toilet water

English translation: avoid, eau de toilette sounds better

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:toilet water
Selected answer:avoid, eau de toilette sounds better
Entered by: Marek Daroszewski (MrMarDar)

11:28 Mar 5, 2008
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Art/Literary - Cosmetics, Beauty
English term or phrase: toilet water
Does 'toilet water' have 2 meanings in English?
http://www.yourdictionary.com/toilet-water says:
toilet water
a lightly scented liquid with a high alcohol content, applied to the skin after bathing, etc. or added to bath water

However, a large amount of google hits show that the phrase is actually used as water in / from the toilet bowl, e.g.:
70 percent of the time, ice from fast food restaurants was dirtier than toilet water. ...
abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/story?id=1641825&page=1

Now - would native English speakers smile on reading 'XXXX is a new toilet water targeted at female teenagers'? Eau de Cologne would do the trick, naturally. Does it sound right, or does it sound really strange... It does sound strange to me, but I'm not a native speaker, and (to my surprise) dictionaries actually seem to say that one can use it to refer to (more or less) 'perfume, tragrance, etc.'

What's your advice - use or avoid it?
Marek Daroszewski (MrMarDar)
Local time: 15:18
Eau de toilette
Explanation:
You'd be safer with this. This is what is sold in the UK shops. Also, "teenage girls" would sound better in my view.
Selected response from:

Larissa Dinsley
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:18
Grading comment
The time has come to close the question. I would like to thank everybody for their comments and input. This answer helped me most!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +16eau de toilette
Nesrin
5 +10Eau de toilette
Larissa Dinsley
4 +7eau de toilette
Marie-Hélène Hayles
4 +2toilet water
Tony M
5 +1eau de cologne/eau de toilette/bodyspritzer/body splash*/ body spray*[*depends on bottle type]
Carmen Schultz
5toiletry products Are Shampoos and other products regarded as beauty products
Gary D


Discussion entries: 7





  

Answers


3 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +16
eau de toilette


Explanation:
Personally, I would use "eau de toilette" and not "toilet water", no matter what the dictionary says!

Nesrin
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:18
Native speaker of: Arabic
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Marie-Hélène Hayles: snap!
1 min
  -> Thanks! :-)

agree  Larissa Dinsley: Sorry Nesrin, I did not see your answer when I was posting mine.
2 mins
  -> That's alright! Thanks! :-)

agree  PB Trans
4 mins

agree  cmwilliams (X)
10 mins

agree  hirselina
10 mins

agree  Louise Mawbey: This has a more modern ring than "toilet water" - the latter makes me think of my grandma
34 mins

agree  Will Matter
57 mins

agree  Jeanette Phillips: toilet water is old fashioned
58 mins

agree  R. Alex Jenkins
1 hr

agree  Vicky Nash
2 hrs

agree  jerrie
3 hrs

agree  Cristina Santos
11 hrs

agree  Phong Le: this makes me to recall my memory some 20years ago when I first read this on a small bottle...
18 hrs

agree  V_Nedkov
2 days 4 hrs

agree  Sonia Soros
2 days 21 hrs

agree  Alexandra Tussing
5 days
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4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +10
Eau de toilette


Explanation:
You'd be safer with this. This is what is sold in the UK shops. Also, "teenage girls" would sound better in my view.

Larissa Dinsley
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:18
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian, Native in UkrainianUkrainian
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
The time has come to close the question. I would like to thank everybody for their comments and input. This answer helped me most!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Marie-Hélène Hayles: and snap again! And definitely "teenage girls", not "female teenagers".
0 min
  -> Thanks Marie-Hélène Hayles!

agree  cmwilliams (X)
10 mins
  -> Thanks!

agree  Carmen Schultz
45 mins

agree  Jeanette Phillips
57 mins

agree  Will Matter
57 mins

agree  R. Alex Jenkins
1 hr

agree  Vicky Nash
2 hrs

agree  Cristina Santos
11 hrs

agree  V_Nedkov
2 days 4 hrs

agree  Alexandra Tussing
5 days
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +7
eau de toilette


Explanation:
It's a perfectly acceptable term, but if you want to avoid it you could go for eau de toilette (note that this is not the same as eau de cologne, it has a higher water content and a less concentrated scent).

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Note added at 8 mins (2008-03-05 11:36:59 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

actually, I appear to be wrong - eau de toilette is actually stronger than cologne, if this Wikipedia link is reliable: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfume

In any case, the two are not synonyms.

Marie-Hélène Hayles
Local time: 15:18
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Larissa Dinsley: :)
1 min

agree  Nesrin: Yes, I believe the hierarchy is perfume - eau de parfum - eau de t - eau de c (so in this particular instance, wikipedia is right)
13 mins

agree  Will Matter
56 mins

agree  R. Alex Jenkins
1 hr

agree  Cristina Santos
11 hrs

agree  V_Nedkov
2 days 4 hrs

agree  Alexandra Tussing
5 days
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

8 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
toiletry products Are Shampoos and other products regarded as beauty products


Explanation:
toiletry products, Are Shampoos and other products regarded as beauty products,
Toilet water is exactly that, water from a toilet.

