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

1848. C. Kingsley, Yeast, i. Sapping and studying still.

1853. Lytton, My Novel, Bk. I. ch. xii. He understands that he was sent to school to learn his lessons, and he learns them. You call that SAPPING—I call it doing his duty.

1856. Miss Yonge, Daisy Chain, ch. xii. “At it again!” exclaimed Dr. May. “Carry it away, Ethel; I will have no Latin or Greek touched these holidays.” “You know,” said Norman, “if I don’t SAP, I shall have no chance of keeping up!”

1891. Harry Fludyer at Cambridge, 46. I ... haven’t to go SAPPING round to get it when I want my own tea.

Sappy, adj. (Durham).—Severe: of a caning.

Sark, verb (Sherborne).—To sulk.

Saturday-nighter, subs. (Harrow).—An exercise set for Saturday night: usually an essay, map, or poem.

Scadger, subs. (Winchester: obsolete).—A scamp; a rascal. Now a general colloquialism.

Scaff, subs. (Christ’s Hospital).—A selfish fellow. [The adjectival forms are SCALY and SCABBY, whence may be the derivation.] Obsolete: see Scouse.

Scaldings, intj. (Winchester).—A general injunction to be gone; “Be off!”