Timeline for Name for medieval toilets that are basically just a hole on the ground
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
9 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Apr 18, 2023 at 19:31 | comment | added | Greybeard | Where as I agree, the idea of a hole in the floor is also ridiculous. A hole in the floor of a prison cell is a godsend to prisoners - a bucket would be a luxury. I think the story requires a degree of suspension of belief. That said, the Bastille of the Revolution was not an unpleasant place and probably had reasonable facilities. | |
| Apr 18, 2023 at 16:40 | comment | added | Lambie | garderobes were for fancy people not prisoners in the bowels of a building. | |
| Apr 10, 2023 at 0:36 | comment | added | ohwilleke | This is the most correct answer. The facilities described are frequently described as such in English language illustrations of medieval architecture. | |
| Apr 9, 2023 at 11:46 | comment | added | PLL | @Henry: For an even closer modern parallel, I’ve seen a few venues in the US (concert halls, theatres) where cloakrooms was the chosen euphemism for the WCs. | |
| Apr 8, 2023 at 16:26 | comment | added | Henry | This looks like yet another euphemism of the lavatory/toilet/privy/bathroom/restroom type: clearly it is a doublet of wardrobe as its principal meaning. | |
| Apr 7, 2023 at 18:40 | comment | added | Greybeard | @MichaelSeifert You can sit on a toilet or sit in a toilet or drop something down a toilet, so I suppose it doesn't matter. | |
| Apr 7, 2023 at 16:55 | comment | added | Michael Seifert | This is a great word (which I was previously unaware of, so thanks!), but it's not clear to me whether it primarily refers to the room or whether it can refer to the actual hole itself. | |
| Apr 7, 2023 at 16:34 | history | edited | Greybeard | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
Added an aside
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| Apr 7, 2023 at 15:56 | history | answered | Greybeard | CC BY-SA 4.0 |