Throne

Mon Dec 12 20:39:05 UTC 2011

wrong. One can read "toothpaste" as a facetious figure of speech only if the context makes it clear that that is the author's intent.

But "throne" can mean 'toilet' only in pragmatic environments where it cannot plausibly mean something else.

Sent from my Droid Charge on Verizon 4GLTE

------Original Message------
From: Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at IX.NETCOM.COM>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Date: Monday, December 12, 2011 11:23:56 AM GMT-0800
Subject: Re: [ADS-L] 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. For people who see "throne" meaning toilet as always being colloquial or facetious, no written proof will make a difference.

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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