Where did the word crap or craper come from??

Question

there is a book on this!

Well how about that, and all this time I thought it was Sir Thomas,,very interesting response's here,,thank you...

Answer 1

From Sir Thomas Crapper, who invented the toilet

Answer 2

The book you mention is Wallace Reyburn's "biography" *Flushed with Pride: The Story of Thomas Crapper* (1969). But this work, like others by Reyburn, was written as a JOKE!

Unfortunately, a lot of people didn't quite get the joke (despite the book's silly title!) and so the urban legend has spread that the gentleman named invented the flush toilet.

Not so! Crapper was, however, a plumber, and made improvements on toilet design (among other things), and his name is so convenient for such a story, so at least it's understandable why the story has caught on.

In any case the word "crap" itself has NOTHING to do with our English plumber. It goes back to Medieval Latin, though it's precise modern day use if first documented in early 19th century America (well before Thomas Crapper invented ANYTHING), and the word was NOT used in this sense in Victorian England.

Again, great story -- and the name makes it almost too good to be true. . . oops, it IS too good to be true.

Answer 3

Origin Of The Word Crap

Answer 4

A book was written in the 19th or early 20th century (I think it was called "The History of the Toilet") which claimed that the toilet was invented by Thomas Crapper. Unfortunately, the book was a fraud, but many people still believe the stories. In fact, flush toilets have been found which even date back to the Romans.

Answer 5

the dark ages a craper was build in the castles much like a chimine only the "crap" went down into the water below

Answer 6

Yes, it was Sir Thomas Crapper; Crapper & Sons sold "fixtures" in London until at least well into the 1900s. I have heard there are still manhole covers in the London streets with the name "Crapper & Sons" marked on them.

And the sanitary facilities in castles were *not* known as crappers; they were called garedrobes.

Answer 7

That interesting piece of indoor plumbing was invented by a gent named Thomas Crapper, and he was later knighted for his contribution to society.

His invention was known as a 'crapper' and the word, and its association with the contents of the crapper, became part of the English language.

Answer 8

I have heard that the inventor of the modern toilet was named Thomas Crapper. That is why it is sometimes a crapper.

There was an earlier flush toilet invented by John Harrington, maybe that is why it is sometimes called a john.

I can't find any references to a Mr. or Mrs. Shitter...I don't know why they call a toilet that....go figure.

Answer 9

Lady Rebecca is correct. There is also a documentary on the history of toliets, I watched it during my one and only vacation I have ever taken. It was not a wonderful vacation since I was sitting there watching tv, but I learned way too much about the origin of the Crapper...

Answer 10

John Crapper is the dude who invented the toilet. It must be embarrassing to be one of his relatives nowadays, though, with the whole last name and all...