Tom Brown at Rugby
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373
Pater Brooke: Father Brooke, because he was now an "old boy" about to graduate.
374
Balliol scholarship: a scholarship in Balliol College, one of the leading colleges of Oxford. Such scholarships are frequently worth from $800 to $1000 a year.
375
Doctor: Doctor Arnold. He became head-master of Rugby in 1828. He was a power for good in every direction. He reconstructed the school system, and put the boys on their honor, never in any way questioning their word, so that it came to be a saying in the school, "that it was a shame to tell Arnold a lie; he always believes one." Perhaps no teacher in England was so beloved or had such influence.
376
Harriers and beagles: dogs used for hunting hares.
377
Keepers: game-keepers.
378
Hare and Hounds: next to foot-ball, this is the great sport at Rugby. Several boys representing the hares, start to run a certain course, and are shortly after followed by the whole school as hounds. In some cases thirteen miles have been run in less than an hour and a half.
379
Sparring: boxing.
380
Medes and Persians: ancient nations of the east; noted for their adherence to the laws of their forefathers.
381
Maudlin: silly.
382
Dips: cheap tallow candles.
383
Muff: usually a soft, useless kind of person; here, codger.
384
Jugs: pitchers.
385
William IV.: 1830 to 1837.
386
Bating: lowering.
387
Funk: feel afraid.
388
Entity: being.
389
Generic name: class name.
390
"No Englishman ever blacks his own shoes," said an English visitor to Mr. Lincoln. "Well, whose shoes does he black then?" was the President's reply.
391
Pull: lucky thing.
392
Rota: list.
393
Jug: here, a large water-pitcher.
394
Privateers: literally, ships owned by private individuals licensed to plunder an enemy in war.
395
Construe: translate.
396
Sets: classes, social groups or cliques.
397
Three-decker: an old-fashioned man-of-war of the largest size.
398
Incarnation: embodiment.
399
Big School: one of the school buildings.
400
Gable-ended: having a triangular end from the eaves or cornice to the top.
401
Six minutes' law: six minutes' start.
402
The Cock: a noted inn.
403
Wattle: a gate or fence made of sticks woven together.
404
Leicestershire: a county joining Warwickshire.
405
Casts: sallies or explorations in different directions.
406
Vantage-ground: a place of advantage.
407
Thick: fool.
408
Nicias's galleys: Grecian boats under the command of Nicias, a famous general.
409
Homely: homelike.
410
Bolstering: fights with pillows and bolsters.
411
Post-boys: the boys that drove the coach and the post-chaises.
412
Cornopean: a kind of trumpet.
413
Highflyer: name of a coach.
414
At large: free from restraint.
415
Corn Market: one of the principal streets of Oxford.
416
Bucolics: short poems on country life.
417
Hecuba: the name of a play.
418
Accidence: the rudiments of grammar.
419
Argus: in mythology, a monster with a hundred eyes.
420
Babel: confusion. See Genesis, Chapter XI.
421
Elysium: in mythology, a dwelling-place for happy souls after death; hence, any delightful place.
422
Staple: principal part.
423
Veto: the act of forbidding; a prohibition.
424
Tithe: a tenth.
425
Clever: bright, smart.
426
"Triste lupus stabulis": "the wolf is fatal to the flocks."
427
Form: here, bench.
428
Form: here, class.
429
Rating: scolding.
430
Colleagues: associates.
431
Quit: acquit, behave.
432
"The Pickwick Papers": a humorous novel by Charles Dickens.
433
Convivial: relating to a feast; festal.
434
Levy: a meeting of the pupils.
435
Premising: saying to begin with
436
Sent to Coventry: excluded from their society.
437
Toady: seek favor in a mean way.
438
Peaching: telling.
439
Cut: the same as "Sent to Coventry."
440
The Mucker: the sloven.
441
Tails: a tail coat.
442
Impecuniosity: want of money.
443
Study-fagging: clearing up his study-room.
444
Cockpit: here, probably, a recess or small place.
445
Penates: Roman household gods; hence, most precious things.
446
Sterling: English money.
447
Sauce-pan: a vessel for boiling and stewing.
448
Verses: Latin verses.
449
Beggars: here, fellows.
