In my fallible memory, my grandparents used the phrase, “pee like Queen Anne’s prize horse,” except back then, they would have used the more acceptable term “wee-wee.” (“Tinkle” was used by relatives in nearby Primos.) I hoped to confirm the phrase by a Google search.
I failed, but did come close. Here is what I found:
- Britain’s Princess Anne was a noted equestrian and did have a prize horse, Toytown.
- Horses do pee a lot. As much as 8 gallons a day is normal. (Draft horses were still seen in my childhood pulling milk and huckster wagons. Seeing one pee was a common and memorable sight, as impressive as Niagara Falls.)
- Two similar phrases are “pee like a racehorse” and “pee like a Russian racehorse.”
- Racehorses are commonly given a strong diuretic just before a race to reduce the chance for exercise-induced hemorrhaging.
My conclusion is that my grandparent’s phrase was, “Wee-wee like Princess Anne’s prize horse.” Anne’s horse, too, was probably given a diuretic before a jumping event, and the results were seen and noted by the public.
Which all brings me to the question of why some scatological terms are more acceptable (like “wee-wee” and “tinkle”) than others (like “pee”). In this case, all three are onomatopoetic (thank you high school teachers for that word), and refer to the same action. Times have changed and “pee” is now acceptable even with children. “Wee-wee” is mostly unknown. Usually, the more acceptable term is the more scientific one, but “pee” has to be used early and understood by children just learning to talk. “Urinate” would be too complicated. “Piss” is still too crude for many, and “wizz” is only for comedians. All this subtlety for what an average person does eight times a day.
Phew, I have to stop now. Nature is calling, I kid you not. Need to drain the lizard.
RWalck@Verizon.net
Lansdowne-Aldan High School -- Class of 1954 