{"id":15157,"date":"2024-12-28T14:46:06","date_gmt":"2024-12-28T14:46:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/used82.com\/?p=15157"},"modified":"2024-12-28T14:46:06","modified_gmt":"2024-12-28T14:46:06","slug":"meaning-behind-the-wc-sign-outside-bathrooms-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/used82.com\/?p=15157","title":{"rendered":"Meaning behind the \u2018WC\u2019 sign outside bathrooms"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Have you ever noticed the letters WC posted outside a public bathroom and wondered what it means?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If so, you\u2019re not alone as people around the world are trying to unravel the mystery of the WC, a space that identifies a room containing a toilet and a sink.<\/p>\n<p>And while we\u2019ll offer you an explanation of the WC, we can\u2019t promise the term will make anymore sense than restroom, bathroom or loo\u2026<\/p>\n<p>In 2020, a couple named Shelby and Dylan shared a TikTok video that revealed a major difference in how some Americans and Canadians do their business.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat in the world is a washroom?\u201d asks Dylan as he walks by sign that says \u201cwashroom.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd what are they washing in there? Oh, it\u2019s a restroom. The only thing I wash in there is my hands,\u201d he tells his wife. Off-camera, Shelby can be heard asking: \u201cDo you rest in a restroom?\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-tiktok wp-block-embed-tiktok\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote id=\"v24360144608896150\" class=\"tiktok-embed\" cite=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@shelbanddyl\/video\/7405358109637578026\" data-video-id=\"7405358109637578026\" data-embed-from=\"oembed\"><p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed\/v2\/7405358109637578026?lang=en-CA&amp;referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fen.newsner.com%2Ffamily%2Fmeaning-behind-the-wc-sign-outside-bathrooms%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwY2xjawHc7kBleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHdVJ-BD2Y_5g1y2IcrEV_OqvIF0K2PiYkqMS3l-5mA7ORscgBxIwZxu8Mw_aem_68Rmk7Gq_Zgb1v5t9YCtMQ&amp;embedFrom=oembed\" name=\"__tt_embed__v24360144608896150\" sandbox=\"allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-scripts allow-top-navigation allow-same-origin\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s a good point. They both don\u2019t make much sense,\u201d Dylan adds.<\/p>\n<p>Online users jumped into the comments section, offering their opinions on the term they prefer to use for the sacred room. \u201cIt\u2019s called a bathroom, restroom, washroom and toilet,\u201d offers one user.<\/p>\n<p>A second follower said when they were visiting Disneyland, they \u201casked for the washroom\u201d and they \u201csent me to the laundromat!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A third adds, \u201cWait \u2018til he finds out about water closets.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-water-closet\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Water closet<\/h2>\n<p>According to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/water%20closet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Mirriam Webster\u2019s Dictionary<\/a>, \u201cwater closet\u201d is a noun that describes \u201ca compartment or room with a toilet\u201d or \u201ca toilet bowl and its accessories.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Back in the day, when someone would use the bathroom, it was to take a bath. And when a person used a restroom, it was apparently to rest or get ready for the day by using the sink and mirror.<\/p>\n<p>Lastly, if you needed to go potty, you would use the toilet in the water closet. Depending on where you live in the world, the room that holds the porcelain throne goes by various names including the loo, restroom, bathroom, washroom, lavatory or WC.<\/p>\n<p>In modern days, you\u2019ll often see signage indicating WC in public spaces like airports, restaurants, or hotels. It\u2019s just another way of saying \u201crestroom\u201d or \u201cbathroom\u201d but is often associated with a more formal or universal sign in places catering to international travelers.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-history-of-the-wc\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">History of the WC<\/h2>\n<p>Before the 19th century in America, indoor toilets were a luxury, reserved primarily for the wealthy. Most people used outhouses or other outdoor facilities for their sanitary needs. While homes often had \u201cbathrooms\u201d for bathing, these rooms typically didn\u2019t include toilets. The widespread installation of indoor plumbing began in the late 19th century, with the advent of the water closet by 1890. These rooms housed the toilet separately from bathing spaces.<\/p>\n<p>It wasn\u2019t until the early 20th century that the modern bathroom, combining both bathing facilities and toilets into one integrated space, became common.<\/p>\n<p>While combining toilets and bathtubs in the same room was a practical solution for saving space and simplifying plumbing, this arrangement did reduce privacy, especially in shared spaces.<\/p>\n<p>Since, the term \u201cwater closet\u201d evolved to refer to a small, enclosed room within a larger bathroom, dedicated solely to the toilet. These water closets often include a small sink for handwashing, making them self-contained and convenient.<\/p>\n<p>Attempting to demystify the water closet, online users shared their opinions on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/EnglishLearning\/comments\/znelxt\/why_is_a_public_wc_called_bathroom_if_there_is_no\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Reddit\u00a0<\/a>in a post called, \u201cWhy is a public WC called bathroom if there is [no] bath?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Responding to the message, a Redditor writes, \u201cAmericans might similarly ask: \u2018Why is it called a WC (water closet) if it isn\u2019t even a closet?\u201d the comment continues to explain that a \u201cbathroom\u201d or \u201crestroom\u201d is the \u201cpreferred US euphemism for \u2018room with toilet,\u2019 whereas other places use \u2018WC,\u2019 \u2018lavatory,\u2019 \u2018loo\u2019 etc.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn Russian it\u2019s \u2018a room without windows\u2019 even if there actually is a window,\u201d shares a third while another adds, \u201cIn Esperanto, it\u2019s\u00a0necesejo, or \u2018necessary place\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, other Redditors discussed washroom versus bathroom and restroom.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCanada famously uses Washroom,\u201d says one netizen while another clarifies, \u201cI\u2019m from the midwest, and washroom is fairly common here. Bathroom or restroom are probably used the most though.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBest one, I think. You should be washing in there,\u201d adds another. \u201c\u2026not resting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>What are your thoughts on WC and what term do you call the room that holds a toilet? Please share your thoughts with us and then share this story so we can hear from others!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Have you ever noticed the letters WC posted outside a public bathroom and wondered what&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15158,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"views":382,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/used82.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/used82.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/used82.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/used82.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/used82.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15157"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/used82.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15157\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/used82.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/used82.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/used82.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/used82.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}