The French also had one of the first special areas for ones excretory needs called 'Le Lieu' which became 'The Loo' in English.
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I think the British word "loo" for bathroom originated in Cockney rhyming slang, in which the second part of a term is used to refer to the first.
The British called the bathroom "The Water" The Victory of the British at of Waterloo made that word a common one, and so the bathroom became the "loo"
The French word the "the place" is also 'le lieu'. So this could also be related.
The most common bit of Cockney rhyming slang in American English is the term Raspberry, when referring to a vulgar sound one makes with the toungue and lips. The words that this is derived from is Raspberry Tart, which os course, rhymes with fart.
I have visited France and had a French girlfriend for four years. I have not noticed that the French are any dirtier or smellier than anyone else.
In Mexico, the unwashed are referred to as "los inglesitos", by the way.
It is true that Europeans bathe less than Dominicans or Mexicans as a rule. This is because one sweats less in Europe, due to the climate.
Dominicansseem to bathe more than anyone else I have noticed.
