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

Birch-broom Race, subs. phr. (Winchester).—See Torch-race.

Birch-room, subs. (Westminster).—See quot.

1867. Collins, The Public Schools, p. 178. Behind is the “French room,” once known as the BIRCH-ROOM (in which those useful implements were manufactured and used), where a bench is carefully preserved bearing the name of “John Dryden,” no doubt cut by the poet himself, as the style of the letters corresponds with his date.

Bird, subs. (Durham).—A credulous boy; one easily cajoled; a “soft.”

Bishop, subs. (Winchester).—The sapling with which a fagot is bound together.

Bite, intj. (Charterhouse and Christ’s Hospital).—Cave!

Black, subs. (Rugby).—A nickname.

1856. Hughes, Tom Brown’s School-days, I. vi. “There’s plenty of youngsters don’t care about it,” said Walker. “Here, here’s Scud East—you’ll be tossed, won’t you, young un?” Scud was East’s nickname, or BLACK, as we called it, gained by his fleetness of foot.

Black Book, The (Charterhouse).—See Extra.

Black-hole, subs. (Shrewsbury).—See quot.