Meaning
Use the toilet, especially to urinate. Historically associated particularly with women's pay cubicles because men's urinals were often free. Regional use: United Kingdom and Ireland; understood in parts of the Commonwealth.
Origin
The euphemism refers to coin-operated locks on British public lavatory cubicles, which once charged one pre-decimal penny. Such locks appeared in the 19th century, but the phrase itself is not documented until the 20th and has a printed example from 1945.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- Go and spend a penny
- Spending a penny
Usage Examples
- Before the coach leaves, I need to find somewhere to spend a penny.
- Gran announced that she was off to spend a penny and would meet us by the entrance.