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Author Topic: Brother John, Sister Loo and company  (Read 875 times)

guest70

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Re: Brother John, Sister Loo and company
« Reply #15 on: July 20, 2018, 11:14:13 am »
Quote from: Penguinzrock on July 17, 2018, 07:56:50 pm

In our house, when there is going to be an extended stay, we preface this with "I'm going to retire to the library".

Maybe I'm just an old prude, but why on earth does this need to be "announced" to anyone?
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Offline STiG

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Re: Brother John, Sister Loo and company
« Reply #16 on: July 20, 2018, 11:22:12 am »
In my case, I do like to know when members of the household are indisposed.  So if something comes up that I need their input, or they receive a phone call, I'm not searching all over the house to find them.  I know where they are and can tell callers they will call them back and I can hold my questions until they are no longer indisposed.

Though my first clue would be a dog outside the bedroom door, whining, should my husband be ensconced therein.   ::)
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Offline Lynn2000

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Re: Brother John, Sister Loo and company
« Reply #17 on: July 20, 2018, 01:04:03 pm »
At my parents' house, which has only one bathroom, we announce when we are going in to take showers, so that someone can use the toilet first if they need to. We generally don't announce if we are just going in to use the toilet, though--it's off the main hall so is obvious when the door is closed, there's a light under it, and you can't find someone.

The only time I announce I'm going to use the toilet is if people are waiting on me, like, "I'll just run to the bathroom, and then we can leave." Or, "I'm going inside to use the bathroom, I'll be right back."

I have never lived in a place with multiple bathrooms. That is one of my dreams.
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Offline Apis Mellifera

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Re: Brother John, Sister Loo and company
« Reply #18 on: July 20, 2018, 03:25:29 pm »
Quote from: Lynn2000 on July 17, 2018, 10:55:33 am
Bathroom should just not be thought of literally. I had an elementary school principal who, if someone asked "to go to the bathroom," he would be like, "Why, do you need a bath?" ::) Or restroom--"Why, do you need a rest?" Seriously, it's kids under age 10. If you toy with them they are going to get gross real fast.
Was there anything that was an accepted term that didn't result in stupid questions?

I'm in the camp of calling it a bathroom most of the time, regardless of whether a tub is also present in the room.  Sometimes restroom, or "ladies'" for public in case there's wide separation between the location of the men's and the location of the women's.
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Offline Lynn2000

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Re: Brother John, Sister Loo and company
« Reply #19 on: July 20, 2018, 05:14:19 pm »
Quote from: Apis Mellifera on July 20, 2018, 03:25:29 pm
Quote from: Lynn2000 on July 17, 2018, 10:55:33 am
Bathroom should just not be thought of literally. I had an elementary school principal who, if someone asked "to go to the bathroom," he would be like, "Why, do you need a bath?" ::) Or restroom--"Why, do you need a rest?" Seriously, it's kids under age 10. If you toy with them they are going to get gross real fast.
Was there anything that was an accepted term that didn't result in stupid questions?

I'm in the camp of calling it a bathroom most of the time, regardless of whether a tub is also present in the room.  Sometimes restroom, or "ladies'" for public in case there's wide separation between the location of the men's and the location of the women's.

I think the principal just thought he was being funny.  :P Unless you actually said "toilet," which we usually don't in the US, any of the common terms have a bit of euphemism about them.

Later on he was also my high school principal. He would walk around the school eating something, like an apple, and offer kids a bite (after he had already eaten some), just to watch them shy away. So one time I nonchalantly took the apple and took a bite out of it. He was pretty shocked!  ;D After that he still did it, but whenever he got to me he'd be like, "No, I'm not asking you, 'cause you'll take it!"
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Offline Foxglove

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Re: Brother John, Sister Loo and company
« Reply #20 on: July 20, 2018, 09:12:06 pm »
Quote from: STiG on July 20, 2018, 11:22:12 am
In my case, I do like to know when members of the household are indisposed.  So if something comes up that I need their input, or they receive a phone call, I'm not searching all over the house to find them.  I know where they are and can tell callers they will call them back and I can hold my questions until they are no longer indisposed.

Though my first clue would be a dog outside the bedroom door, whining, should my husband be ensconced therein.   ::)

Do things like this really come up that often? (just questioning the group, not you specifically.)  I really cannot ever recall an occasion, in any sort of household/living arrangement, where someone's being in the toilet created any sort of inconvenience, confusion or logistical problem.  Let alone enough of an issue that I would require advance announcements of intentions for the next 5-15 minutes.   

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Offline STiG

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Re: Brother John, Sister Loo and company
« Reply #21 on: July 20, 2018, 09:38:52 pm »
My husband has had a habit of going off to do things without telling me where he is so yes, I like to know where I can find him so I'm not traipsing all over trying to find him.
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Offline Poesie

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Re: Brother John, Sister Loo and company
« Reply #22 on: July 21, 2018, 03:01:25 am »
Quote from: Foxglove on July 20, 2018, 09:12:06 pm
Quote from: STiG on July 20, 2018, 11:22:12 am
In my case, I do like to know when members of the household are indisposed.  So if something comes up that I need their input, or they receive a phone call, I'm not searching all over the house to find them.  I know where they are and can tell callers they will call them back and I can hold my questions until they are no longer indisposed.

