People left stunned after finally realising what WC toilet sign stands for

There are many questions in life that often go unanswered, such as where on earth those missing socks go or why do pizzas arrive in square boxes?

Or is that just me?

Anyway, I'm pleased to announce that we are about to answer one of the most universally pondered questions there is... what does the WC toilet sign really stand for?

So, while most of us are equipped with the more traditional abbreviations, such as LOL, WTF and LMAO, some are a little harder to decipher.

Take WC, for example, which often appears on toilet doors.

But the room itself is usually referred to as a ‘bathroom’ or ‘restroom’, so what does WC stand for?

It turns out those two letters stand for ‘water closet’, and that there’s also a perfectly good reason behind the name.

It all stems from a time when indoor plumbing became a thing after centuries of popping outside to spend a penny.

As bathtubs were already an indoor fixture in homes, they had a dedicated room – the bathroom, of course.

But people needed somewhere for their brand new, shiny indoor toilet to go.

Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images

After someone asked TikToker Nathan (@itsnathannyc) about the term, he explained in a video: “Oh, you sweet young thing! WC stands for ‘water closet’.

“Before indoor plumbing, you actually had a room for your bathtub – the bathroom.

“But the spout was outside. You had to carry water in with a bucket, heat it up, pour it in the tub.

“Indoor plumbing comes along – they already have this room with the bath, the bathroom... Where do you put the toilet?

“You just put it in a closet. It was an easy place to put a toilet. So: the water closet.

“It was the one room in the house where there was running water.”

Getty Stock Photo

Many other TikTokers admitted they’d never realised what WC stood for, or why, with one person commenting: "I’m glad someone asked because I’ve been wondering this for years but never googled it."

Someone else said: "I never actually thought about this."

And another added: "I was 23 y/o when I learned that WC is called water closet."

While fourth piped up to say: "Can’t believe I’ve been living with a WC sign and had no idea why it was called WC."

Learn something new everyday, right?

Topics: Life, News

Emily Puckering

Emily is a sub-editor at LADbible Group. With degrees in English Language and Multimedia Journalism, she works with the editorial team on LADbible, UNILAD and Tyla sub-editing and writing articles. And for those who are interested, Emily is from East Yorkshire which means she makes a cracking cuppa.

@emily_puckering