Tom Brown at Rugby

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.