1890. Great Public Schools, 14. Parents of independent means rejoice when their sons obtain places on the Foundation at Eton. Admitted after a severe competitive examination, and specially encouraged in the habits of industry, the seventy COLLEGERS generally win a large proportion of the prizes and other distinctions that are offered to Etonians, and maintain the high reputation of their old school in the class lists at Oxford and Cambridge.
College-ware, subs. (Winchester).—Crockery that falls without breaking.—Mansfield.
Combie, subs. (University).—The “Combination room,” a parlour in which college dons drink wine after Hall.
Come. Come up! intj. (Sherborne).—The order given by the Captain of the Games, after 3 Roll on a half-holiday, to start the games at football.
Come-up, subs. (Stonyhurst).—A regulation as to the conditions by which one player might try to take the ball from another: football.
Commoner, subs. (general).—A boy not on the foundation. Whence (Winchester) Commoners = the building they lived in. [Now abolished as a residence and converted into class-rooms with a handsome library. The old building, which presented externally (vide Mansfield) the appearance of an inferior workhouse, was successfully altered by Mr. Butterfield, and is now, in its architecture, worthy of its purpose and surroundings.]
1867. Collins, The Public Schools, p. 26. Of the fellow-commoners, or COMMONERS, as they are now termed, who have so increased as to form a supplementary body of scholars doubling in number the College boys themselves, it will be necessary to give some account. Provision had been made in the original statutes for the reception and instruction of independent students to the number of ten, sons of noblemen or of “special friends” of the College, who, though not claiming the other advantages of the foundation, might yet wish to avail themselves of its sound teaching; with a proviso that these should not be in any way burdensome to the revenues.... In [Dr. Burton’s] time the College rose rapidly as a place of education for many of the young nobility, and the accommodations were found insufficient. He built what is now remembered by Wykehamists of the past generation as “OLD COMMONERS.” ... The number of COMMONERS gradually increased, until in 1820 they reached 135. “Old Commoners” was pulled down in 1839-41 to make way for the present building, which was the result of a general Wykehamist subscription. Ibid., 115 [Westminster]. In every public school the masters were entirely dependent for any income beyond their statutable salaries on the liberality of the parents of those boys who were admitted as COMMONERS, or oppidans. Ibid., Etoniana, 10. [At Eton] there were two classes of these boys—“generosorum filii Commensales,” and simple “Commensales”—corresponding to the “gentleman-COMMONER” and “COMMONER” of Oxford; the former probably of higher social rank, paying more for their commons, and dining at a separate table.
Commoner-grub, subs. (Winchester).—A dinner formerly given by COMMONERS (q.v.) to College after cricket matches.
Commoners-speaking, subs. (Winchester).—The day on which the speakers, selected from among the Inferiors (q.v.), declaimed.
Common Innings, subs. (Stonyhurst: obsolete).—A form of cricket.