thunderbox

English

Noun

thunderbox (plural thunderboxes)

1. (historical) A close-stool, a stool enclosing a chamber pot.
2. (UK, Australia) A rudimentary outside toilet.
   • 1974 June 13, Donald Gould, A groundling′s notebook: Ice Waterloo, New Scientist, page 708,

     Meantime the ICE experts are poring over their photographs, and making measurements, which, presumably, will go into a computer, and out will come the specification for the perfect thunderbox.

   • 1979, The Bulletin, Volume 100, page 35,

     In the old days, when there was a corrugated iron thunderbox, the Holts′ guests were told to approach it with caution: where other thunderboxes had redback spiders, the local ones tended to have taipans.

   • 2004, Jayne Seagrave, Camping With Kids: The Best Campgrounds in British Columbia and Alberta, page 20,

     The first are the pit toilets — “thunderboxes” — boxes painted white inside, centrally located in various sections of the campground. The second type of toilet looks like a thunderbox but houses an odour-free flushing toilet.

   • 2005, Benedict le Vay, Eccentric Britain, 2nd: The Bradt Guide to Britain′s Follies and Foibles, page 57,

     He boobytrapped the ‘thunderbox’ and the next guardsman who sat down was met by a deafening blast. The guardsman and plastic loo seat were hurled one way, the loo paper another, but there were no injuries.

   • 2007, Shelley Birse, Blue Water High, Pan Macmillan Australia, page 230,

     And finally he pointed to an old thunderbox and shovel. ‘Our toilet block.’

     Everyone except Fly stared at that old thunderbox like it was from Mars.

Synonyms

• (close-stool): commode
• (outhouse): dunny (Australian)