Cousin John

English

Alternative forms

• cuz john, cuzjohn, Cuz-John

Etymology

From John (“outhouse; lavatory; chamber pot; toilet”). Possibly derived from a "euphemistic phrase of excuse" (e.g., "visiting my cousin John" or "going to cousin John's house"), similar to modern use of "powdering one's nose", but this is unattested.

Noun

Cousin John (uncountable)

1. (US, slang, obsolete) A place or device for urination and defecation: an outhouse or chamber pot.
   • 1735, Richard Waldron, "A Freshman Guide", in 1953, William Bentinck-Smith, The Harvard Book, p. 162:

     20. No freshman shall mingo against the College wall or go into the fellows' cuzjohn.

   • 1741, "The Customs of Harvard College", in 1851, John Bartlett, A Collection of College Words and Customs, p. 319:

     18. No Freshman shall call or throw any thing across the College yard, nor go into the Fellow's Cuz-John.*

     *Abbreviated for Cousin John, i.e. a privy.

   • 2001, “Public Privies to Private Baths”, in The Guide to United States Popular Culture, page 645:

     American males often used British terms such as Cousin John or Jake to refer to a privy or a chamber pot.

Synonyms

• john (US); jakes (now chiefly Irish); see also Thesaurus:bathroom and Thesaurus:chamber pot

References