Meanings
alternative cuz john · alternative cuzjohn · alternative Cuz-John
- USobsoleteslanguncountableA place or device for urination and defecation: an outhouse or chamber pot.
20. No freshman shall mingo against the College wall or go into the fellows' cuzjohn.
1735, Richard Waldron, "A Freshman Guide", in 1953, William Bentinck-Smith, The Harvard Book, p. 1622 more examples
18. No Freshman shall call or throw any thing across the College yard, nor go into the Fellow's Cuz-John.*
1741, “The Customs of Harvard College”, in A Collection of College Words and Customs, John Bartlett, published 1851, page 319American males often used British terms such as Cousin John or Jake to refer to a privy or a chamber pot.
2001, “Public Privies to Private Baths”, in The Guide to United States Popular Culture, page 645
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
From John (“outhouse; lavatory; chamber pot; toilet”). Possibly derived from a "euphemistic phrase of excuse" (e.g., "visiting my cousin John" or "going to cousin John's house"), similar to modern use of "powdering one's nose", but this is unattested.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Cousin John. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cousin%20John
“Cousin John.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cousin%20John. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Cousin John,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cousin%20John.
Source: Cousin John on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.