Like a lot of long-established big institutions, Oxford had and has a language all its own. It picked up a pattern used also in some of the English private schools, with the “-er” suffix, added routinely to most anything, turning nouns like “Freshmen” into “Fresher” or “Breakfast” into “Brekkers” and “rugby” “rugger”. In fact, the word soccer developed under, apparently, the influence of the “Rugger” pattern. Drawing eh “socc” from “assocciation” and adding the standard “-er” to it.
Charlie picked this lingo right up. A West Virginia University professor, Waitman Barbe, visiting Oxford for six months in 1909, built a dictionary of the Oxford terminology, published in The West Virginia School Journal, March 1909. Charlie ultimately uses most of these through the letters home.
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The Oxford undergraduates have a very interesting and picturesque array of college slang and special college expressions. Here are some of them; part of them are in legitimate use and some of them are distinctly college slang:
“Greats” — Final examinations.
“Mods” — intermediate examinations.
“Smalls” — preliminary examinations.
“Reading” — Studying.
“Scout” — The man-servant who attends an undergraduate.
“Manciple” — The college butler who orders provisions, etc.
“Digs” — Lodgings.
“Stinks” — Chemistry.
“Toggers” (“torpids”!) — Eight-oared college races, on fixed seats, rowed in February.
“Eights” — Eight-oared races, on sliding seats, rowed in May and June.
“Soccer” — Association football.
“Rugger” — Rugby Union football.
“Rag” — To haze.
“Bump supper” — Festivities held when a college boat in “Toggers” or “Eights” has made several “bumps,” that is, has won.
“Fresher” — Freshman.
“Fresher’s Delight” — The college coat-of-arms on a wooden or metal shield to be hung up in a “fresher’s” “digs.”
“Bedder” — Bed-room.
“Sitter” — Sitting-room.
“Thirder” — Third or extra room in a set.
“Dons” — Fellows and tutors of colleges.
“Proggins” — Proctor.
“Bullers” (“bulldogs”) — A proctor’s attendants. These “bulldogs” or “bullers” are big strong men who accompany the proctors through the streets, into the leading restaurants and elsewhere after 9 o’clock at night to see if there are any undergraduates who have not gone into their colleges. When Big Tom in Christ Church tower strikes 101 strokes at five minutes after nine o’clock every undergraduate is expected to go to his college lodgings (“digs”) unless he has permission to stay out longer.
“Lekker” — Lecture.
“Brekker” — Breakfast.
“Halls” — Dinner in college dining hall at 7 o’clock.
“Sporting the Oak” — Shutting the outer door, which opens only from inside. Every room in college has an “oak,” so that its occupants may guard against interruption if they like.
“Tosher” — A non-collegiate student, one who is not connected with any particular college.
“Collekkers” (“collections”) — Examinations held at beginning or end of term in every college on work done in term or in vacation.
“Gated” — Forbidden to leave college after a certain hour in the evening, usually 7 o’clock. This is the punishment for light offenses.
“Rusticated” — Not allowed to come into residence at college for a certain time.
“Sent down” — Expelled from college.
“Binge” (“bust”) — A gathering, a dinner.
“Rollers” — Chapel roll in college. Every undergraduate is expected to attend a certain number of “rollers.”
“Thicksides” — Thucydides.
“Hauled” — Summoned to appear before the fellows of college on a question of discipline.
“J. C. R.” — Junior common room, reading room and club for undergraduates.
“S. C. R.” — Senior common room, reading room and club for fellows and tutors of college.
There are doubtless many others which I have not happened to learn, or which do not occur to me as I write.…
W.B.
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Note that Charlie arrived with a tendency for a bit of slang anyway, for example calling the President of Kingfisher College, Prexy, and regularly talking about walking around as “rubbering”.
