Common-time, subs. (Winchester).—The Short Half, and beginning of Long up to Easter time.
Commons, subs. (University).—Rations of bread, butter, and milk, supplied from the buttery. [When a number of men breakfast together, the student whose rooms are the rendezvous tells his scout the names of those in-college men who are coming to breakfast with him. The scout then collects their COMMONS, which thus forms the substratum of the entertainment. The other things are of course supplied by the giver of the breakfast, and are sent in by the confectioner. As to the knives and forks and crockery, the scout produces them from his common stock.]
1853. Bradley, Verdant Green, viii. Of course you’d like to take out an æger, sir; and I can bring you your COMMONS just the same.
Compo, subs. (King Edward’s, Birm.).—The championship competition in the gymnasium, or at fives; place-kicking.
Compositions, subs. (Stonyhurst).—Three days coming at the end of each quarter, during which the composition work of the various Forms is tested. According to the results is arranged the “Order of Compositions,” which is accepted as fixing a boy’s place in his Form for the ensuing quarter. There is a hill some distance from the College known as “Composition Hill,” so called because the Poets (q.v.) went there for inspiration on composition days. The first and second boys according to the order of Compositions are known respectively as “Roman Imperator” and “Carthaginian Imperator.” The last Compositions of the year used to be known as the “Great Compositions.” By them the Form medals, &c., were decided.
Compound-kish (or Hish), subs. (Marlborough).—The rules of the Latin compound sentence.
Compul, adj. and adv. (Harrow).—That is, “compulsory.”
Compulsory, subs. (Charterhouse).—See Runabout.
Con, subs. 1. (Winchester).—A rap on the head with the knuckles, or with anything hard, such as a cricket ball. Also as verb: to rap with the knuckles. [The derivation formerly accepted at Winchester was κονδυλον = a knuckle, but the editors of the Wykehamist suggest its origin in the North Country con, “to fillip,” with which the French se cogner exactly corresponds.]
2. (general).—That is, “construe.” Hence TO GET A CONSTRUE = to get some one to translate a piece.