1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Pluck.... Signifies to deny a degree to a candidate at one of the universities, on account of insufficiency. The three first books of Euclid, and as far as Quadratic Equations in Algebra, will save a man from being PLUCKED. These unfortunate fellows are designated by many opprobrious appellations, such as the Twelve Apostles, the Legion of Honour, Wise Men of the East, &c.
1847. C. Brontë, Jane Eyre, x. He went to college and he got PLUCKED, as I think they call it.
1853. Bradley, Verdant Green, iii. Verdant read up most desperately for his matriculation, associating that initiatory examination with the most dismal visions of PLUCKING, and other college tortures. Ibid., xi. Note. When the degrees are conferred, the name of each person is read out before he is presented to the Vice-Chancellor. The proctor then walks once up and down the room, so that any person who objects to the degree being granted may signify the same by pulling or PLUCKING the proctor’s robes. This has been occasionally done by tradesmen, in order to obtain payment of their “little bills,” but such a proceeding is very rare, and the proctor’s promenade is usually undisturbed.
1855. Bristed, Eng. Univ., 258. If a man is PLUCKED—that is, does not get marks enough to pass—his chance of a Fellowship is done for.
1863. Reade, Hard Cash, Prol. Gooseberry pie ... adds to my chance of being PLOUGHED for SMALLS.
1886. Stubbs, Mediæval and Mod. Hist., 386. I trust that I have never PLUCKED a candidate ... without giving him every opportunity of setting himself right.
1895. Pocock, Rules of the Game, i. I knew one of that lot at Corpus; in fact, we were crammed by the same tutor for “smalls,” and both got PLOUGHED.
Pluck. See Plough.
Plug, subs. (common).—A translation; a CRIB (q.v.).
1853. Bradley (“Cuthbert Bede”), Verdant Green.... Getting up his subjects by the aid of those royal roads to knowledge, variously known as cribs, crams, PLUGS, abstracts, analyses, or epitomes.