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. 101. At
each end of school are three tiers of benches rising gradually one
above the other,—that on the ground being called “Senior Row,” and the
others “Middle” and “Junior Row” respectively. On these the Classes
sit when UP AT BOOKS, _i.e._ when repeating lessons.
1847. HALLIWELL, _Archaic Words_, s.v. BOOK. This word was formerly
used for any composition, from a volume to a single sheet,
particularly where a list is spoken of. See the _State Papers_, i.
402.
1867. COLLINS, _The Public Schools_, p. 37. Three tiers of fixed seats
rise against the wainscotted walls on the east and west, where the
boys are arranged when UP TO BOOKS, the chairs of the different
masters being in front of each.
1872. WALCOTT, _Traditions and Customs of Cathedrals_, “Statutes of
Chichester Cathedral.” Four wax candles are always distributed at the
end of Lauds, at the four uppermost BOOKS, to the Senior set of the
BOOKS, to find the lights to the same BOOKS for that time. [Note to
foregoing:—At Winchester College the Forms are still called BOOKS.]
1878. ADAMS, _Wykehamica_, 417, _s.v._
1891. WRENCH, _Winchester Word-Book_, s.v. BOOKS. It has been
suggested that this phrase arose from the school having originally to
go up to the Donatus—the one book which College boasted; and an entry
is extant of a three days’ remedy being entailed by the book going to
be bound. The pluralization would be no more than an ordinary
Wykehamical inflection.... The following mysterious use of _Libri_,
however, suggests a much more probable origin. CHRIS. JOHNSON says:
“_Seu Chandlerus erat, seu Custos ordine primus, Durus ab inductis
dicitur esse LIBRIS!_” To which a contemporaneous note is appended:
“_Lectionum a cæna repetitiones instituisse creditur, quas Wiccamici
materna lingua Libros dicunt._” What these “repetitiones” were is not
clear; but they were some form of lesson which præ-Elizabethan
Wykehamists had christened BOOKS in their _materna lingua_, and
Johnson’s annotator thought the word strange enough to deserve a note.
We may, therefore, very possibly be only perpetuating this word in our
use of UP TO BOOKS.
BOOKS CHAMBERS.—Explained by quotations.
_c._ 1840. MANSFIELD, _School-Life at Winchester College_, p. 103. On
Remedies (a kind of whole holiday) we also went into school in the
morning and afternoon for an hour or two without masters; this was
called BOOKS CHAMBERS; and on Sundays, from four till a quarter to
five.
1891. WRENCH, _Winchester Word-Book_, s.v. BOOKS-CHAMBERS. Hours of
preparation in College: in the evening called Toy-time.
TO GET (or MAKE) BOOKS.—To get the first place, or to make
the highest score at anything. _Cf._ BOOKS, sense 1.
*Bookwork*, _subs._ (University).—Mathematics that can be
learned _verbatim_ from books—anything not a problem.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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