Harrow School

Harrow School is a British public school, located in Harrow on the Hill, in North West London. It was founded in 1572 under a Royal Charter granted by Elizabeth I to John Lyon, a local yeoman, for the provision of education to local boys (Lyon was particular about keeping Harrow single-sex, a tradition that is still maintained). Harrow currently has approximately 850 pupils spread across 11 houses, all of whom board full-time at a cost of £23,625 per year. The majority of boarding houses were constructed in Victorian times, when the number of boys increased dramatically and the school began to resemble something similar to the current institution in terms of size and uniform.

Harrow Slang

Below are a few examples of vocabulary used by Harrovians today:

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• Beak – Master (often named by their initials only i.e. the Head Master is BJL)
• Flicks – Lights out (only used in some houses)
• Ducker – Swimming pool
• Reader – House library
• Yarder – Small play area in each house
• Bluer – Blue jacket worn by Harrovians
• Greyers – Grey flannel trousers
• Eccer – Games
• Double – Writing lines as a punishment done on special "double" paper.
• Chit – A note, depending on its colour may be good or bad
• Fez – A cap for sport
• Tolly up, Extension – Permission to stay up late to work
• Custos – The caretaker
• Tosh – Bath or shower
• Bill, Call Over – morning or evening registration in houses
• Existing Customs – The school rule book
• Bill Book – A small, blue book published each term containing a list of boys and masters as well as other useful information