1900. Tod, Charterhouse, 81. At old Charterhouse monitors had unlimited powers.... They were seldom interfered with by any master; for instance, the visit of a house master to BANCO was intensely resented. There was a “boule” in the Sixth Form of 1872, as to what a monitor should do who was thus insulted. Should he at once put his cap on, and take no notice of the master? or would it be more dignified to walk straight out of the room? Ibid., 84. The chief duties of a monitor now are to keep BANCO, and to see that order is preserved in the cubicles, and in his house generally. Banco is the time from 7.30 to 8.55 every week-day evening except Saturday, and from 8.15 to 8.55 on Sundays, when the Under School sit in Long Room and prepare their work for the next day. The keeping of BANCO is a fine exercise in discipline for the monitor, and a very convenient arrangement for the house master. It is a tradition that a monitor helps every Under School boy with his work during BANCO if he can. Ibid., 95. The term BANCO was suggested by H. W. Phillott, afterwards Canon of Hereford ... in 1832, or a little later.
Bandy, subs. (Stonyhurst: nearly obsolete).—The Stonyhurst form of Hockey: prominent in the Tichborne trial, when the Claimant at first thought it a nickname, and afterwards a part of the College buildings.
1823. Nares, Glossary, s.v. Bandy-ball. A Yorkshire game, played with a crooked bat and a ball. It is the same as the Scottish game of golf. See Stowe’s Survey, ed. 1720, i. 251.
1847. Halliwell, Archaic Words, s.v. Bandy. A game played with sticks called BANDIES, bent and round at one end, and a small wooden ball, which each party endeavours to drive to opposite fixed points. Northbrooke, in 1577, mentions it as a favourite game in Devonshire. It is sometimes called BANDY-BALL, and an early drawing of the game is copied in Strutt’s Sports and Pastimes, p. 102.
Bangy (or Bangay), subs. (Winchester).—Brown sugar. Also as adj. = brown. Hence BANGAY BAGS (or BANGIES) = brown-coloured trousers. Wrench says the strong objection to these in former times probably arose from Tony Lumpkin coming to school in corduroys. [Suggested derivations are: (1) from Bangalore, a coarse-sugar growing country; (2) bhang = hemp; (3) banjy (Essex) = dull, gloomy.] A brown gate formerly leading from Grass Court into Sick House Meads was known as the Bangy Gate. The term is now often applied to the gate by Racquet Court into Kingsgate Street.
Bar. To bar out, verb. phr. (Royal High School, Edin.: obsolete).—To lock or barricade the doors to exclude the masters. This custom has been practically extinct since the day that Bailie John Macmorrane was shot by a pupil, William Sinclair, son of the Chancellor of Caithness, while endeavouring to get the door battered down (Sept. 15, 1595).
Barbar, subs. (Durham).—A candidate for scholarship from another school. [That is, “barbarian” = foreigner.]
Barber, subs. (Winchester).—A thick fagot or bough; one was included in each bundle. Also any large piece of wood.
Verb (University).—To work off impositions by deputy. [Tradition relates that a learned barber was at one time frequently employed as a scapegoat in working off this species of punishment inflicted on peccant students.] Also TO BARBERISE.
1853. Bradley (“Cuthbert Bede”), Verdant Green, xii. As for impositions, why ... ’Aint there coves to BARBERISE ’em for you?