Oak, subs. (University).—An outer door. To sport one’s oak = to be “not at home,” indicated by closing the outer door.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1840. The Collegian’s Guide, 119. In college each set of rooms is provided with an OAK or outer door, with a spring lock, of which the master has one key, and the servant another.
1853. Bradley (“Cuthbert Bede”), Verdant Green, iv. This is the HOAK, this ’ere outer door is, sir, which the gentlemen sports, that is to say, shuts, sir, when they’re a-readin’. Ibid., viii. Mr. Verdant Green had, for the first time, SPORTED HIS OAK.
1861. Hughes, Tom Brown at Oxford, vii. One evening he found himself as usual at Hardy’s door about eight o’clock. The OAK was open, but he got no answer when he knocked at the inner door.
1891. Harry Fludyer at Cambridge, 55. He tried to keep them out, but they broke in his OAK, stripped him, tied him up in his table-cloth, and left him on the grass plot where the porter found him.
Ob, subs. (Winchester).—A contraction of obit.
Obeum (The), subs. (Cambridge).—A water-closet building at King’s College. [Attributed by the undergraduates to the energy of O[scar] B[rowning].]
Off-bat, subs. (Winchester: obsolete).—“Point”: at cricket.
c. 1840. Mansfield, School-Life at Winchester, 222. Off bat, the station of one of the field in a cricket match, called by the outer world “Point.”
Officer, subs. (Winchester).—A College Præfect when in office: as the Præfect of Hall, Chapel, School, or Library.
-oi, inseparable suffix (Tonbridge).—Indicative of complaisant disdain: e.g. TO DO THE BLEED-OI (see Bleed) = to swagger; to appear to be distinguishing oneself.
Oiler, subs. (University).—A cad.
Oips, subs. (Haileybury).—Boys who are not good enough for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or Below Bigside Elevens play in the Oips. [An abbreviation of Hoi polloi.]
Old Cars, subs. (Charterhouse).—Old Carthusians: regarded as a vulgarism.
Old Pig (The).—See Pig.
Old Schools, The (Harrow).—The original school building erected by John Lyon, together with the “Old Speech-room,” which, however, is of much later date.
Olds, subs. (The Leys).—A division of the “School House,” three dormitories—“Upper Olds,” “Under Olds,” and “Under Under.” See News.
On, adv. and intj. (Winchester: obsolete).—The word to start given by the Præfect of Hall when the School went in procession to Hills, Cathedral, &c. Also as in quot. See Appendix.
c. 1840. Mansfield, School-Life, 222. When any person or thing of importance was known to be likely to meet the boys when on Hills, the word was passed that he, she, or it was ON—e.g. Ridsworth ON, snobs ON, badger ON, &c.
1878. Adams, Wykehamica, xxiii.
On-and-Off, subs. (Tonbridge).—Lemonade.
1894. Tonbridgian, No. 330, 919. The scene is one of the wildest disorder. The writhing mass, in their efforts to obtain the desired article, tread on each other’s toes, spill the “OFF AND ON” down one another’s garments, and knock each other about with their elbows.
1899. Public School Mag., Dec., p. 444. “On and off” signifies home lemonade, and is so called because of the tap from which it flows.
Ones, subs. (Harrow).—A competition at football, one player a side: organised by Mr. Bowen. The play is for five minutes, the ground measures 40 yards by 30 yards, and the Bases (q.v.) 8 feet.
Oppidan, subs. (Eton).—A boy who boards in the town, as distinguished from a King’s Scholar.
1865. Etoniana, 31. The Latin-English term OPPIDAN was applied to these independent scholars at least as early as Fuller’s days. Speaking of the College, he says, “There be many OPPIDANES there maintained at the cost of their friends.”
1899. Public School Mag., Nov., p. 367. If there is any need for a test match between college and the OPPIDANS, we should suggest that they should play the winning house in the House match, and hope to beat it.
Optime, subs. (Cambridge).—The name given to the second class in the first portion of the public examination for honours, called the Mathematical Tripos, those placed in the first class being known as Wranglers (q.v.), and those in the third class as Junior Optimes.
Oration Quarter, subs. (Charterhouse).—See Long Quarter.
Oratorio, subs. (Sherborne).—The large choir, as distinguished from the chapel choir.
Order, subs. (general).—Written permission from a tutor to make purchases: as from tailor, &c. See Name.
Orders, subs. (Durham: obsolete).—A Head-master’s promise to add a day or two to the holidays: sometimes obtained, so tradition says, by barricading Big School against him.
Ostiar, subs. (Sherborne: obsolete).—The Præfect on duty at the Big School door: seventeenth century.
Ostiarius, subs. (Winchester: obsolete).—See quots.
c. 1840. Mansfield, School-Life at Winchester, 223. Ostiarius, an office held by the Præfects in succession. The duties were, to keep order in school, collect the Vulguses, and prevent the boys from shirking out. It is also the official title for the Second Master.
1865. Etoniana, 133. A peculiarity in the arrangements at Eton is, that the school is practically divided into two. The division seems to have been in force from the very earliest times—the three lower forms having been then, as now, under the charge of the OSTIARIUS, or, as he is now called, the lower master, who has the appointment of his own provost-assistants, and is practically independent of the head-master, and subject only to the control of the provost.
1866. Wykehamist, No. 1, Oct. We know of nothing more which calls for notice, except the revival by Dr. Moberly of the OSTIARIUS—an office which had been discontinued for many years, but was revived by the Head-master on account of the great increase in the number of the school.
1878. Adams, Wykehamica, xxiii. 429. Ostiarius, the Præfect in charge of school.
Othello. See Round.
Outer, subs. (Durham).—A cad; a “bounder.”
Out-houses (Charterhouse).—All the boarding-houses except Sanderites, Verites, and Gownboys. The names of the eight OUT-HOUSES are Girdlestonites, Lockites, Weekites, Hodgsonites, Bodeites, Daviesites, Pageites, and Robinites (the last a contraction of Robinsonites). Except Bodeites, each house bears the name of its first master. One house, Uskites—from a supposed similarity of the surroundings to the valley of the Usk—disappeared in 1878.
Out-match, subs. (Stonyhurst).—A match played against a visiting team.
Over-school, subs. (Rugby).—A kind of common sitting-room in the “new” building of 1755. The boys’ boxes were kept there, and Ash-planting (q.v.) inflicted. The present school-house hall was built on the site.
Overtoys-box. See Toys.
Ovid (Harrow).—See Upper School.
Owl, subs. (Cambridge: obsolete).—A member of Sidney Sussex College.