noun General Slang

Carsey

/ˈkɑːzi/ · noun · slang

Polari for a toilet, lavatory or house — from Italian 'casa', and the root of Cockney 'khazi'.

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Definitions

1

It survives in mainstream British slang as 'khazi', the everyday word for a toilet.

“Back in a tick, just nipping to the carsey.”
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2

In compounds it named specific places: a 'charpering carsey' was a police station, and 'bevvy carsey' could mean a pub.

“They held him in the charpering carsey overnight.”
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3

In Polari, a lavatory or toilet, and sometimes more broadly a house or building. Generally derived from Italian 'casa' (house) via Parlyaree.

“Where's the carsey in this lattie?”
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Carsey In A Sentence

The carsey was the only place in the bar you could whisper unheard.
He scrubbed the carsey of his lattie until it shone for the party.
Mind the carsey door, the lock's been broken for weeks.

Origin & Usage

Polari/Parlyaree of 19th- and 20th-century Britain; 'carsey' comes from Italian 'casa' (house) and is the ancestor of the British slang 'khazi', as documented by Paul Baker.

Variants khazikarseycarsykharzie
Tags #polari#lgbtq#british#heritage#vintage#lexicon

People Also Ask

What does carsey mean?

It is Polari for a toilet or lavatory, and sometimes a house or building.

Where does carsey come from?

From Italian 'casa' (house), borrowed through Parlyaree.

Is carsey related to 'khazi'?

Yes — the common British slang 'khazi' for a toilet descends from the Polari 'carsey'.

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