4 June – George III was a notable patron of the school and his birthday is given over to festivities in his honour. Prior to the Great War the school would fill with invitees and relatives of the boys for a combination of speeches, cricket and impressive teas during the day. In the evening there would be a grand procession of boats and a fireworks display.
Fagging – A period of servitude that each boy would undertake at the beginning of his time at Eton. Broadly speaking a younger boy (a fag) would be allocated to an older boy (a fagmaster) and would undertake general tasks and errands for him (fagging). The practice was abolished in the 1970s.
King’s Scholar / Colleger / Tug – At any one time, as dictated by the school’s founder Henry VI in the fifteenth century, there is space for seventy Foundation Scholars at Eton College. They live off the main schoolyard and are nicknamed ‘Collegers’ or sometimes ‘Tugs’. Entrance is by examination and these boys have the initials ‘KS’ after their name throughout their time at Eton. Rather than say they live in the house of a particular Master, it is termed that they are ‘in College’.
Lord’s – Since the turn of the nineteenth century the boys of Eton have traditionally taken on the boys of Harrow School in an annual game of cricket at Lord’s. Prior to the Great War the match lasted for two days in July and attracted crowds in the region of 20,000. It was a social event to rival Ascot and Henley.
Newcastle Scholarship – The most prestigious academic contest at Eton, the scholarship was founded by the Duke of Newcastle in the 1820s. Prior to the Great War it comprised a set of competitive examinations on Classics and Divinity and was extremely stringent. The winner was titled the ‘Newcastle Scholar’ for that year and received a monetary award. The runner-up was the ‘Medallist’ and a list of boys who had performed well would be one of the ‘Newcastle Select’.
Oppidan – An Oppidan is one of the 900 or so boys who are not King’s Scholars. They live in the myriad of boarding houses across the road from the original school buildings.
‘Pop’ / The Eton Society – A debating society founded at the school in 1811. Traditionally Pop comprised about thirty members. Apart from a few ex-officio places, admission is by election and is highly coveted.
The Wall Game – A type offtball specific to Eton. Played up against a wall in College it is traditionally more associated with King’s Scholars. On St Andrew’s Day every year though, the Collegers play a match against the Oppidans.