different between dunny vs thunderbox

English

Etymology 1

From dun (“dusky brown”) +? -y (“forming adjectives of lesser degree”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d?ni/
• Rhymes: -?ni

Adjective

dunny (comparative dunnier, superlative dunniest)

1. Somewhat dun, dusky brownish.
   • a. 1529,, J. Skelton, "Tunnyng of Elynour Rummyng in Certayne Books", ll. 400 f.:

     I were skynnes of conny,
     That causeth I loke so donny.

Etymology 2

Probably from dun (“to ring”) +? -y (“forming adjectives of lesser degree”).

Adjective

dunny (comparative dunnier, superlative dunniest)

1. (Britain dialect) Somewhat deaf, hard of hearing.
2. (Britain dialect, derogatory euphemistic) Slow to answer: stupid, unintelligent.
   • a. 1791,, F. Grose, Olio, p. 105:

     What the devil are you dunny? won't you give me no answer?

Derived terms

• dunnily
• dunniness

Noun

dunny (plural dunnies)

1. (Britain dialect, derogatory euphemistic, obsolete) A dummy, an unintelligent person.
   • 1709, British Apollo, Vol. II, No. 29, p. 3:

     Should a School-boy do so, he'd be whip'd for a Dunny.

Etymology 3

A clipped form of English cant dunnakin (“outhouse”) + -y (“forming affectionate diminutives”). Dunnakin, dunnekin, etc. are of uncertain etymology, but probably from some form of English cant danna (“shit”) + ken (“pejorative slang for house”). The Scottish and North English senses may derive from Etymology 4 below, either under influence from English cant or as its original source.

Noun

dunny (plural dunnies)

1. (Britain slang, obsolete) Alternative form of danna: shit. [From 1859.]
2. (Australia and New Zealand slang, also dated Scotland and Northern England) An outhouse: an outbuilding used as a lavatory. [From 1933.]
   • 2010, Christopher Milne, "The Boy Who Lived in a Dunny" in The Day Our Teacher Went Mad and Other Naughty Stories for Good Boys and Girls, p. 108:

     ‘Until you wake up to yourself, you can live in the old dunny for all I care.’

     ‘All right, I will,’ said Tony.

3. (Australia and New Zealand slang) Any other place or fixture used for urination and defecation: a latrine; a lavatory; a toilet.
4. (Scotland, Northern England, slang, dated) A passageway, particularly those connecting an outhouse to the main building.

Alternative forms

• danna, dunnee (obsolete)

Synonyms

• (outhouse): See Thesaurus:bathroom
• (toilet): See Thesaurus:toilet

Derived terms

• dunny can
• dunny cart
• dunny man
• dunny roll

Etymology 4

A clipped form of English dungeon + -y (“forming affectionate diminutives”).

Noun

dunny (plural dunnies)

1. (Scotland, Northern England, slang, dated) A cellar, basement, or underground passage.

References

English

Etymology

thunder +? box; in the sense of a toilet, presumed to be because of the noises that may be made while using it, especially while defecating.

Pronunciation

Noun

thunderbox (plural thunderboxes)

1. (historical) A close-stool, a stool enclosing a chamber pot.
2. (Britain, Australia, slang) An outhouse or latrine: a rudimentary outdoor toilet.
   • 1974 June 13, Donald Gould, "A Groundling?s Notebook: Ice Waterloo" in the New Scientist, page 708:

     Meantime the ICE 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.

   • 1979, The Bulletin, Vol. 100, page 35:

     In the old days, when there was a corrugated iron thunderbox, the Holts? guests were told to approach it with caution: where other thunderboxes had redback spiders, the local ones tended to have taipans.

   • 2005, Benedict le Vay, Eccentric Britain, 2nd, page 57:

     He boobytrapped the ‘thunderbox’ and the next guardsman who sat down was met by a deafening blast. The guardsman and plastic loo seat were hurled one way, the loo paper another, but there were no injuries.
3. A box of metal balls used to create a thunder sound effect.

   Synonym: thunder run

   • 1991, Inger Mattsson, Gustavian opera (page 101)

     At a given signal they are allowed to drop to the floor with a crash, followed by loud peal of thunder from the thunderbox.

Synonyms

• (close-stool): commode; see also Thesaurus:chamber pot
• (outhouse): See Thesaurus:toilet and Thesaurus:bathroom