Throne

Mon Dec 12 20:06:29 UTC 2011

According to a 25-year-old I spoke with yesterday, "throne" is just a normal word meaning "toilet."

The citations I provided look clear to me. I doubt anything will change my mind now. Once you have evidence that a word _can_ be used in a certain way, oodles of other uses don't negate that evidence.

Benjamin Barrett
Seattle, WA

On Dec 12, 2011, at 11:55 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:

> For people who see "throne" meaning toilet as not being colloquial or
> facetious, what written proof will make a difference?
>
> JL
>
>
> On Mon, Dec 12, 2011 at 2:23 PM, Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at IX.NETCOM.COM>
>> Subject:      Re: Throne
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> You can read the word "toothpaste" as having a colloquial or facetious nature if you want to.
>>
>> My claim is that those citations are good demonstrations that neither applies and exemplify how the word "throne" has changed for many speakers. >
>> I got these citations with two fast and simple Google queries. Many more citations doubtlessly exist.
>>
>> Benjamin Barrett
>> Seattle, WA
>>
>> On Dec 12, 2011, at 11:10 AM, Dan Goncharoff wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> Which of these cites is not colloquial and facetious?
>>> DanG
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sun, Dec 11, 2011 at 10:09 PM, Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at ix.netcom.com>wr=
>>> ote:
>>>
>>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>>> -----------------------
>>>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>> Poster:       Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at IX.NETCOM.COM>
>>>> Subject:      Re: Throne
>>>>
>>>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
>>> ------
>>>>
>>>> Here are some citations demonstrating that "throne" for "toilet" is
>>>> neither strictly colloquial nor facetious:
>>>>
>>>> 1. "Stroke with no Insurance" by Kevin, 14 Jan 2008 (
>>>> http://guaranteedhealthcare.org/your_story/stroke-no-insurance)
>>>>
>>>> -----
>>>> I went in the bathroom and sat down on the throne. Very quickly I realize=
>>> d
>>>> what was happening, I could feel paralysis setting into my arm and leg. A
>>>> constant stream of drool was comming from one side of my mouth, and I
>>>> realized my face was paralyzed also . I realized I was having a stroke.
>>>>
>>>> I got myself off the throne with some trouble and went into the kitchen
>>>> and put my coffee mug in the microwave.
>>>> -----
>>>>
>>>> 2. "Lover Boys" by John Patrick, STARbooks Press, 2006, p. 155 (
>>>> http://ow.ly/7VZPy)
>>>>
>>>> -----
>>>> It just happened one time. Johnny went to the bathroom and I followed him=
>>> .
>>>> He sat down on the throne and I looked at his jewels: fat uncut dick and
>>>> plump balls.
>>>> -----
>>>>
>>>> 3. "On the Can Pretending I'm Jim" by Early Rahmer, 10 Sept 2010 (
>>>> http://voices.yahoo.com/on-pretending-im-jim-6706888.html)
>>>>
>>>> -----
>>>> Simultaneously, the other man walked in and made a beeline to the other
>>>> stall. He flushed the toilet then sat down on the throne and the two of u=
>>> s
>>>> got down to business (I'll spare you the odorous particulars).
>>>> -----
>>>>
>>>> 4-8: Comments found on the Home Depot site:
>>>>
>>>> 4. August 25, 2011 by diydi, http://ow.ly/7kJH9
>>>>
>>>> -----
>>>> this is perfect for the men in my life, easy to install and works like a
>>>> charm. my husband especially likes the slow close on this one. the perfec=
>>> t
>>>> seat for the throne in my house.
>>>> -----
>>>>
>>>> 5. August 21, 2011 by sbains, http://ow.ly/7kJJ7
>>>>
>>>> -----
>>>> The only complaint is the weight of this beast, it took a lot of strength
>>>> to haul it, so I took it upstairs in pieces. But once installed, it is
>>>> solid throne!
>>>> -----
>>>>
>>>> 6. April 3, 2010 by phonejones, http://ow.ly/7kJKy
>>>>
>>>> -----
>>>> Bought two to replace the throne in both bathrooms. A little heavy which
>>>> makes it hard to install without help. I would have it installed by a pro
>>>> if I ever do it again.
>>>> The toilets are the fastest flushing I have ever see. The one peice makes
>>>> it easy to clean especially with the new lids which detach with a flip of=
>>> a
>>>> tab.
>>>> -----
>>>>
>>>> 7. January 24, 2011 by dtb136, http://ow.ly/7kJMH
>>>>
>>>> -----
>>>> Having a heated toilet seat is great. My only complaint (and it's minor)
>>>> is that even on the low setting it might be a little too hot and that's
>>>> only if you linger on the throne. Otherwise it's great. My kids and wife
>>>> battle for it.
>>>> -----
>>>>
>>>> 8. February 28, 2007 by JayDee, http://ow.ly/7kJO4
>>>>
>>>> -----
>>>> The Wellworth is a good quality, easy-to-install throne, in my experience=
>>> .
>>>> -----
>>>>
>>>> Benjamin Barrett
>>>> Seattle, WA
>>>>
>>>> On Nov 5, 2011, at 6:59 PM, Ron Butters wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> nah, these are facetious usages. You will not find Home Depot
>>>> advertising thrones for sale.
>>>>>
>>>>> Sent from my Droid Charge on Verizon 4GLTE
>>>>>
>>>>> ------Original Message------
>>>>> From: Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at IX.NETCOM.COM>
>>>>>
>>>>> When looking at the histories of words, I sometimes wonder how a word
>>>> could have gained certain connotations and changed. An excellent point of
>>>> reference is "throne," which is a bizarre contemporary example.
>>>>>
>>>>> The AHD labels the meaning of "toilet" for "throne" as facetious. The
>>>> OED labels it as figurative and colloquial. The two most recent OED
>>>> quotations have the word in quotes. Wiktionary labels it as colloquial.
>>>>>
>>>>> I think it's time to accept the fact that "throne" is here to stay and
>>>> toss the labels. Here are two more citations. Both articles include the
>>>> word "toilet" to prime the reader but it is only a matter of time.
>>>>>
>>>>> 1.
>>>> http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/realestate/2016531611_realbathrooms=
>>> 16.html
>>>>>
>>>>> "Bells and whistles descend upon the throne" by Sam Brobart, October 21=
>>> ,
>>>> 2011, from the New York Times.
>>>>>
>>>>> -----
>>>>> The Numi costs $6,400 or 81 times the price of the basic throne at Home
>>>> Depot.
>>>>> -----
>>>>>
>>>>> 2. http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1882569,00.html
>>>>>
>>>>> "Edible Excretions: Taiwan's Toilet Restaurant" by Natalie Tso, March 2=
>>> ,
>>>> 2009.
>>>>>
>>>>> -----
>>>>> Toilet creations aren't new to China. The ancient Chinese may have been
>>>> the first to use the throne =97 a flush toilet was found in a tomb of a
>>>> Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C. to A.D. 24) king =97 and they invented toil=
>>> et
>>>> paper in the 6th century.
>>>>> -----
>>

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