On 6/21/2003 2:44 PM, John Yamamoto-Wilson wrote:

> Scott Reynolds wrote
> 
>>BTW, my comment was intended as a joke. The word "outhouse" refers to a
>>very specific type of outbuilding in American English.
> 
> Ah! No, I hadn't got it and was wondering if you thought maybe we kept pigs
> there, or something. My dictionary says that in the US this has been common
> usage (tho' no longer in common *use*, I assume) for some 200 years.

I'm sure there were lots of other terms in use as well. I remember when 
I visited Mount Vernon (George Washington's Virginia estate) the guide 
showed us the slave quarters, the "George Washington slept here" main 
house, and the "necessary," which was what George and Martha called the 
outhouse.

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Scott Reynolds                                      sar@gol.com