Taking a pee, Europe style!

Wonderful item sent to me from Bob Derham.

Important EU announcement

 

The British Penny

EU Directive No. 456179

 

In order to help meet the conditions for joining the Single European currency, all citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland must be made aware that the phrase ‘Spending a Penny’ is not to be used after 31st December 2013 .

From this date, the correct terminology will be: ‘Euronating’.

oooOOOooo

To all readers who are unfamiliar with the phrase ‘spend a penny’ it effectively means going to the bathroom, in American speak.

An English penny, circa 1912
An English penny, circa 1912

My understanding is that when the first public lavatories were opened in the cities of England, one had to place a penny in the mechanism in order to open the door to the toilet.  Hence the expression of spending a penny.

9 thoughts on “Taking a pee, Europe style!

  1. I had to stop and think if this was a real Euro directive, they are so potty I could near believe it.

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  2. Oh I remember those days well, LOL now its 20 pence in most places unless your unlucky to go in London where a friend recently had to pay £1… and that was not the dearest of them, Some were even more!… No wonder we get called Rip off Britain 😦
    I have a few Bun-Pennies somewhere too … Where Victoria was still on the throne and her picture shows her profile with a bun hair-do 🙂

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    1. £1…!! That’s disgraceful! You mentioning the bun penny reminded me of a semi-vulgar name for the pennies where the holding end of the tripod (sure that’s not the correct name, but you’ll understand me) rested in the Queen’s crutch. What were they called?

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      1. Smiling Paul, yes I know which you mean, My Dad used to collect old pennies as a hobby, I still have some which he said were in mint condition, not many, but I know which you mean but the name escapes me too… 🙂

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