I learn more about my own language when I try to explain it to others. One man I tutored was trying to teach his kindergartener how ask to “go to the restroom,” but the words proved too much for the five-year-old. Instead, he taught him to say it like the men at the gym “I gotta take a piss.” I told him small children can say “I need to go potty,” but adults should not say it. Also, in a private home it’s called a “bathroom” and in public you can also ask for the toilet. I let him know that what he said was a bit vulgar for most contexts outside of a men’s locker room. Luckily, there’s lots of ways to say something everyone does, but no one enjoys hearing about. I was an adult before it dawned on me that women excusing themselves to “powder their noses” was not about makeup.