a possibly minority position

[Ajda Kljun]

Wasn't it the German musician Max Reger who said that? See
http://books.google.si/books?id=wgoOxgWl6roC&pg=PA744&lpg=PA744&dq=%22smallest+room%22+reger&source=web&ots=wQeFp1K4gT&sig=4ulGjqG_7T2pNAvArXSREZGVsuc&hl=sl#PPA744,M1.


Regards, Ajda.

2008/3/31, Jerry Katsell <jerry3 at roadrunner.com>:
>
> Dear John and Ryan and All,
>
> It seems that Dr. Samuel Johnson may have something to contribute to
> toilet references, viz., "the smallest room in the house." As he wrote
> once upon a time to one of his critics:
>
>
> "I'm reading your letter. I'm sitting in the smallest room in the house.
> It shall soon be behind me."
>
> Cheers,
>
> Jerry Katsell
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list
> [mailto:SEELANGS at BAMA.UA.EDU] On Behalf Of Meredig, John
> Sent: Monday, March 31, 2008 6:24 AM
> To: SEELANGS at BAMA.UA.EDU
> Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] a possibly minority position
>
> All this toilet talk reminds me of all the amusement I caused for my
> German friends many years ago when I told them: Ich muss ins Klo. The
> room vs. the fixture can indeed be an important distinction.
>
> John Meredig
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list
> [mailto:SEELANGS at BAMA.UA.EDU] On Behalf Of William Ryan
> Sent: Sunday, March 30, 2008 8:17 PM
> To: SEELANGS at BAMA.UA.EDU
> Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] a possibly minority position
>
> In British English the toilet unit itself is called, in a hardware
> catalogue, a 'toilet pan' (hence the expression 'down the pan' = gone to
> waste, ruined) or sometimes 'toilet pedestal', or just 'toilet', and
> this is indeed the Russian 'unitaz' (from the British brand name Unitas,
> c. 1870 - I have seen several with this trade mark in older Russian
> houses). But 'toilet' is vague and can also be a room or whole edifice,
> e.g. a public toilet.
>
> British and American euphemisms in this area differ a good deal and can
> be a source of embarrassing international misunderstanding. I remember,
> as a young student still unfamiliar with US English, being accosted by
> an elderly American lady in the Bodleian Library in Oxford who asked me
> if I could direct her to 'the little girl's room' (I am not sure where
> the apostrophe goes). I was genuinely puzzled by this and unable to help
> her.
>
> Will Ryan
>
>
> Paul B. Gallagher wrote:
> > Alina Israeli wrote:
> >
> >> Tualet in Russian was borrowed from French and it means 1. a garment,
>
> >> usually a fancy ensemble; 2. taking care of one's appearance
> >> (zanimat'sja svoim tualetom); 3. a table with a mirror; 4. (finally
> >> the euphemistic) bathroom.
> >>
> >> The English toilet would be translated as unitaz.
> >
> > When we need to disambiguate, an унитаз is called a "commode." This
> > word can only refer to the fixture, never to the room. "Toilet" is
> > ambiguous, at least in American English. It can even be a verb (!).
> >
>
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