Education: Go Milk a Duck

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When a Cornell man says wearily, "Will the Marines never come?" he means, "Something ought to be done. . . ."

When a West Pointer speaks of "growley" he is referring either to tomato catchup or to a blush.

Campus slang is fluid, capricious, varying from place to place. Last week the Columbia Spectator brought its readers briefly down to date, explaining that a complete campus slang dictionary "would probably fill a ponderous tome." At Miami University alone, it recalled, a survey by the English department revealed 103 terms for intoxication, 56 "ways of directing undesirables to take their leave," 62 names for Fords, 174 "undesirable mental conditions."

Excerpts from the Spectator's glossary:

Ads—cars parked in front of a fraternity house. (Pennsylvania)

Airdale—one-man woman. (Cornell)

Apple Polisher—teacher's pet. (Syracuse)

Aquarium—the place where a sucker takes his date to dance. (Syracuse)

Big D. O. C, man—out-of-door heman. (Dartmouth)

B, M, O. H,—big man on the hill; big shot. (Cornell)

Boodle—anything edible secured outside a dining room. (Army)

Buzz a man—put in sweat; give a rushing line; induce a freshman to join a fraternity. (Pennsylvania)

Cold, adj.—perfect. (Army)

Drop half a yard—lose $50 at cards. (Cornell)

Ducrot—name applied to all plebes or to anything the name of which has been forgotten. (Army)

Egg on his mouth—immature. (Cornell)

Get off the nickel—"Don't be so lazy " (Cornell)

Gnerts (sic)—expression of disagreement. (Cornell)

Go milk a duck—expression of annoyance. (Vanderbilt)

Hivey—intellectual. (Army)

In the arms of Murphy—asleep. (Cornell)

Loafers—students at the business school. (Pennsylvania)

L. P,—an unattractive girl. (Army)

Old soak—professor. (Cornell)

On the ball—under the influence of liquor; or, grinding. (Syracuse)

On the hook—wanted on the telephone. (Syracuse)

Peerade—week-end excursion. (Dartmouth)

Pineapple—professor. (Cornell)

Poop-out—one who is "not so hot." (Cornell)

Ratfutz—Soph-Frosh brawl. (Dartmouth)

R, S. V. P.—ribbon showing very plainly. (Cornell)

Smart pig—good-looking girl. (Cornell)

Speed—term of endearment, applied indiscriminately. (Cornell)

Spuzzy—sharp; smooth. (Cornell)

Suh—sweet young thing. (Vanderbilt)

Sweat session—the attempt to put a pledge pin on a man. (Pennsylvania)

The drop—an obvious, sarcastic, personal remark. (Syracuse)