..the other activity in the restroom when you spend more time than pissing and requires tissues afterward to clean it? Poop? What is the formal word? I work with many english speaking expatriates but I never learn this word, nor in english books/magazines/movies/tv shows etc.

HI JOSEPH

Actually, it is something that is not polite to talk about, so there is no formal word, only euphemisms.

If you need to ask for directions, it is "I need to visit the lavatory (Britain) or bathroom/restroom (USA)".

Well it's an outright lie to say that there is no proper word, which is "defecate" or "evacuate" but this OP is almost certainly Joseph.

That's something we have *many* words for.  In polite conversation you'd not mention any of them, though, and not even make any direct reference to any sort of toilet activity if you can avoid it; in ascending order of vulgarity (i.e. least rude to rudest) here are a few samples:

Polite(ish):
"Going to use the facilities."
"Going to use the convenience."

A bit crude:
"Going to the lavatory/toilet/bathroom/restroom."

Crude:
"Do a number 2."
"Drop the babies off at the pool."
"Pinch one off."
"Lay some little brown fish."

Rude:
"Take a dump/crap."

Offensive:
"Have a shit."

Thanks for the explanation.

Muppet, I'm not Joseph. I'm another lurker from JOS forums.

If formal=polite, then defecate isn't it. If formal=technical, then OK. But in a foreign country, you would not ask your hosts where you can go to defecate.

Formal = technical around these parts, Ian.  As in, formally documented.

You folks use formal to mean polite, I guess.

So if you go to a "formal dinner", it's technical?  You crazy Americans!

'formal word for...' and 'formal dinner' are entirely different constructs, which you know, and you're not funny, you insufferable, Jesus-bearded, pervert.

'formal word for' equals 'polite word for' everywhere in the world except inside muppet's brain. That's why muppet is such an apposite handle. It fits the personality to a tee.

"actually, it is something that is not polite to talk about,"

seriously Ian.  are you *aware* that you have no sense of humour whatsoever?

I mean, not only is the OP clearly trying to yank someones chain (yours as it turns out), but also.....

ah, sod it.

99.9% of the time, when someone says "formal {word | speech | form of address | etc.}" they mean "polite".  Doesn't matter where you come from...

"I'm giving a formal speech after dinner."
"The Pope should be formally addressed as 'you in the funny hat'."
"In French, there are two forms of the second-person singular personal pronoun; 'tu' is informal, and 'vous' is formal."

And so on.

I've never noticed it before but Ian and Allan are very much alike.

They should start a furniture company.

This whole topic makes me wanna take a shit.