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Thunderbox
Definitions
- 1 A chamber pot enclosed in a box; a portable commode. slang
"True, our cash would run out, but Charleton wouldn't let us starve. He'd put us into shorts, and we should wash the dishes and clean the thunder-boxes and take out guests for walks."
- 2 A blunderbuss; also, a cannon. obsolete
"In the year 1346, at the battle of Crecy, the engliſh uſed a ſort of cannons, which were then called thunder-boxes."
- 3 Any lavatory or toilet, especially a rudimentary outdoor latrine or toilet, or an outhouse. Australia, British, broadly, slang
"Meantime the ICE [Institute of Consumer Ergonomics] 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."
- 4 A box of metal balls which is shaken to create a thunder sound effect.
"[T]wo articles, both indispensibly necessary to a theatre, are not blundered, viz. a property room, and thunder box!—no they are omitted altogether!!"
Etymology
From thunder + box. Senses 1 and 2 (“portable commode; any lavatory or toilet”) are probably because of the noises that may be made while defecating.
Probably a calque of German Donnerbüchse (“(archaic) blunderbuss; cannon”) (from Donner (“thunder”) + Büchse (“box; can; rifle”)), or its etymon Dutch donderbus (“blunderbuss”) (from donder (“thunder”) + bus (“box; container; (chiefly historical) type of early modern firearm”)).
See also for "thunderbox"
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