In article >, "Nancy Young" > wrote:
>
>"Phred" > wrote in message
...
>
>> The other day I noticed a real classic in the toilet soap section at
>> the local Coles: "Contains raspberry, strawberry, and wild berries".
>> Jesus wept! I was brought up to use soap to wash those things *off*
>> for crissake!
>
>Toilet soap? Sounds ... like something you wouldn't want to use
>on yourself.

G'day Nancy,

Yes. I suffer from something of the same linguistic prejudice too.
But it does seem to be the term used extensively in the retail
industry these days (at least in this part of the world).

FWIW, your comment drove me to look things up (in a Yankee source
too. Found in Merriam-Webster online:

Main Entry: toilet soap
Function: noun
: a mild soap that is often perfumed and colored and stabilized with
preservatives

[ Like I said -- it's full of gunk! ]

As for "toilet":

Main Entry: 1toi·let
Pronunciation: 'toi-l&t
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle French toilette cloth put over the shoulders while
dressing the hair or shaving, diminutive of toile cloth
1 archaic : DRESSING TABLE
2 : the act or process of dressing and grooming oneself
3 a (1) : BATHROOM, LAVATORY 2 (2) : PRIVY b : a fixture that consists
usually of a water-flushed bowl and seat and is used for defecation
and urination
4 : cleansing in preparation for or in association with a medical or
surgical procedure <a pharyngeal toilet>

(Note that 4th entry. ;-)

Cheers, Phred.

--
LID