Sunday Rest: Word Not To Use Today: toilet.

The only good thing about this word is that sometimes people raise a snigger by putting a letter i in the middle of TO LET signs.

Otherwise, it's horrible.  

I mean, the word causes trouble everywhere. It makes the lavatory brigade look down their noses. (The lavatory brigade raises such a lovely image of ranks of befrogged uniforms, brushes held at the salute.)

The bog people (a very much less lovely image, I'm afraid) will despise toilet-users for being prim.

The loo people will despise toilet-users for being infantile.

I would say the thing's a minefield, except that my all-too-vivid imagination doesn't even want to go there.


Anyway, it's a horrid flat-footed word, Toi-Let, and it's really best avoided by anyone with an ounce of poetry in their souls.  

Oh, and I must just mention that my mother's bottle of toilet water puzzled me for ages...

Word Not To Use Today: toilet. This word comes from the French toilette, which means to dress. Which is odd, as surely you need to undress, don't you?