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- Through time many historic ‘Eton’ words have fallen from use, but the most commonly used words remain, and are regularly uttered by pupils walking around the school.
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Through time many historic ‘Eton’ words have fallen from use, but the most commonly used words remain, and are regularly uttered by pupils walking around the school. If you visit, keep an ear out for the ones we will discuss below, ‘halves’, ‘messing’, ‘beaks and ‘chambers’.
Dec 20, 2023 · How Eton became the ultimate four-letter word – and not fit for a king? As the Prince and Princess of Wales consider sending George to Marlborough, ex-Etonian Guy Walters considers the...
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- Abroad. Abroad once meant out of doors. Now it’s used as an adverb meaning beyond the boundaries of one’s country, or as a noun meaning foreign territory generally.
- Audition. Audition meant the power or sense of hearing in the 16th and 17th centuries. The first recorded use of audition as a noun meaning a trial for a performer was in 1881.
- Bane. Bane was once a synonym for poison — and it has retained that meaning in connection with poisonous plants such as wolfsbane. However, its primary meaning now is a person or thing that ruins or spoils, as in “the bane of my existence.”
- Bedlam. Asylums were known as bedlams from the 16th century. The word derives from Bethlehem, after which a hospital in London was named. Now it means uproar or confusion.
For some, the E-word is still the mark of Cain. “He’s an Old Etonian,” jeered Gordon Brown, to a chorus of sniggers, at the Labour Party conference. The Chancellor is partial to the class-based attack, and he plainly intends to use Cameron’s background as a cudgel against him.
A new memoir recalls life at Eton College – the school for the country's most powerful and privileged. John Self looks at how it has captured writers' imaginations for decades.
The oldest classroom still in use, "Lower School", dates from the 15th century, though this is now used more for religious services and as a detention centre. Every evening, about 75 minutes, known as Quiet Hour, is set aside, during which boys are expected to study or prepare work for their teachers if not otherwise engaged. [ 83 ]
There are 17 meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun Eton, one of which is labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
