What rhymes with funny and is another word for toilet? It’s this week’s Common Aussie Slang, dunny.

According to the Australian National University, dunny originally referred to any outside toilet. It comes from the British dialect dunnekin, which means ‘earth closet‘. In cities and towns, the dunny man would come round regularly with his dunny cart to empty the pan-type dunny that most people had in their backyards. In Brisbane, this continued until the late 1960s when the city was connected to a sewerage network.

Nowadays, dunny can be used to refer to any type of toilet, not only outside ones. It is an informal expression, so some people may prefer not to use it (see Bluey: Season 2, Episode 47 ‘Dunny’). I must admit, it’s not a word that I use often. I probably use the term ‘loo’ more regularly. Some other alternatives to using the word ‘toilet’ include: lavatory, lav, bog, john, WC (water closet), and bathroom (American English). I could go on, but I won’t.

Dunny is a uniquely Aussie expression, and I don’t want it to be forgotten. So, from now on, I’m going to use it a lot more often. Well, I’d better go now. I’m busting for the dunny!

Glossary