At the course where we most often play golf, the \u201cclub house\u201d area was closed during the pandemic. They installed a window so you could pay your green fees without entering the facility. There was a sign on the door that said the facility was closed to the public \u2014 and you could enter only if you needed to use the \u201cJohn.\u201d The use of the word John to refer to the toilet is common, but it\u2019s not usually used on a sign like this one. Well, of course, this got me to wondering\u2026. how did \u201cJohn\u201d come to refer to a toilet? I wonder what John did to deserve so much disrespect?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The most common explanation for why we call the bathroom the John is that it retained an association with the first name of British nobleman Sir John Harington, who invented the flush toilet in 1596. But the truth is that although Harington is usually credited with devising a prototype of the flush toilet, the \u201cjohn\u201d moniker for the bathroom is probably not related to his achievements. (This is probably a good time to note that the flushing toilet concept<\/em> is credited to Thomas Crapper\u2026. yea, that leads to another popular myth \u2014 and maybe another blog entry.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n But back to Harington \u2014 the newfangled toilet idea never really caught on during Harington\u2019s lifetime; it didn\u2019t come into widespread use until after 1775, when another British inventor, Alexander Cummings, received a patent for it. The term \u201cjohn\u201d for the bathroom wasn\u2019t recorded in print until the mid-18th century. And of course \u201cjohn\u201d is an American<\/em> term \u2014 you don\u2019t hear people in Britain call the bathroom \u201cjohn\u201d \u2014 they call it the \u201cW.C.\u201d (water closet.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n As I mentioned, the first recorded use of the term \u201cjohn\u201d to refer to the bathroom dates back to 1738 and is found in the rules that governed the actions of incoming Harvard freshmen\u2026. \u201cNo freshman shall mingo against the College wall or go into the fellows\u2019 cuz john.\u201d Supposedly, \u201ccuz john\u201d was short for cousin John, an 18th-century American slang term for the bathroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The word \u201cmingo\u201d was slang for urinating. It\u2019s interesting to note that the college elders at Harvard found it necessary to enact a rule prohibiting students from peeing on the sides of college buildings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Cousin John\u2019s actual identity is a mystery, but he probably wan\u2019t anybody in particular. \u201cGoing to visit cousin John\u201d was probably just a euphemism for using the bathroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course the name John is one of the most common names and, probably because it is so common, has become a generic designation for any man \u2014 like\u2026 Mac, Jack, or Joe. We\u2019re familiar with phrases like Hey, Mac! Got a light? and the term G.I. Joe has come to mean any man serving in the military. \u201cJohndarm\u201d or \u201cJohn\u201d is a slang word for a policeman \u2014 especially in France. The term \u201cJohn Doe\u201d originated in English law as a fictitious name to describe one of the people involved in certain types of litigation. John Doe is also often used to refer to a corpse whose identity is unknown. A demijohn is a large bottle, usually encased in wicker, like a bottle of Chianti. A prostitute\u2019s client is often referred to as a john. A John boat is a small, flat-bottomed boat used on inland waterways. A johnny cake is a cake made of cornmeal and toasted over a fire. A shameful name from the past, in the United States, is \u201cJohn Crow.\u201d We\u2019ve all been asked to sign our \u201cJohn Hancock\u201d and many people have received a Dear John Letter. Most of us have heard about John Henry and John Q. Public as well as John Law. And if you\u2019re a Johnnie-come-lately, you\u2019ve probably wondered who shot John?<\/p>\n\n\n\n So those whose name is John should feel honored that their name has spawned so many expressions, even though not all of them are likely to please bearers of the name. At the course where we most often play golf, the \u201cclub house\u201d area was closed during the pandemic. They installed a window so you could pay your green fees without entering the facility. There was a sign on the door … Continue reading
\u2014 30 \u2014<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"