I know several words for the toilet, i.e. bathroom. However I want to know the colloquial word for the seat on which one sits while defecating. I have read john somewhere but never heard an American actually use it in real or on TV. How common is the word in real? If not, what's the most commonly used word or words throughout the United States?
And while we're at it, is commode itself used commonly in American English? If not, what's the American non-slang equivalent?
P.S. I understand there are euphemistic alternatives such as bathroom or lavatory while referring to the act of defecating itself. My question, however, is more specific to the bowl and not the act. For example, consider this statement: "My bowl/commode/john/etc. is broken." One cannot use bathroom here. What's the word (or words) a typical American is most likely to use in this context?
Best Answer
Commode: (from The American Heritage® Dictionary)
Toilet vs commode:
Ngram - Toilet vs commode
Why the Toilet is sometimes called a “John ”?
Toilet is the term you should use, commode has a restricted use though it is still common in some parts of US. John as well as other nouns are slang terms and should be used with care. (See extract about "John" ).