Eton College

The King's College of Our Lady of Eton beside Windsor, commonly known as Eton College or just Eton, is a public school (that is, an independent, fee-charging secondary school) for boys. It is located in Eton, Berkshire near Windsor in England, located about a mile north of Windsor Castle. It is one of the most famous schools in the world.

Terminology and slang

Much of Eton slang is the same as other public school slang (for example calling the elder brother 'Major' and the younger brother 'Minor'). However, there are a few Eton-specific phrases, including:

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• Pop / popper: Members of Pop are the school prefects. It is the oldest self-electing society, although the rules were altered in 1987 so that the new intake are not now elected solely by the existing year. Members of Pop are entitled to wear checked trousers, wing collars ('stick-ups') with bow ties and a waistcoat of their own choosing or design. Only Members of Pop are entitled to furl their umbrellas!
• Sixth Form Select: an academically-selected group consisting, by custom, of the 10 senior King's Scholars and the 10 senior Oppidan Scholars. Members of Sixth Form Select are entitled to wear stick-ups and brass buttons on their waistcoats.
• Library: House Prefects in 'B block' (the upper sixth form) within each house. After the appoinment of the House Captain and Captain of Games by the House Master, the membership of Library follows self-electing principles similar to those of Pop.
• Debate: Junior Prefects within each House, who are elected, when in C block (the lower sixth form), by members of Library, and remain in Debate until elected by their peers into Library when in B block themselves.
• stick-ups: The winged collars awarded, and worn as part of school uniform, for achieving certain positions or being awarded colours in certain school teams.
• absence: Roll call
• Beak: A master
• Tug: A King's Scholar (KS) - from the Latin 'togati', meaning 'wearers of gowns'
• to cap: to raise a finger as a sign of respect, derived from tipping of a hat. All boys are supposed to cap beaks when passing them in the street, and beaks are supposed to reciprocate
• half: one of the three terms that make up the school year (Michaelmas, Lent, Summer)
• a rip: when work is torn as a mark that it is substandard and has to be submitted for the inspection of the house master and the boy's tutor
• a show up: the opposite of a rip - work that is commended and to be shown to the student's tutors as evidence of progress
• Tap: the school's bar, open to students in their final two years
• Mespots: "Mesopotamia", one of many school playing fields. Others include Sixpenny / The Field, Lower Sixpenny, Dutchman's, Agar's Plough, Upper Club and Lower Club.