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

by John Stephen Farmer

Footer-hill, The (Harrow).—The hill from the football-fields and DUCKER (q.v.).

For, phr. (Tonbridge).—A form of ridicule: e.g. “first eleven FOR one” would be used in jeering at a boy who had recently obtained his colours.

Forakers (or Foricus), subs. (Winchester).—The water-closet. [Formerly foricus, and probably a corruption of foricas, an English plural of the Latin forica.]

Force. Out by force, phr. (Stonyhurst).—Of a football when it goes out from two opposite players at the same time.

Founders, subs. (Winchester).—Boys who proved their descent from the Founder, and were afterwards elected (by rote among the Electors) as such. Only two were admitted each year, and only two were sent to New College, but these two were put at the head of the Roll (q.v.) whatever their previous position in Sixth Book (q.v.) might have been. They were not obliged to leave at the age of eighteen, as the other boys were, but were allowed to remain till they were twenty-five. They were supposed to have particularly thick skulls.—Mansfield (c. 1840).

Founder’s-Com., subs. (Winchester).—The four days on which there were festivals in commemoration of the Founder, when there was Amen-chapel (q.v.); the Fellows and Masters gave a dinner in Common-room, and the Founders (q.v.) received a sovereign each.—Mansfield (c. 1840).

Founder’s-day, subs. (Harrow).—The 3rd of October, the anniversary of the death of John Lyon: usually kept on the nearest Thursday to the date in question.

Founder’s-kin, subs. (various).—Those, who at Winchester, Harrow, &c., could show descent from William of Wykeham or John Lyon, &c., as the case might be, and who were entitled to priority of election on the foundation.

1867. Collins, The Public Schools, p. 32. The preference assigned to FOUNDER’S-KIN in the election soon brought into the field, as may be supposed, young Wykehams and Williamses from all quarters, with others who proved more or less satisfactorily their connection with the founder’s family; and gradually the customs obtained of electing two only of these favoured candidates at the head of the roll for admission, and filling up the remaining vacancies by a process of successive nominations by each of the six electors, the Warden of New College having the first turn, until the number of vacancies was supplied.

Founder’s-Ob., subs. (Winchester).—The anniversary of the Founder’s death.