My friends in London used to find it funny when we were out and I would look for a bathroom.
They'd say, "You won't find a bath in the loo.''
That was true. At the National Gallery or the theater, they'll provide you a toilet and sink, but they likely wouldn't want you to bathe in the place.
"Loo" was the word my friends used much of the time, but in public places, the signs either led you to the "Toilet" or the "W.C." for water closet.
When my sister, Norma Jean, visited me in London, I asked her whether she had to use the toilet. She shot me a confused, slightly appalled look.
One London tour guide told us that "loo" came from "gardyloo," an English corruption of the French phrase "regardez l'eau," meaning "watch out for the water." The story was that servants in the Middle Ages would alert people as they, not knowing much about hygiene, emptied chamber pots out of upper-story windows into the streets.
But the Oxford Dictionaries website says that is nonsense because "gardyloo" was already out of usage before "loo" came along. The site's authors had no better explanation, though.
During a visit years later to Ottawa, Canada, I was directed to the "washroom." That term struck me as more accurate than bathroom.
It's also better than our use of "restroom." One probably doesn't get much rest in the restroom, unless one is hiding from small children.
Many of my friends with kids call the bathroom "the potty," but that's a whole other issue.
UPS AND DOWNS
"Up" and "down" are useful words that play many roles. Sometimes they're adverbs, helping verbs along. Sometimes they're adjectives, describing things. Sometimes they're verbs, showing action, and sometimes they're prepositions, connecting sentence parts.
An empty canoe landed down the river.
This ring was passed down from generation to generation.
Pick up some ice cream on your way home.
I try to keep up on the news.
After work, he downed three bourbons in a row.
She was down on her luck.
These words are fine, but they sometimes boldly appear where they aren't needed. The italicized words in these sentences are extra.
They closed down the store.
Heat up the pan before adding crepe batter.
I'm frying up some chicken.
Set the book down on the table.
At the picnic, she gazed up at the sky.
Start up the car.
The kitten was found down in the hole.
To figure out whether the "up" or "down" is needed, replace "up" with "down" or "down" with "up," as in these examples:
At the picnic, she gazed down at the sky.
Heat down the pan.
Both sound funny, so the "up" is implied and doesn't need to be in the sentence. Save words where you can.
The kitten was found up in the hole? Probably not.
CHATTERY WAYS
The word of the week that I had to look up is "logorrhea," pronounced "lah-guh-ree-a," with the accent on the third syllable.
The term describes prolonged, long-lasting talkativeness, chattiness that's often incoherent. It comes from the Greek roots for "words" and "flow.''
I have perused books that read like cases of "logorrhea." More often, I've encountered the condition with people in establishments that serve alcohol.
Sources: Oxford Dictionaries, Literally the Best Language Book Ever by Paul Yeager, Phrontistery.info, M-W.com
Reach Bernadette at
ActiveStyle on 09/11/2017