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Toilet paper: over or under?

Ruled September 2026 · 2 min read · How Settle It works

The original toilet paper patent drawing shows the roll going over. The under camp has cats and toddlers. Both sides, a ruling, and a sentence. Below: both sides as they'd actually put it, then the ruling The Judge gives when two people bring this one into a Settle It room.

Both sides

P
Priya

Over. The sheet hangs where you can see it and reach it. Under means fishing behind the roll like a raccoon.

J
Jonah

Under. The loose end sits against the wall, so a cat, a toddler, or a careless elbow can't unspool the whole roll onto the floor.

The Judge's ruling

Verdict
Over. With one exception Jonah gets to keep.

Ruling: Seth Wheeler's 1891 patent for perforated toilet paper on a roll includes a drawing, and in that drawing the paper comes over the top. That is as close to an original-intent ruling as this court will ever get. Over is also the more hygienic choice, since your knuckles don't brush the wall. Jonah's case is not wrong, it is just narrow: in a house with a cat or a two-year-old, under is a defensive measure, not a preference.

Sentence: Over in every bathroom in this house, except the one the cat can reach. Priya stops flipping the roll at other people's houses.

Verdict card: Toilet paper: over or under? — Over. With one exception Jonah gets to keep.

Share the card, or better, send the loser the link. Sample ruling: in a real room The Judge asks each side follow-up questions first, then rules on what you actually said.

Settle yours → Free. Two people, one thread, one verdict.

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