|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
a hole in the floor to squat over
According to the AHD, it's from the phrase meaning to keep clothes. Any usage involving squatting over holes would be secondary offshhots of the main definition of a clothes closet.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
Carpal Tunnel
|
OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296 |
Well, we need an architecture history person, Faldage, because the garderobe was a feature of castles discussed at length a while back on AWAD on the castle thread--and it doesn't make sense that they would have moved historically from the closet for clothes called a garderobe to a latrine in the wall called one.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
it doesn't make sense
We are not talking of sense, here, madam; we are talking of euphemism.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981
Pooh-Bah
|
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981 |
>we are talking of euphemism
So they would have said - "I'm just off to check out the contents of the wardrobe [ wink]"
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
off to check out the contents of the wardrobe
Right. Or how many of y'all keep a horse (or even a dog) that you have to see a man (or a bloke, as the case may be) about in your WC?
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,819
Pooh-Bah
|
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,819 |
"Garderobe" comes from the French garder, to keep, + robe. So a place to keep clothes, literally. In other words, a closet. So it sounds to me like a euphemism, perhaps based in part on the size of the room. Of course in some English speaking places the room where the toilet is kept is called the "water closet" or "W.C." for short.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
Dear WW: I have a castle term to challenge you with. What is an "adulterine castle"? It is hot a place to indulge in adulterous liasons.
|
|
|
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,350
Members9,182
|
Most Online3,341 Dec 9th, 2011
|
|
0 members (),
845
guests, and
1
robot. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|