to spend a penny
mahad
What does the phrase "To spend a penny" mean? I heard this in a
TV serial "Are you being Served". I guess it means going to the
RestRooms(Toilets). Is that correct?
If so, does anybody know its origins?
--
- Mahad.
*******************************************************************************
Mahadevan Ayalur. ma...@cvbnet.Prime.COM
Prime Computers (617)-275-1800.
Bedford, MASS. x4840.
*******************************************************************************
Jon Livesey
|> HI,
|>
|> What does the phrase "To spend a penny" mean? I heard this in a
|> TV serial "Are you being Served". I guess it means going to the
|> RestRooms(Toilets). Is that correct?
|> If so, does anybody know its origins?
Public toilets had penny in the slot locks on the doors. For US
readers, they were usually toilets provided by the municipality:
I'm still amazed at the paucity of public restrooms in the US, and
the way the people have to depend on stores and restaurants.
jon.
Bonita Kale
In a previous article, liv...@solntze.esd.sgi.com (Jon Livesey) says:
>I'm still amazed at the paucity of public restrooms in the US, and
>the way the people have to depend on stores and restaurants.
Me too, and I've lived here all my life.
Bonita Kale
Pat.Ch...@bbs.actrix.gen.nz
Well, spending a penny meant going to a public toilet, putting a
penny into a slot in the door (like a telephone coin slot) which in
turn released the lock mechanism so one could open the door. Hence -
spending a penny. Too bad if you were in a rush and penniless :-(
Our pennis (in New Zealand) were large - about an inch across. These
toilets were phased out when we switched to decimal currency in 1967.
--
********************************************************
* The floggings will continue until morale improves *
* * * Pat.Ch...@bbs.actrix.gen.nz * * *
* Pat Churchill, Wellington, New Zealand - Godzone *
Simon
>
> What does the phrase "To spend a penny" mean? I heard this in a
> TV serial "Are you being Served". I guess it means going to the
> RestRooms(Toilets). Is that correct?
> If so, does anybody know its origins?
It IS to do with toilets, yes - public toilets in England used to have/still
have a coin operated mechanism which, I guess, used to take one old Penny.
It has nothing to do with "Are You Being Served", great series though it
was.
################################################################################
# Simon Day @ BT, Angel Centre, London si...@cyborg.bt.co.uk #
################################################################################
Dave Munroe
>I'm still amazed at the paucity of public restrooms in the US, and
>the way the people have to depend on stores and restaurants.
There's a story that when Khrushchev was working on the design of the
Moscow subway, he called for an inordinate number of toilet facilities.
As a result of this, he was dubbed "shithouse Khrushchev".
-Dave
Jon Livesey
As someone who used the Moscow subway for several years to go to
work each day, I'd say this is incorrect. There were public
restrooms - fairly sordid places - but not an inordinate number.
Nor did I ever hear Khruschev so named.
jon.
Frank R.A.J. Maloney
And in addition, I'm pretty sure that the Moscow subway
system was one of Stalin's pet project in the 30s. During
which time Khruschev was the party boss in Ukraine, or in
the process of working his way up the ladder of success.
--
Frank Richard Aloysius Jude Maloney
"Only the mediocre can always be at their best." -- Mencken
For an average time write uunet!microsoft!frankm
For an even more mediocre time try fra...@microsoft.com
Mukesh Patel
>In article <MAHAD.92J...@cooper1.prime.com> ma...@cvbnet.prime.com writes:
>> HI,
>>
>> What does the phrase "To spend a penny" mean?
>Well, spending a penny meant going to a public toilet, putting a
>penny into a slot in the door (like a telephone coin slot) which in
>turn released the lock mechanism so one could open the door.
Reminds me of a graffitti that I saw in a London public loo (all those
years ago). A wit had scrawled something to the following effect:
"Spent a pennny to have a crap, but all I did was farted"
(I have feeling that this was a fairly common kind of graffitti and
there must be other versions - anyone care to remember?).
Mukesh
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mukesh J Patel email: muk...@gmdzi.gmd.de
AI Research Division tel: +49 2241 14 27 61
German National Research Center for CS (GMD) fax: +49 2241 14 26 18
Simon Patience
Patel) writes:
> Reminds me of a graffitti that I saw in a London public loo (all those
> years ago). A wit had scrawled something to the following effect:
>
> "Spent a pennny to have a crap, but all I did was farted"
I think what you really meant was;
Here I sit,
Young and artful,
Paid a penny,
And did a cart full.
with
Here I sit
Broken hearted
Paid a penny,
And only farted
Simon.
Simon Patience
Open Software Foundation Phone: +33-76-63-48-72
Research Institute FAX: +33-76-51-05-32
2 Avenue De Vignate Email: s...@gr.osf.org
38610 Gieres, France uunet!gr.osf.org!sp
Douglass Glen Whitman
=
Here I sit, broken-hearted, came to shi and only farted.
Glen.
Mark Slagle
> Reminds me of a graffitti that I saw in a London public loo (all those
> years ago). A wit had scrawled something to the following effect:
> "Spent a pennny to have a crap, but all I did was farted"
An adherent of free verse, I see. The one I always heard,
incessantly, was:
"Here I sit, broken hearted, spent a <coin> but only farted."
--
----
Mark E. Slagle PO Box 61059
sla...@lmsc.lockheed.com Sunnyvale, CA 94088
408-756-0895 USA
Bertram Walsh
>those years ago). A wit had scrawled something to the following
>effect:
>"Spent a pennny to have a crap, but all I did was farted"
US version, probably 1940s or 50s:
Here I sit, all broken-hearted
Paid a dime to s**t and only farted
b
Pat.Ch...@bbs.actrix.gen.nz
>
> Reminds me of a graffitti that I saw in a London public loo (all those
> years ago). A wit had scrawled something to the following effect:
>
> "Spent a pennny to have a crap, but all I did was farted"
>
> (I have feeling that this was a fairly common kind of graffitti and
> there must be other versions - anyone care to remember?).
>
> Mukesh
> --
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Mukesh J Patel email: muk...@gmdzi.gmd.de
> AI Research Division tel: +49 2241 14 27 61
> German National Research Center for CS (GMD) fax: +49 2241 14 26 18
Here I sit, broken-hearted
Paid my penny but only farted
...well that's the version I recall.
--
| The floggings will continue until morale improves
| Pat.Ch...@bbs.actrix.gen.nz (Pat Churchill, Wellington, New Zealand)
| NZ is running low on electricity - Email some today
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lorne Epp
>
> Here I sit, broken-hearted
> Paid my penny but only farted
>
I was going to stay out of this, but:
Next time thought I'd take a chance,
saved a dime and shit my pants