spend a penny
to go to the toilet
TRANSLATION
spend a penny = aufs Klo gehen --- GOOGLE INDEX spend a penny: approximately 170,000 hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
Residents and visitors to Lambeth will now find there are more places to SPEND A PENNY as the number of public toilets has increased…
(www.lambeth.gov.uk)
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The average person spends three years of their life in the smallest room and researchers have found that girls really do take longer to SPEND A PENNY than boys. ...
(The Daily Record)
(www.lambeth.gov.uk)
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The average person spends three years of their life in the smallest room and researchers have found that girls really do take longer to SPEND A PENNY than boys. ...
(The Daily Record)
Did you
know?
spend a penny
idiom (mainly British)
- to go to the toilet (old-fashioned)
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WORD ORIGIN
To spend a penny refers to the coin-operated locks on the doors of public lavatories, which were operated by putting a penny in the slot. The phrase does not appear in print until the 1940s, by which time public conveniences charging a penny had been a feature of London life for about a century. (Allen's English Phrases)
While access to many public lavatories is free these days, some places still charge a modest fee in an effort to keep out vagrants and other "unwanted" people or to help offset cleaning costs. This includes some train stations and motorway rest areas for instance.
But for women to whom money is no obstacle, there is the Superloo in London's West End.
This upmarket toilet, a multi-million pound powder room on Oxford Street, is aimed at women who want to relax as well as use the toilet. It features oversized, air-conditioned toilet cubicles for changing, deep seating, large mirrors and lounge music. Toilets are sterilised and sealed after every use and each cubicle comes with towels, soaps and hand creams. The cost: 5 pounds per visit!
(source: BBC News)
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SYNONYMS
take a leak, have a biobreak (see OWAD archive), go to the John, go to the loo, see a man about a dog, check the plumbing, Nature is calling!
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IMPRESS YOUR FRIENDS TODAY
say something like:
"Excuse me! Where can spend a penny around here?"
idiom (mainly British)
- to go to the toilet (old-fashioned)
---
WORD ORIGIN
To spend a penny refers to the coin-operated locks on the doors of public lavatories, which were operated by putting a penny in the slot. The phrase does not appear in print until the 1940s, by which time public conveniences charging a penny had been a feature of London life for about a century. (Allen's English Phrases)
While access to many public lavatories is free these days, some places still charge a modest fee in an effort to keep out vagrants and other "unwanted" people or to help offset cleaning costs. This includes some train stations and motorway rest areas for instance.
But for women to whom money is no obstacle, there is the Superloo in London's West End.
This upmarket toilet, a multi-million pound powder room on Oxford Street, is aimed at women who want to relax as well as use the toilet. It features oversized, air-conditioned toilet cubicles for changing, deep seating, large mirrors and lounge music. Toilets are sterilised and sealed after every use and each cubicle comes with towels, soaps and hand creams. The cost: 5 pounds per visit!
(source: BBC News)
---
SYNONYMS
take a leak, have a biobreak (see OWAD archive), go to the John, go to the loo, see a man about a dog, check the plumbing, Nature is calling!
---
IMPRESS YOUR FRIENDS TODAY
say something like:
"Excuse me! Where can spend a penny around here?"
