? THAT place.

 

Tristan Black Wolf
September 10, 2020, 4:26 pm
That’s part of what The Word Detective describes. “The origin of ‘loo’ has been hotly, and often quite creatively, debated since the word first appeared.” The full article is short and worth reading. The link is in the strip comments, above.