There's Just No Easy Way
“How do you say, in polite
English, ‘Punta muna ako sa kubeta;
taeng-tae na ako!’ (I have to go the
toilet; I’m about to shit myself!)?”
In a (Philippine) website that
deals mostly in computer parts and peripherals, there was this thread about
English grammar. Presumably, the thread starter (commonly referred to in
internet forums as the TS), who was
one of the regulars of the aforementioned site, has trouble expressing himself
in grammatically correct English. As the site is quite popular, and the site
members come from diverse backgrounds, many contributed to that thread, and
competently answered the TS’ and other posters’ questions regarding English
grammar. The “English” thread, suffice it to say, was one of the site’s most
active threads.
Anyway, the question quoted above
was just one of many. I stumbled across it one afternoon a few months ago. It
appeared that the poster works for a
firm run by Americans. During one particularly unforgettable meeting with his
American supervisors, he found himself in a predicament that necessitated the above-quoted
question.
He apparently never forgot the
helplessness and despair he felt when the first “rumblings” of trouble started
deep inside his bowels, and discovering to his horror that he couldn’t just
very well blurt out “Sandali, taeng-tae
na ako!” to the white faces around him in the conference table. He had to
think of a way to let his needs known in a tactful and polite way—and in English, to boot. Ultimately, he managed
to avoid being embarrassed—that is, he avoided soiling himself—through sheer
will, I suppose.
Determined to never again experience
the horror and helplessness he felt in such a situation, he posted his question
in the “English” thread of the site mentioned above. Just in case he needed to
extricate himself again, no doubt.
One poster suggested this one: “Please
excuse me; I have to go the comfort room.” However, other posters pointed out,
correctly, that Americans are not familiar with the term “comfort room,” as
used by Filipinos to refer to toilet.
“Toilet” would be the most obvious word, and was suggested instead, along with
other words that bordered on being flowery (to convey politeness, presumably) and
all saying the same thing, i. e., going to the toilet.
I posted my observation that a
person, in such a situation, has more things to worry about than grammar; that
he still managed to concern himself about what words to use while in such a dire
predicament is a testament to his, well, sphincter
control.
Others would just probably bolt
for the door.
Besides, other people in the
room would already have an inkling of
what was going on, as such a condition is usually betrayed by malodorous
emanations. Bolting for the door then
would be perfectly reasonable. Embarrassing, sure, but the alternative is
horrifying.
My toes curl at the thought of me suffering that unhappy fate.
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