A typical sign for a loo

Jo:  Hello. You’re listening to Question and Answer of the Week from BBC
Learning English. I’m Jo and with me today is Feifei.
 
Feifei:  Hello Jo. 是的，又到了你问我答的的时间了，今天的问题很有趣，也许大家在收听地过程中会不禁发笑，不过首先还是来问问Jo 这个问题是什么。So what’s this question Jo?
 
Jo:  Well let’s have a listen.
 
Insert
 
My name is Sun Cha. I come from Xinjiang, Urumqi. Can you explain the meaning of the word loo?
 
Jo:    So Sun Cha wants to known what the word loo means. L.O.O. Loo.
 
Feifei:  我觉得我们应该先给大家一些提示，你说呢Jo? 那么先请大家听听下面的这个新闻报道，看看能不能听懂他们在谈论什么。
 
Insert
 
Well there’s not much to be said about the ladies’ loo in Shepshed. In fact today it’s actually flooded – but despite the condition of it, people here feel passionate about these loos and they want to save them.
 
Jo:  So the reporter says there isn’t much to be said about the ladies’ loos in a place in the UK called Shepshed.
 
Feifei:  那么第一个提示就是这个东西通常有给女士ladies 用的，当然也有给男士用的，gents 就是gentleman 的简称。这位记者说她所在的这个给女士用的东西当时被水淹了flooded, 这听起来好像不怎么好。
 
Jo:  But despite the condition of it…
 
Feifei:  尽管这些loos有这样的情况，在Shepshed 的人们也没有想放弃它们，他们feel passionate 也就是他们强烈的想改变这些被水淹的loos, 想拯救它们。
 
Jo:  Yes they want to save the loos. So what can the loos be? Well let’s listen to

the next part of the report to find out what they are or it is.

Insert
 
They do need cleaning up I’ll admit – but they are a facility – we need toilets in Shepshed. Shepshed’s a big place now and we’ve got nothing.
 
Jo:  Ah so there we have it – she told us what the word loo means. She said they need cleaning up a bit. To clean up.
 
Feifei:  打扫；这位女士承认说这些loos需要清洁打扫，to admit 承认；她还说这些东西可以被称为  facilities, 也就是loo 的另外一个表达方式，就是  facilities.  
 
Jo:  They are a facility. So yes, I think we are there – the word loo means…toilet! So we heard in the first report the ladies loo or toilet was in quite bad condition but people wanted to keep them as a facility.
 
Feifei:  Shepshed 的公共厕所现在存在着很大的问题，不过尽管这些厕所被水淹了，但是对于公众来说它们还是必不可少的设施。那么我们从今天节目一开始说到的现在的词loo 也就是toilet 的另一个名字。
 
Jo:  This is Question and Answer of the Week and we’re answering Sun Cha’s question about the meaning of the word loo.
 
Feifei:  是的，loo 的意思就是  toilet 厕所. But is it a bad word to use Jo?
 
Jo:  No not at all. Loo is a British English word – so you are unlikely to hear American English speakers say it. Everyone uses it and while it is I guess an informal way to say toilet, you can use it with anyone – your friends, colleagues, boss etc.
 
Feifei:  那么你能给我们举些例子教我们使用这个词吗？
 
Jo:  Well anytime you are going to the toilet and you might need to tell someone where you are going – so usually if you are perhaps having a meeting or with some friends – you might just say – ‘I’m just going to the loo’. A popular phrase is actually ‘I’m just nipping to the loo’.
 
Feifei:  这句话我经常听到，to nip 的意思就是很快的去一个离所在地不远的地方，那么去上厕所就可以说  to nip to the loo, 很快的去一下某地；你也可能听到有人说pop, to pop 和to nip 的意思是一样的，都是很快的去一下什么地方。 
 Jo:  You might also hear the phrase ‘I need the loo’.
 
Feifei:  意思就是我要上厕所。And do you know why British people say loo instead of toilet Jo?
 
Jo:  Well it seems no one knows the exact reason why we say it. There are lots of suggestions as to where the word comes from but there really are too many to mention so I think we should perhaps just accept that’s it’s a word we say and not worry about why.
 
Feifei:  至于英国人为什么把厕所成为loo 的解释好像有很多，所以大家也不知道究竟哪个是正确的。

Jo:  Now finally before we go I thought it might be useful for you to hear a few more words people use for toilet as they do come up in conversation a fair bit. Have a listen to this. How many do you know?
 
Insert
 
Lavatory, Lav, Water Closet, WC, Little Boy’s Room, Little Girl’s Room, Restroom, Powder Room, Ladies’ Room, Men’s Room, Bathroom
 
Feifei:  厕所原来有那么多名字啊，那赶快让我们来一个一个得学学。
 
Jo:  Lavatory which is sometimes shortened to lav. Water closet which is often written as WC.
 
Feifei:  WC 是water closet盥洗室的简称。 厕所还有一个非常委婉的表达方式小男生的房子和小女生的房子。
 
Jo:  So little boy’s room and little girl’s room. Restroom is used often in American English.
 
Feifei:  Powder Room是另外一个非常委婉的表达方式，女性朋友们通常会把厕所称为Powder Room也就是指化妆间。 
 
Jo:  You might hear a toilet called the ladies’ room or men’s room, or ladies’ or gents as we talked about at the beginning of the programme. And finally we had bathroom, which again is used more in North American English.
 
Feifei:  Bathroom洗手间。 希望我们的回答对Sun Cha 和大家有所帮助，要想听到更多问题和答案欢迎随时登陆我们的网站，网址是 www.bbcchina.com.cn .
 
Jo:  And if you have a question you can email us questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk. We look forward to hearing from you. See you next time. 
 
Feifei:  感谢收听，下次再会。

Sun Cha from Urumqi gave us this week's question. He is living in the UK at the moment and he says he has heard people use the word loo and wants to know what it means.

Basically loo is a British English word people say to mean toilet. You can use this word in any situation - with friends, with colleagues, or even with your boss. It is informal language but we do use it all the time, even in formal situations.

You might hear someone say, "I need the loo," or, "I'm just going to the loo." That means someone is going to the toilet or wants to go to the toilet.

There are many explanations as to why we might use this word in Britain, so it's hard to actually understand the real origin of where it might have come from.

Loo isn't the only word we say to mean toilet. There are lots of other words you might hear - lavatory, water closet, restroom, ladies' room, men's room to name but a few. They all mean toilet.

Thanks to Sun Cha for his question. If you have a question about the English language, send us an email to questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk. Your name and answer to the question could appear on our website.

Glossary 词汇

colleagues
同事

boss
老板，上司

informal language
非正式用语

formal
正式

origin
起源，来源

to name but a few
还有很多，就不一一列举了