The Public School Word-book: A conribution to to a historical glossary of words phrases and turns of expression obsolete and in current use peculiar to our great public schools together with some that have been or are modish at the universitiesFarmer, John Stephen
History
The Public School Word-book: A conribution to to a historical glossary of words phrases and turns of expression obsolete and in current use peculiar to our great public schools together with some that have been or are modish at the universities
Farmer, John Stephen
Endowed public schools (Great Britain); English language -- Great Britain -- Slang -- Dictionaries; Students -- Great Britain -- Language
_c._ 1840. MANSFIELD, _School-Life at Winchester College_, p. 30. The
eight senior præfects were said to have “full power,” and had some
slight privileges not enjoyed by the remaining ten, who were generally
called BLUCHERS.
1864. _Blackwood_, p. 86. The remaining eight college præfects (called
in Winchester tongue, BLUCHERS) have a more limited authority,
confined to Chambers and the Quadrangle.
1867. COLLINS, _The Public Schools_, p. 55. The remaining eight
college prefects (called in Winchester tongue BLUCHERS) have a more
limited authority, confined to chambers and the quadrangle; the form
of making these is—“_Præficio te sociis concameralibus_.” At least two
prefects are located in each of the seven chambers—one from the first
seven in rank, and one from the next seven. The juniors are also
divided into ranks of seven, and out of each rank the prefects,
according to their seniority, chose one each to fill up the numbers in
their own chamber; so that each chamber has, to a certain extent, ties
and associations of its own.
*Blue*, _subs._ 1. (Christ’s Hospital).—A scholar of Christ’s
Hospital; a blue-coat boy. [Derived from the colour of the
clothes—a blue drugget gown or body with ample skirts to it,
a yellow vest underneath in winter time, small-clothes of
Russia duck, worsted yellow stockings, a leathern girdle,
and a little black worsted cap, usually carried in the hand,
being the complete costume. This was the ordinary dress of
children in humble life during the reigns of the Tudors.]
_See_ Appendix.
1834. W. TROLLOPE (_Title_), Christ’s Hospital ... with Memoirs of
Eminent BLUES. _Ibid._ At the Spital did they first earn the title of
BLUE by appearing in raiment of that hue. Hitherto they had worn
russet cotton. The bands are supposed to be a relic of the ruff, as
the girdle was of the hempen cord. The ruff was regal, or reginal, and
the cord monkish, so a BLUE hovers ’twixt palace and monastery (one
picture pourtrays the dresses of the various Orders of Friars).
1877. W. H. BLANCH, _Blue-Coat Boys_, p. 33. To some extent it holds
also with regard to Civil Engineers, amongst whom, however, one
well-known name is that of a BLUE.
1895. _Gleanings from “The Blue”_ Dedication. To all BLUES Past and
Present this Book is dedicated.
2. (University).—A member of the Universities of Oxford or
Cambridge. [The colours for inter-University sports are dark
and light blue respectively.]
TO GET ONE’S BLUE, _verb. phr._ (University).—To be selected
as a competitor in inter-University sports: _cf._ “to get
silk” (of Q.C.’s). [From the University colours.]
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