Michael Meckler

Yesterday I chatted with a realtor at a house on the market — no, I am not considering a move, but I enjoy seeing what is out there — and I mentioned that the house would be more desirable if it had a powder room on the ground floor.

'Do you mean half-bath?' she asked.

I told her yes, and, of course, immediately felt rather old, since this real estate professional in her mid 30s had never heard the phrase 'powder room', which at one time was a common way of speaking about a room with only a toilet and sink on the ground floor of a home that would be made available for company.

So I thought I would conduct a little poll here on Mastodon to gauge familiarity with the phrase 'powder room' in the sense of 'room with toilet and sink on ground floor for guests'. Please feel free to share.

#PowderRoom #lavatory #cloakroom #WC

Poll: Do you use the phrase 'powder room'?

No, nor do I hear it in conversation
76.9%
No, but I do hear it in conversation
7.7%
Yes, I use the phrase 'powder room'
15.4%
Poll ended at .
Jun 15 at 12:28pmWeb
Show threadHelen in WalesJun 15
@michaelmeckler To be honest, I've never heard "powder room" used to describe a room in a private house. I do remember it being used sometimes years ago to refer to the ladies toilets in, for example, a restaurant.
Show threadWalrus 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿Jun 15

@michaelmeckler

Also, I think a bathroom must have a bath in it, and a restroom should have a comfy chair, at least, but preferably a bed.

Why are people so terrified of saying toilet?

Show threadNickyJun 15

@michaelmeckler I see it in books since I read historical fiction, classic crime, etc, but I don't use the term nor see it used in contemporary conversation (or contemporary books, for that matter). I use the terms bathroom, toilet or en suite, in the home; toilets, for public conveniences. 'Half-bath' is not a term I use (or had previously heard).

(I was born in 1989.)

Show threadMichael MecklerJun 15
@shanaqui 'Half-bath' is in the language of real estate, since homes are described as having, say, '2 1/2 baths,' which means the home has two rooms with bath/shower, toilet and sink; and one room with only a toilet and sink. And two half-baths do not make a full bath. While it is quite rare for a single-family residence to have more than one powder room, a mansion-type home could have one near the reception rooms in the front, and a second by the pool or deck or other outdoor entertaining space in the back. Then such a house would be described as having, say, 'five bathrooms and two half-baths'.
Show threadDavid Tanner 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿Jun 15
@michaelmeckler @shanaqui In America only, that terms not used in the U.K.
Show threadAlessandroJun 15
@michaelmeckler never heard but i'm italian and my english level is not so good. But if someone during a dinner with friends says "i go to powder room" instead of "toilet" I would think about illicit substances use 😅
Show threadElise "yuuana" Moreno 🪷Jun 16
@michaelmeckler when I was younger (so the 80s), it would come up now and again, but it's (long 😭 ) been phased out of my vocab