450
Derby: a famous English horse-race (pronounced Darby).
451
Books: an arrangement of bets on a race recorded in a book, and so calculated that the book-maker generally wins something, whatever the result.
452
Houses of Palaver: Parliament never sits on Derby Day.
453
Nominally: in name only.
454
Drawing a favorite horse: the names of the horses running at the Derby were written on folded slips of paper, and those who drew the winning names got the prizes.
455
Hedge: here, a guard against loss.
456
Half-a-crown: an English silver coin, two shillings and sixpence, or sixty cents.
457
Cajoleries: coaxing by flatteries.
458
Tizzy: here, the one and sixpence.
459
Coxiest: most conceited, impudent.
460
Job iii. 17.
461
The half: the half-year.
462
Ominous: foretelling evil.
463
Cut to cover: ran to a hiding-place.
464
Draw: to force a creature to leave its hiding-place.
465
Sprung: become strained or cracked.
466
Chartered: hired.
467
Hurdle: a framework of twigs.
468
Vested interest: a fixed estate; here, a deeply rooted evil or abuse.
469
The Palaver: a nickname for Parliament.
470
Kossuth, etc.: patriots and reformers.
471
Balances: money deposited to one's credit.
472
Ishmaelites: outcasts.
473
Sold me: tricked or outwitted me.
474
Ear-marked: marked with a private mark.
475
Frowzy: dirty, slovenly.
476
Outlaws: persons deprived of the protection of the law.
477
Ticket-of-leave men: convicts allowed to go at large upon their good behavior.
478
Cock of the House: leader of the School.
479
A toss-up: the merest chance; toss of a copper.
480
Small jack: young pike.
481
Reaches: straight pieces of water.
482
Brownsover: a neighboring village.
483
Spring-board: a long board projecting over the water, used by divers.
484
Affected: preferred.
485
Keepers: gamekeepers employed on all great estates to protect the game and fish. In England, game and fish, except in navigable waters, are the private property of the land-owners.
486
Tackle-maker: one who makes fishing-tackle.
487
Velveteens: alluding to the keeper's velveteen suit.
488
Beggars: here, wonderful chaps.
489
Likely: suitable; convenient.
490
Lotus-eaters: the lotus was a plant fabled by the ancients to make strangers who ate of it forget their native land and lead a dreamy, happy, careless life. See Homer's Odyssey, IX., and Tennyson's poem, "The Lotus-eaters."
491
Ephemeræ: Insects which live a very short time; literally, but a day.
492
Hot-foot: with all haste.
493
Gee: give.
494
Black: a nickname.
495
Return match: the end of the affair.
496
Rise at silver: let one off for money.
497
Bob: a shilling.
498
Wiseacres: those who make undue pretentions to wisdom.
499
Marryat's novels: stories of the sea and of adventure, by Captain Marryat.
500
Derogatory: here, contemptuous; belittling.
501
The lakes: Dr. Arnold and family, during the vacations, made their home in the lake district in the northwestern part of England.
502
The eleven: the number of players selected by a club to play a cricket match.
503
Publican: here, a revenue or tax collector. See Luke xviii. 13.
504
Elijah: see 1 Kings xix. 9.
505
Baal: an idol; hence any great wickedness.
506
Pap-bottle: a nursing-bottle.
507
Wash: stand; hold its colors.
508
In a blue funk: horribly frightened.
509
Congenial: agreeable.
510
Lessons: here, portions of Scripture.
511
Midland Counties: the central counties.
512
The war: probably the war against Napoleon.
513
Courts: places; short streets closed at one end.
514
County yeomanry: that is, with the calling out of the militia of the county to quell the riots.
515
Utopian: fanciful.
516
Salver: a tray.
517
Fat living or stall: a high-salaried parish; stall: an office in the church.
518
Dowager: the widow of a person of wealth and rank.
519
Homely: fond of home; domestic.
520
Arthur: here, young Arthur's father.
521
Chartism: the principles of a political party which demanded universal suffrage and other radical reforms. The chartists were regarded much as the anarchists are now.
522
Living: parish.
523
Proselytizing: converting to one's particular opinions.
524
See Genesis xli.
525
See Genesis xxxvii.
