Elaine in Redlands, California, grew up in east Tennessee using commode for the bathroom fixture, while her Ohio-born husband said toilet. Historically, a commode was a piece of furniture, sometimes one that held or enclosed a chamber pot, and the...
Grant and Martha read emails from listeners with suggested explanations as to how the term biffy came to mean “portable toilet.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “The Word Biffy for a Portable Toilet” Grant...
A San Diego listener has a weird word on her mind: biffy (meaning “toilet”). This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Biffy for Toilets, Outhouses, and Porta-Potties” Hi, you have A Way with Words. Hi, this is Megan...

