If you ask a Scot to point you in the direction of the cludgie, he or she will most likely know exactly where you want to go, but may wince at your use of slang. For the uninitiated, cludgie is a Scottish word meaning “toilet”, although probably not to be used in the politest of companies. When the OED published its entry for cludgie in a recent update, the earliest evidence we found was in Glasgow-born author George Friel’s 1969 novel Grace & Miss Partridge:

She gangs tae the cludgie ten times every night.

1972 G. Friel Grace & Miss Partridge i. 11

It’s likely that any earlier evidence might refer to an outdoors facility as indoor lavatories would still have been something of a luxury for many people. Can you help us find anything?

Posted by OED_Editor on 12 July 2013 8.40
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