Questions for our British friends
 

1. This may seem like a weird question to ask on a porn -- er, I mean erotica -- forum, but what is meant by the phrase "made my toilet"? This pops up frequently in the Flashman novels (set in Victorian times), i.e. "The butler came in and made my toilet".

2. What exactly is meant by the phrase "Wednesday week"? Do people say "Tuesday week' or "Thursday week"?

3. What is a bank holiday?

4. If private schools are called "public schools", what are public schools called?

Wednesday week means, a week on Wednesday or seven days after the next Wednesday. The day named can be any day of the week. If I said I'll see you on Monday week I would mean the first Monday after the next Monday.

We have several Bank Holidays in the UK. They are days when the Banks were forced to close for a day in order to give their workers a days rest. Holidays for the workers are a relatively recent invention, until just before 1900 most blue collar people worked five or five and a half days a week and were lucky to have any paid holidays at all. Bank opening times were strictly limited by law to prevent runs (I think something similar happened in 'It's a wonderful life' the James Stewart Christmas film). By granting the compulsory holidays for the bank it meant that workers got several long weekends every year.

Public schools are so called because when they started they was Private education (tutors for the rich) Church schools for the middle classes (the church was all powerful in late medieval England) and no schooling for anyone else. Schools were founded and funded by the public purse to educate the poor. Over the years these schools became private, fee paying schools but never lost the name Public. What Americans would call public we call 'State schools'.

The toilet business is very Victorian and date from the time before plumbing. The valet (for the master) or maid (for the Ladies) of a large house would take their employer hot water, soap, clean towels etc so the employer could wash or bathe. Even when plumbing came in the maid would draw her lady a bath of the right temperature and make sure the right toiletries were to hand.

Bloody hell mate, Im a brit and I'm confused!:D....(well, Geordie anyway so thats probably why)

Making your toilet simply meant washing and combing your hair and for a man shaving

It was The Undertones who had the song Wednesday Week and in that instance they where refering to the Wednesday of the previous week.

"Wednesday week she loved me,
Wednesday week never happened at all"

Yes, you see toilet water and toiletries on sale , they are all to do with cleaning yourself up.
The idea of "toilets" meaning what they do now is probably the result of Victorian sensitivity , it wasn't the thing to say "I'm going for a piss" so the euphenism "I'm visiting the toilet" came into use.

As for phrases like "wednesday week" , they are well understood but used rather less frequently than "a week on Wednesday"

I have to disagree with you on one point, haroldeye. The term 'public' was first adopted by Eton College and referred to the fact that it was open to all members of the (fee paying) public - as opposed to Church Schools (which were reserved for those of a certain faith or denomination) and private education (which was carried-out at home, usually by a tutor). Public schools were never founded on the principle of giving the poor a means to free education.

Regards.

Although the term "Going for a piss" would have outraged polite Victorian society, they did often remark: "I'm going for a Jimmy", sometimes adding: "I might as well try for a pony as well whilst I'm there". I think it was Oscar Wilde who claimed it was to avoid social awkwardness and embarrassment that Cockney rhyming slang first came into usage amongst the upper classes.

Regards.

Wednesday Week
Written by Elvis Costello
Performed by Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Produced by Nick Lowe
Musicians Elvis Costello - vocals, guitar
Steve Nieve - keyboards
Bruce Thomas - bass
Pete Thomas - drums
Recorded August-September 1978, Eden Studios, London
Released December 18, 1978

The movies save on conversation
And the TV saves on sight
We met in a head-on collision
So I would say our chances would be slight
You can lead and I will follow
See us dancing cheek to cheek
You'll remember me tomorrow
But you won't give a damn by Wednesday Week

Say you love me until you do so
Joso singing just like Caruso
Three little words roll off your tongue
Somehow your face just doesn't look so young
You say you want to strike a bargain
Now there is no need to speak
You say you want to learn the jargon
But you won't give a damn by Wednesday Week
You start acting like a zombie
Someone wants your piece of cake
You think you want to jump up on me
But you won't give a damn by Wednesday Week

Oh what a letdown when the battle was finally won
One little breakdown and then it was over and done
I wish I had your confidence
It's love and not coincidence
Do you say these words to everyone?
You're fantastic, you're terrific
Your excellence is almost scientific
You took the words out of my mouth
You put the tongue into my cheek
But I'd better lose my memory by Wednesday Week

Checked with wiki and Eton was founded by Henry VI in 1440 specifically for the education of 70 Poor Boys. The fee payers sort of joined later.

Before the reformation all church schools were Roman Catholic (and educated people for the church). After the Reformation most of the church schools became protestant or anglo catholic Grammar schools and became far more secular. From about 1530 to roughly 1800 Roman Catholicism was not exactly the flavour of the month.