Tilly Tickets (minicast) - 20 Oct. 2009

Did you ever use a tilly ticket in the bathroom?<br/><br/><br/>Over the years, we've answered lots of your questions about words and phrases that have to do with going to the bathroom.<br/><br/>We've talked about euphemisms like I have to go see a man about a horse. Or that Victorian-era locution, I'm going to go pluck a rose. Or my favorite: I'm going to visit Miss White.<br/><br/>We've also talked about the origin of biffy, a word for outdoor facilities. And we discussed how the word john may have become synonymous with that bathroom destination.<br/><br/>But recently we received an email that has me puzzled. It's from Marge in Chula Vista, California. She writes: 'My brother and I have been reminiscing about our childhood, spent in an old house in New Hampshire, during World War II.  My mother always called toilet paper Tilly Tickets.'<br/><br/>She continues: 'We don't have a clue where that expression came from.  Our memory was that when we were out of Tilly Tickets, we used the old scratchy patterns -- the kind used for sewing.'<br/><br/>Eeeeuw. Well, her question made me squirm, and not just at the thought of using an old McCall's pattern. I have to admit I'm stumped. 'Tilly Tickets'? So I'm hoping you can help. Ever hear toilet paper called 'Tilly Tickets'? If so, did you ever hear a story to explain that name? Let us know. Our email address is words@waywordradio.org.<br/><br/>One more thing: I want to share something I discovered while trying to find out about Tilly Tickets. You may recall that we've talked about the word lagniappe.  It's a term you're more likely to hear in the Gulf States, especially in southern Louisiana. It means 'a little something extra,' a little freebie that a vendor tosses in. A free keychain from your mechanic, or a calendar from a realtor--those are lagniappes.<br/><br/>Well, it turns out that in Ireland, and parts of Newfoundland, they don't call it a lagniappe. They call it a tilly. I don't think this type of tilly has anything to do with Tilly Tickets. Just a little extra so