And now to bathrooms.....

[Carol]

Carol:
> > BTW, I'd like to compare the British and American editions of HP
at some point with regard to the word "bathroom." I'm pretty sure that
Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, in contrast to the Prefects' bathroom, is
what the British call a "loo" or a "toilet" and Americans call a
"restroom," with no bathtubs or showers in it. We call the thing that
Montague was stuck in a toilet. <snip>
> 
> Geoff:
> This is one thing that always amuses me about US English.
> 
> In the UK, the bathroom is precisely that. It contains a bath (and
probably a shower) and most modern bathrooms will have a toilet as well.

Carol:
Here, too. But public restrooms, as we call them, have only toilets
and sinks. (Well, also mirrors hand dryers, etc.) But it's silly to
call them "bathrooms," as some people do.
> 
> But a Brit with a need to "spend a penny" will ask for  "the toilet"
or "the loo" or sometimes jokingly "the smallest room".
> 
> Some years ago, "loo" was considered rather low class and I can 
recall  being quite surprised to hear my mother-in-law-to-be use the
word on one occasion. Nowadays, it's frequently used more commonly
than "the toilet".

Carol:
Could the reason for "loo" becoming more common in the UK be that
"toilet" is now being reserved for the thing Moaning Myrtle dives into
and Montague got stuck in? Or because "toilet" is ambiguous? 

Anyway, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm assuming that what the U.S.
editions refer to as "Moaning Myrtle's bathroom" appears as either
"Moaning Myrtle's loo" or "Moaning Myrtle's toilet" in the UK
editions. Since "toilet" has two possible meanings, I think "loo" is
better (less ambiguous) to refer to the room itself. (Also, Draco
isn't crying in a bathroom (UK usage) is he? I think it's a boys'
restroom (loo).

Carol, who suspects that it now costs considerably more than a penny
to use a public loo