Recounted from stories of those attending a one-room schoolhouse: when a student needed to go to the outhouse, (s)he would raise a hand with one finger extended to indicate the need to urinate--two fingers to defecate. I assume this was to inform the teacher on how long to expect the student to be out of class.
Now, the subject phrases are used verbally and euphemistically to avoid voicing ones need to urinate or defecate. They do not appear to be listed in the OED and I wondered how widespread these euphemisms are used; I relatively often hear this in southwest Missouri.
Any wider use?
Emmett
Number two is a very popular phrase in England. I used it all the time. Never knew about the "number one". I always thought "Number two" rhymed with "poo" though I don't know why. Thanks for educating me. Â
Children learned that numerical code in the Midwest (WI) in the 50s. Seemed to fall out of use in the 60s, but maybe that was just our generation growing up.
It certainly was in verbal use in rural/small town New York in the 50s and 60s. I seem to recall that my kids, born and raised in Alaska in the 80s, acquired it, not from their parents.
We used in growing up, especially in school. Likewise, in school during class to indicate you needed to go to the bathroom. Looking back, I'm not entirely sure why the teacher needed to make the distinction between number one and number two, but I do remember raising my hand holding up the appropriate number of fingers. It also followed as a verbal euphemism that could be used in any informal setting.