pay toilets

[Ruth Barton]

At 3:24 PM -0400 4/13/02, James A. Landau wrote:
>In a message dated 04/13/2002 1:29:29 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
>mam at THEWORLD.COM writes:

>Just a guess, but could it be that the "dime" in question was the one spent
>to get into a pay toilet and "get off the dime" is a rewording, or maybe
>euphemism, for "get off the pot"?
>
>     Here I sit,
>     broken-hearted
>     paid my dime
>     and only farted
>
>According to an Englishwoman I met in 1982, British pay toilets (or whatever
>they call them) cost a shilling, and "I have to spend a shilling" meant "I
>have to go to the lieu".
>
>       - Jim Landau



Hereabouts pay toilets must have cost one cent at one time because "spend a
penny" is the term used for having to use the latrine.  Ruth in Vermont,
USA.

PS:  Miraculously I remembered to put my answer at the bottom, most of my
genealogy groups want it at the top.
--
Ruth Barton
mrgjb at sover.net
Westminster, VT