从Tarzan’s Room说起

文/王逢鑫

1973年，我与友人在伦敦游览天然动物园（safari）。友人去洗手间，很快返回，说：“一个房间门上有Tarzan’s room几个字，另一个房间门上有Jane’s room 几个字，恐怕都是私人住处，没敢进去。”我对友人说：“Tarzan 是美国电影《人猿泰山》的男主人公，他的妻子叫 Jane。他们生活在非洲丛林（African jungle）之中。今天我们来到safari，仿佛到了非洲丛林。Tarzan’s room肯定是男厕所，而Jane’s room一定是女厕所。”

厕所是人们日常生活不可或缺的地方。英语的厕所名称多种多样，有雅俗之分。弄不清厕所名称，会遭遇我的友人那样的尴尬。

英语表示厕所的名词有些是用厕所设施名称构成的，像toilet（马桶）、lavatory（马桶）、water closet / W.C.（马桶）、can（液体容器）、potty（便壶）等。例如：

1.厕所有人。The toilet/lavatory is engaged/occupied.

2.街角处有一个公共厕所。There is a water closet / W.C.on the corner of the street.

3.妈妈问三岁女儿：“要上厕所吗？咱们找一找附近的厕所。”Mother asked her three-year-old daughter, “Do you have to go potty? Let’s go find the potty nearby.”

英语表示厕所的名词大都回避与排泄有关的词汇，而利用其他具有相关功能的地点名词，像bathroom（洗浴）、washroom / washing room（盥洗）、restroom（休息）、powder room（化妆）、cloakroom（存放衣帽）、comfort station（舒适设施）、public convenience（方便设施）等。例如：

4.这些护士每天在病人床边连续待10至12个小时，经常连吃饭、坐坐的时间都没有，甚至没有时间上厕所。Every day these nurses spent 10 to 12 continuous hours at their patients’ bedsides, often without time to eat, sit down or even go to the bathroom.

5.洗手间在哪儿？Where is the washroom / washing room?

6.上吐下泻使我在厕所里待了一整宿。Diarrhea and vomiting made me stay in the restroom all night.

7.请问女厕所在哪里？Can you tell me where the powder room is,please?

8.那位男士正在询问男厕所在哪里。The man was inquiring where the Men’s cloakroom was.

9.公园里有一个公共厕所。There is a public comfort station in the park.

10.这个公园给游客提供避雨处和公共厕所。The park provides rain shelter and public convenience for the tourists.

英语有一些表示厕所的委婉说法，包括somewhere、the smallest room of the house、the Poets’ Corner等。例如：

11.我要上厕所。1) I want/need to go somewhere.2) I’d like to pay a visit to the smallest room of the house.

12.有些人上厕所时，喜欢在墙上乱涂打油诗，于是厕所被戏称为“诗人角”。Some people liked to scribble a doggerel on the wall when they used the toilet.So the toilet is playfully called “the Poets’Corner”.

英语表示厕所的名词有些是由姓氏人名构成的。除了上述的Tarzan’s room和Jane’s room以外，表示男厕所的名词还有John/john、Jakes/jakes等；表示女厕所的名词还有 Jane/jane等。例如：

13.这座办公楼有三个男厕所和三个女厕所。There are three johns and three janes in this office building.

14.昨晚，我去了两趟男厕所。Last night, I went to visit john twice.

15.这个醉汉踢开茅厕的门，踉踉跄跄走了进去。The drunken man kicked open the door of the jakes and staggered in.

16.19世纪末，托马斯·克拉普在伦敦创办了“托马斯·克拉普公司”，生产洁具。据说第一次世界大战期间，驻扎在英国的美国士兵见到冲厕水箱上有Crapper的商标名，就将其当作了军队俚语。当他们说“I’m going to the crapper.”时，意思是“我去上厕所”。In the late 1800s, Thomas Crapper (1836-1910) founded Thomas Crapper & Co in London, which produced sanitary ware.It is said that during World War I, American servicemen stationed in England saw his name as the trade mark on the flushing cisterns and used it as army slang.When they said, “I’m going to the crapper”, they meant“I’m going to the toilet”.

英语表示厕所的名词，有些与数字相关，像the fourth、loo等。例如：

17.据说the fourth这个习语源于19世纪剑桥大学里流传的笑话。每天早晨，那里的大学生们有四项常规活动：做礼拜、用早餐、吸烟和上厕所。于是，the fourth就代指“厕所”了。It is said that the idiom “the fourth” was originated from a joke spread in the 19th century University of Cambridge.Every morning, the students there had four regular activities: worship, having breakfast, smoking and going to the toilet.So “the fourth” can refer to “the toilet”.

18.英语loo这个词的意思是“厕所”，因为厕所过去通常位于大楼的100号房间。此外，loo和100形状非常相似。The English word “loo” means “toilet” because the toilet was commonly located in Room 100 of a building.Besides, loo and 100 look very much the same.