Many people have been left flabbergasted after finally learning what the letters 'WC' on toilet doors actually stand for. Despite seeing the acronym countless times in public lavatories, a number of social media users have admitted they had no idea it meant 'water closet'.
The revelation came after a history buff explained on Quora that the term was invented in the 19th century to avoid mentioning the word 'toilet' in polite society. 'In order to avoid that, the term water closet was invented to describe the then-new flush lavatory, particularly in public places,' they wrote.
According to plumbing website Plumbworld, the phrase 'water closet' was first used in England in the 1870s, evolving from 'wash-down closet'. The acronym 'WC' was seen as discreet enough to be uttered, albeit with some embarrassment.
The 19th century was a period of great innovation for modern toilets, with sanitary engineer Thomas Crapper famously hired by the Royal Household to replace toilets at Sandringham House in 1886. The advances helped vastly improve public health and hygiene.
Social media users expressed astonishment at the discovery, with one person admitting they had assumed WC stood for 'wheelchair'. Another wrote: 'I can't believe I've been living with a WC sign and had no idea why it was called WC.' A third commented: 'I'm glad someone asked because I've been wondering this for years but never Googled it.'