Though my first clue would be a dog outside the bedroom door, whining, should my husband be ensconced therein.   ::)

Do things like this really come up that often? (just questioning the group, not you specifically.)  I really cannot ever recall an occasion, in any sort of household/living arrangement, where someone's being in the toilet created any sort of inconvenience, confusion or logistical problem.  Let alone enough of an issue that I would require advance announcements of intentions for the next 5-15 minutes.

It comes up for me. There’s only one toilet at mum’s place. I do tell her when I’m about to go there. Mum’s old, unwell and has mobility issues so it’s a chance for her to say if she needs to use it first. She also mentions if she’s about to go which is definitely helpful since she has to leave the door open (mobility walker won’t fit in otherwise).

There’s no need to give details of why you need to go though. Play by play descriptions afterwards also not welcome.
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Offline VorFemme

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Re: Brother John, Sister Loo and company
« Reply #23 on: July 21, 2018, 01:13:49 pm »
Quote from: BoxOfFrogs on July 20, 2018, 11:14:13 am
Quote from: Penguinzrock on July 17, 2018, 07:56:50 pm

In our house, when there is going to be an extended stay, we preface this with "I'm going to retire to the library".

Maybe I'm just an old prude, but why on earth does this need to be "announced" to anyone?

So that if there is a phone call for them on the house phone, you can say that you'll have them call back "at their earliest opportunity"?  Instead of having to go hunting while carrying the wireless phone around the house and then finding that they are STILL "not accepting calls"? 
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Offline Penguinzrock

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Re: Brother John, Sister Loo and company
« Reply #24 on: July 21, 2018, 08:03:58 pm »
Quote from: BoxOfFrogs on July 20, 2018, 11:14:13 am
Quote from: Penguinzrock on July 17, 2018, 07:56:50 pm

In our house, when there is going to be an extended stay, we preface this with "I'm going to retire to the library".

Maybe I'm just an old prude, but why on earth does this need to be "announced" to anyone?

We only have 1 bathroom, so it's fair warning if someone else needs to zip in and out quickly!
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Offline Felicia

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Re: Brother John, Sister Loo and company
« Reply #25 on: July 22, 2018, 03:52:43 am »
Bathroom, restroom or toilet would all be standard here.  Most other nicknames (inducing Australianisms like "dunny" would be mostly used in jest or considered excessively casual if not bogan.
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Offline FoxPaws

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Re: Brother John, Sister Loo and company
« Reply #26 on: July 22, 2018, 07:59:29 pm »
I work in retail and we have to let each other know when/why/how long we're leaving the sales floor. I usually say I'm going to the ladies room or sometimes that I'm going to go powder my nose, although I only use the latter if I'm sure the colleague I'm speaking to knows what that means.  :)
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guest70

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Re: Brother John, Sister Loo and company
« Reply #27 on: July 23, 2018, 04:41:03 am »
Quote from: VorFemme on July 21, 2018, 01:13:49 pm
Quote from: BoxOfFrogs on July 20, 2018, 11:14:13 am
Quote from: Penguinzrock on July 17, 2018, 07:56:50 pm

In our house, when there is going to be an extended stay, we preface this with "I'm going to retire to the library".

Maybe I'm just an old prude, but why on earth does this need to be "announced" to anyone?

So that if there is a phone call for them on the house phone, you can say that you'll have them call back "at their earliest opportunity"?  Instead of having to go hunting while carrying the wireless phone around the house and then finding that they are STILL "not accepting calls"?

Sure, but why does anyone need to announce exactly what they're going in there to do?

Also, how big is your house that you have to go hunting? It should be fairly obvious if they're in the loo.
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Offline Oz diva

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Re: Brother John, Sister Loo and company
« Reply #28 on: July 25, 2018, 09:55:27 pm »
Quote from: STiG on July 17, 2018, 03:23:38 pm
'I need to use the facilities' is common here, as well.

A friend of mine used to work a customer facing position and if she needed a break, someone had to watch the desk for her.  Because she didn't want to call out that she needed to use the bathroom when asking someone nearby to cover, she'd say, 'Mary, can you watch the desk for a few minutes?  I need to go check my hair.'

I've used it ever since, after explaining, often to great amusement when one or more of the people in the group are bald.  They laugh and use the same expression.
We might say I need to powder my nose.

I call it The Little Girls room.
Or The loo, toilet, bathroom. It’s also called the bog.
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Offline STiG

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Re: Brother John, Sister Loo and company
« Reply #29 on: July 26, 2018, 09:07:19 am »
Quote from: BoxOfFrogs on July 23, 2018, 04:41:03 am
Sure, but why does anyone need to announce exactly what they're going in there to do?

Also, how big is your house that you have to go hunting? It should be fairly obvious if they're in the loo.

If the members of your household are prone to just wandering off to do something without telling you where they are going, then no, it isn't obvious they're in the loo.  I would much rather somebody tell me they are 'retiring to the library'; at least then, I know where they are and I'm not going all over the house, up and down stairs, out in the extensive yard, front and back, trying to find them when they are needed.
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