chamber pot
A "chamber pot" is a portable toilet, usually a bowl or pot kept in bedrooms before indoor plumbing. In Appalachia and rural areas, they were common well into the 20th century.
Hillbilly Dude Says...
Whey my Dad was growing up, they had a outhouse. But Papaw still used a 'chamber pot' when I was little. I would imagine that's not much of a thing these days, but it's also not a topic of conversation! Pronunciation
[CHAYM-ber pot]
Meaning & Usage
- Portable indoor toilet (noun)
Mamaw:
It’s rainin’ hard. Don’t go outside - use the chamber pot under the bed.
It’s rainin’ hard. Don’t go outside - use the chamber pot under the bed.
Child:
Yes ma’am.
Yes ma’am.- Symbol of life before plumbing (noun)
Papaw:
We didn’t have a bathroom ‘til the ’60s. Just a chamber pot in the corner.
We didn’t have a bathroom ‘til the ’60s. Just a chamber pot in the corner.other spellings: slop jar, thunder mug, night pot, bedpan, and potty
★ Chamber pots weren’t just for nighttime - they were also used in bad weather or when the outhouse was too far to walk. ★
Origin
From Old French "chambre" (room) and English "pot." Literally, a pot kept in the chamber (bedroom). Used in Europe and America for centuries before modern bathrooms.
Notes
Common in Appalachia, the rural South, and farmsteads everywhere until plumbing came in. Older folks still remember them as part of daily life.
Say It Like a Southerner
Plain: "chaym-bur pot." Often said quick and flat in mountain speech.