23 Mar Harrow Terminology
Visitors to the Hill will hear some unique terminology. While the origins of many of these words and phrases may have been lost in time, they remain a common language among those who have spent time at Harrow.
A beak is a teacher, also known as a Master.
Bill or Callover is a compulsory roll call, held in each House three times a day.
The Bill Book is a small blue book that provides essential information about the School and the term’s calendar.
A bluer is the dark blue jacket boys wear as part of their school uniform. Greyers are the grey trousers.
Butteries are the kitchens in the Houses.
A Send Up is a piece of very good work.
A Copy is awarded for 12 Send Ups or to the boy who has done best in each subject every term. Boys with eight Copies win a prize.
A skew is a sanction from a beak for poor or incomplete work.
Double is lines written on special paper, set as a sanction.
Eccer is any form of games or sport.
Ducker is the swimming pool.
Flannels are School awards for sport. A boy awarded his Flannels for cricket, rugby, football, Harrow football or for minor sports may wear a grey waistcoat when he wears his tailcoat as part of his uniform.
The Guild is a specially appointed group of senior boys who have shown artistic or cultural excellence. They have a distinctive maroon tie and may wear a maroon waistcoat with their tailcoat.
Locking up is a deadline, after which time boys must sign out if they wish to leave their House.
A Monitor is a prefect.
A Passage is a corridor in a boarding House.
The Philathletic Club is made up of the School’s top athletes, commonly called The Phil. They may wear a black bow-tie.
Remove is the second-year group at Harrow and Shell the first.
Queue is the time each day when boys may meet with their House Master to withdraw money, to report Send Ups and skews, and for other matters of business or concern.
A Shepherd is a Remove boy whose job it is to look after new Shell boys during their first two weeks at the School.
Tolley up is permission to work after lights out.
Torpids are an under-16 House sports team.
A tosh is a bath or shower.
Trials are internal School examinations.
A Yarder is both an outdoor recreation area and a game played there.
Yearlings are Shell teams or groups.