526
Lord Grey: he introduced a famous bill for parliamentary reform which was passed in 1832.
527
See 2 Kings, Chapter V.
528
See Daniel iii.
529
Gradus ad Parnassum: a dictionary specially designed to aid pupils in writing Greek and Latin verses.
530
Rum: queer.
531
Magpie: a bird which can be taught to speak like the parrot.
532
Amateur nest: here, a nest made by himself.
533
Callow: unfledged; without feathers.
534
Cogitation: thought.
535
Sebastopol: a fortified town in the Crimea; the scene of a siege in the Crimean War.
536
Ensconce: to place in a protected place.
537
Ambrosial: here, delicious, in an ironical sense.
538
Normal: usual; regular.
539
Border-farmer: one who lived on the border between Scotland and England.
540
Moss-troopers: so called from the mosses or bogs on the border; plunderers who infested the border. They sometimes summoned the farmers to open the doors of their "holds" (fortified houses), to them.
541
Taxidermy: the art of stuffing the skins of animals.
542
Bewick: an English artist distinguished for wood engraving. His most famous work was a "History of British Birds."
543
Bird-fancier: one who keeps birds for sale.
544
Pewter: pewter mugs and plates.
545
Volition: will.
546
Kestrel: a bird of the hawk kind.
547
Fidus Achates: faithful friend.
548
Extempore: off-hand.
549
Ag´a-nip´pe: a famous Grecian fountain; here, the name is applied to some stream or pool.
550
In the consulship of Plancus: here, meaning in the time of Dr. Arnold.
551
William of Wykeham: the founder of Winchester College, the oldest of the great public schools of England. Here Dr. Arnold fitted for Oxford.
552
Intrinsic: inward, real, true.
553
Minimum: least.
554
Elaborate: prepared or thought out with great care.
555
Incongruous: ill-fitting.
556
Elegiac: a kind of verse generally used in expressing sorrow and lamentation.
557
Cribbed: stole, copied.
558
O genus humanum: O human race.
559
Scan: contain the right number of syllables with the accents in the proper places.
560
False quantities: long syllables placed where short ones should be used or the reverse.
561
Concord: the agreement of words in construction, as adjectives with nouns in gender, number, and case.
562
Vicarious: acting for another. Here it means, having it done for em by another.
563
Experto crede: believe one who has had experience.
564
Roc: a monstrous, imaginary bird.
565
Sindbad: a sailor in the "Arabian Nights' Tales," who had many wonderful adventures.
566
Blowing: two small holes are made at opposite ends of an egg, and the contents are then blown out by the breath.
567
Floored: silenced or put back in his lesson for not having learned it properly.
568
Bile: here, anger.
569
Munitions: supplies.
570
High feather: high spirits.
571
Pecking-bag: a strong bag to carry pebbles in.
572
Et ceteras: things of a like kind.
573
Mistletoe: an evergreen plant which grows on various trees.
574
Swarmed: climbed by embracing with arms and legs.
575
Slithering: sliding.
576
Addled: rotten.
577
Sedge-bird: a bird living in the sedge or water-grass on the banks of streams.
578
Beating: rousing or driving out birds and game.
579
Foozling: dull, stupid.
580
Chaffinch: a fine song-bird.
581
Quickset: a kind of hedge.
582
Felonious: unlawful.
583
High: tainted; beginning to spoil.
584
'Ware: beware! look out!
585
A constitutional: a walk for the health.
586
Ees: yes.
587
Peas'n: peas.
588
Leastway: at any rate.
589
Gee'd 'em: gave them.
590
Predicate: say or assert.
591
Bell's Life: a London sporting journal.
592
Tacitly: without words, silently.
593
Mill: a set-to or fight.
594
Dramatis personæ: persons represented in a drama or in a story.
595
Homer's Iliad: a Greek epic poem relating the siege of Ilium or Troy.
596
Hector: a Trojan hero slain in the siege of Troy.
597
Helen: a beautiful Grecian princess whose abduction by Paris of Troy caused the Trojan war.
598
Coach: teacher or tutor.
599
Nem. con.: no one objecting.
600
Shell lesson: a lesson for the shell, or lower fourth form or class.