On 7/17/05, mike wilson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Let's just say that George Michael is practised in the art. Allegedly. > The name evolved from the external resemblence of many British public > toilets to cottages. You may appreciate this link. > > http://www.shanemcdonald.com/laughs/l-tourist-advice.html > > Some folks may find the lavatorial humour involved not amusing. >
Ah, yes, I see. Well, that's a different kettle of fish then, isn't it? As you likely guessed, over here, cottaging means something completely different over here. Cottages are summer homes. Usually small and rustic, set in rural wooded areas near water, they were a cheap place to bring the family for summer vacation, to "get back to nature" as it were. Back when I was a kid, we visited friends' cottages with no running water or electricity, although most have those advanced features these days. Most cottages aren't winterized, so are used only from about May to October. Of course, now buying land in popular cottage areas can be quite expensive, so the dwellings are often big and elaborate. Sadly, unless one inherits a cottage that's been in the family for many years, acquiring a cottage has largely become a thing of the past for middle class folk (at least in this part of the country). Cottaging as you Colonial Masters refer to it does occur in some public washrooms on this side of the pond, although I personally have no experience with such activities. I do understand, though, that the Lumberjack Song can be heard coming from such places where the activity is indulged in... <LOL> cheers, frank -- "Sharpness is a bourgeois concept." -Henri Cartier-Bresson
