3. (Harrow).—To make drops at rackets.
Slop, subs. (Christ’s Hospital).—A term of contempt.
Slopper, subs. (The Leys).—A slop-basin.
Snoring-dormitory, subs. (Stonyhurst).—A special dormitory reserved for troublesome sleepers.
Souppy, subs. (Royal High School, Edin.).—The same as Grubby (q.v.).
Spec, verb (Harrow and Durham).—To expect to get; to count on winning beforehand: as a race, &c.
Spital Sermon (Christ’s Hospital).—See ante. In The Blue of April 1900 appears an account of a Spital Sermon preached in Christ Church, Newgate Street, April 23rd, 1644: it is quaint. In recent years the Lord Mayor’s chaplain preached on Easter Monday, a bishop on Tuesday, but within the last twenty years the Monday sermon has been given up. Also, the boys no longer wear the bit of paper bearing the words, “He is risen,” and the “Mathemats” have ceased to carry their nautical instruments.
Spot. On the spot, phr. (Stonyhurst).—(1) In good humour; (2) in good condition.
Stonyhurst-cricket, subs. (Stonyhurst: recently obsolete).—A form of cricket played till very recent times at Stonyhurst, the ordinary game being known as London-cricket. The points of difference are chiefly these: (1) the balls must be swift, and bowled along the ground; (2) the batsman must hit—“slog” is the term; and (3) the game is played at a single wicket. Bat, ball, and wickets differ in shape and size from those used in cricket proper. In Father Gerard’s Stonyhurst will be found a detailed account of the game, and a connection is traced between it and a crude form once played at Eton. It is in all probability a survival of very primitive cricket which became stereotyped because of the life of the College abroad.
Stonyhurst-football, subs. (Stonyhurst).—A kind of football played at Stonyhurst and some other schools. It differs materially from the Association and Rugby game, chiefly in these respects: (1) any number may play at once; (2) the ball may be touched by the hand during the game, but not handled or carried as in Rugby football; (3) charging, or otherwise roughly treating another player, is prohibited. The goal-posts are longer and the space between them narrower than in other forms of the game; the ball is small and round. It is akin to a species of football played at Eton, and is clearly a relic of the past. In matches the sides usually have names: e.g. “French and English,” in the Grand Matches—a significant survival from old continental days; “Federals and Allies” (now obsolete); “Pipes and Windows”—a favourite impromptu match, the “Pipes” being those who sit on one side of the old “Study Place,” the “Windows” those who sit on the other. Now that the “Pipes” (hot-water pipes) are on the same side as the windows, the match is more commonly called “Walls and Windows,” but sometimes “Chapel Pipes and Windows.” “Shavers and Non-shavers” is another favourite match.