Yes it did make me smile

Example sentence(s):
  • White Rain--Shampoo, conditioner and other hair care products are toiletry stuff. Skin care products are in the same boat.
Gary D
Local time: 00:18
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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33 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
toilet water


Explanation:
'toilet water' is just fine, the good old traditional term for it.

Of course, these days lots of companies use the FR term 'eau de toilette' for the extra marketing value that supposedly brings — but just as the FR so vociferously defend the proper use of a perfectly satisfactory FR term where one exists, I think we should defend the use of the EN term here.

Don't listen to the sniggerings of those whose humour has never got further than the schoolboy stage! ;-)

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 34 mins (2008-03-05 12:03:50 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

What's good enough for Yardley is good enough for me:

Yardley Lace Eau de Parfum Spray : Read reviews and compare prices ...

Yardley Lace Eau de Parfum Spray starting at £5.99 (11.02.08) at Ciao.co.uk. ... This perfume is available in the toilet water or the stronger Eau de parfum ...

www.ciao.co.uk/Yardley_Lace_Eau_de_Parfum_Spray__6781354


Tony M
France
Local time: 15:18
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  David Moore (X): Tony, does this just show us up as oldies, or what? BTW, what happened to the "giggling schoolgirl stage"???//Are you kidding, or what?????
16 mins
  -> Thanks, David! I rather fear it does! I didn't think nice little schoolgirls would giggle about anything like that...

agree  Jack Doughty: When we lived in Cologne, a man who cleared the contents of septic tanks put his phone number on the tankers, It was 4711, and the Eau de Cologne company took him to court to make him remove it.
18 mins
  -> Thanks, Jack! Wonderful anecdote!!

neutral  Larissa Dinsley: Hi Tony! May be "good enough for you", but come on, face it: you are hardly a "female teenager"! (think target audience!) :) Of course, it was the Asker, in the last but one paragraph!
57 mins
  -> Well, it wasn't Asker who mentioned young teenagers, and until he has done so, I stand by my answer.
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14 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
eau de cologne/eau de toilette/bodyspritzer/body splash*/ body spray*[*depends on bottle type]


Explanation:
eau de cologne/eau de toilette/body splash*/ body spray* [*depends on bottle type]:

There are different ways to call this-- you may want to use the one suitable for a young female audience--a version that appeals to that segment

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 14 mins (2008-03-05 11:43:42 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

oops, 'body spritzer' should be two words

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Note added at 23 mins (2008-03-05 11:52:29 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Forgot to mention "Body Mist" (another way this item is marketed)

Body Mist, Body Splash, Bath Splash, Body Spray and Perfume ...body mist, body splash, bath splash, body spray and perfume, shower spray, body fragrance spray, body deodorant spray.
www.herbal-gardens.net/bath-splash.htm - 18k - Cached - Similar pages


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Note added at 25 mins (2008-03-05 11:54:06 GMT)
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Mary Kay Deo Body Spritzer Lotus and Bamboo Lot of 2 - eBay (item ...eBay: Find Mary Kay Deo Body Spritzer Lotus and Bamboo Lot of 2 in the Health Beauty , Skin Care , Toners, Astringents , Mary Kay category on eBay.
cgi.ebay.com/Mary-Kay-Deo-Body-Spritzer-Lotus-and-Bamboo-Lot-of-2_W0QQitemZ300204127505QQihZ020QQcategory... - 121k - 23 hours ago - Cached - Similar pages


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Note added at 1 day21 hrs (2008-03-07 08:57:59 GMT)
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NOTE: another possibility is EAU FRAICHE

MORE INFO:
Eau de toilette has around 1-6% perfume concentrates. This makes for a light scent that doesn't linger as long as the more intense versions. It was originally intended to be a refreshing body splash to help people wake up in the morning.

Eau de cologne is sometimes used interchangeably with the term eau de toilette. However, the concoction began as the name of a light, fresh fragrance mixed with citrus oils and was made popular by Napoleon. Some perfumers today have a version of this called eau fraiche.

While these are the main classes of perfume, other products are frequently scented with perfume concentrates too. Lotions, creams, powders, body splashes, aftershaves, soaps, and other cosmetic products may contain variable (though usually small) amounts of fragrance.

Carmen Schultz
Local time: 09:18
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish, Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Nesrin: I don't think the words are interchangeable though - as Marie Helene points out in her added note, eau de cologne and eau de toilette have different concentration levels.
6 mins
  -> I worked at a major cosmetics company in US & what you say isn't always true today as the terms are used rather loosely for marketing.Initially,European makers of scents established certain concentration levels but not all countries abide by this anymore

agree  Jeanette Phillips: if the market is teenage girls, it may well be body spray or spritz as you suggest. Eau de toilette could be outside a teenager's budget
50 mins
  -> thanks
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