little girls' room

See also: little girl's room and little girls room

English

Alternative forms

• little girl's room, little girls room

Etymology

Originally from the need to find public lavatories for children, possibly by analogy with the somewhat earlier-attested little boys' room, but already in broader euphemistic use by its first known appearance in John O'Hara's BUtterfield 8.

Noun

little girls' room (plural little girls' rooms)

1. (euphemistic, informal) Synonym of ladies' room: a public lavatory intended for use by women.
   • 1935, John O'Hara, BUtterfield 8, Ch. ix, page 279:

     The women's toilet (as distinguished from the ladies' room in a speakeasy, the johnny at school, the little girls' room at a party in an apartment, and the wash-my-hands on a train) was clean enough.

2. A room belonging to or used by little girls, particularly their bedroom.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:bathroom

Coordinate terms

• little boys' room

Related terms

• women's room

References

• "little girl, n. and adj." in the Oxford English Dictionary (2014), Oxford: Oxford University Press.