New legislation that could affect us all.

A coworker liked to go to the big sporting events in the big arenas where the wait was long due to just a couple of loos.When He got there They were heavily used and the prior user invariably left the seat up. His solution was to use the side of His shoe to put the seat down. Seems a better way. Told the wifey this and She about upchucked.

Hmmm, smacks of etymythology to me, like the explanations of 'sleep tight', 'posh', 'threshold' and many other phrases and sayings we are expected to believe.

George B

They were normally in the outhouse blimey showing my age now

You're probably right - I blame that QI program for a lot of it

It is a long time ago now but when I was in Germany, the public toilets were usually supervised by a large lady who would collect a small fee and open the door to the cubicle while handing out a 6 inch square of paper. I always carried a small wad of paper in my pocket for such rare occasions when needed. The urinal was free but in full view of the supervisor. Needless to say we did not hang around there for long.

We have got into the habit of always closing the lid down properly ever since we saw a video somewhere of a rat climbing up out of a toilet. They are out there in the sewers and apparently the u bend is no obstacle to a determined rat.

John

Which gives us (and Georgineer) the origin of "u-dirty rat"

I see Harry mentions the famous bananas.

There genuinely was an EU Directive on the shape and size of bananas - though it did not demand they are straight! It placed limits on size and curvature.

It was an example of how poorly the organisation is reported in the UK, leading to those who used the Directive as an example of petty rules gone 'nanas, being called "liars" by their opponents. The bananas rule's existence was really only revealed generally when the EU "repeeled" it, along with a raft of others!

Why was it ever made in the first place? Many of the specific EU regulations are requested by Big Business, in this case the supermarkets.

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On the old question of Lavatory Seats, the Lowering Thereof...

Those of my age may recall the old BBC radio words-game, "My Word". I forget if on the Light Programme or the Home Service before the Beeb fell for the fashion of using only dull numbers; but it was played by a regular two teams: two men and two women, all writers and literary critics.

I forget the context, but still recall one of the chaps - Frank Muir or Denis Norden - explaining in one edition that Railway Carriage Lavatories used to bear brass plaques with the four words:

Gentlemen Lift The Seat

The speaker pointed out that the lack of punctuation and "Please" rendered this both peremptory command and a definition of a Gentleman.

Which of course also means when we of the Hunter side are taken to task by the Distaff side for leaving the seat up - EU Directives or not -, our defence is of indicating we are true Gentlemen.

I recall as young boy whose family frequently used what had been part of the Southern Railway until only a few years before I was "out-shopped", they also bore signs saying,

Gentlemen adjust your dress before leaving [ the lavatory],

which puzzled me greatly, having never known a chap to wear a dress.

Working in a car factory which used to be a very male environment imagine the surprise when a “lady” turned up for an interview for the post of electrical training instructor. The powerful handshake and deep voice raised a few suspicions. It’s probably fortunate for he/she that they were not offered the post as what we are becoming accustomed to today and largely accept as normal was definitely unusual in the early 80s and the apprentices and maintenance guys would have been unmerciless. I wonder if ladies are advised to adjust their dress before leaving, a friend failed to advise his wife her dress was tucked in to her knickers, I wonder if the laugh was worth the bollocking?

Mike

Perfection, Perfection this must be our goal !

What about the toilets which never had a cover [like the ones in most workplaces ] ?

Let us be for ever thankful that our "Betters" have our welfare at heart.

Must say, this is heavy stuff to be taking in so early in the New Year.

Gives me something to think about next time I visit the Loo, who would ever think that such a small room could be so important to the EU ?