John Tysoe, (1&4 South, 1965-69) writes: Someone was good enough to send me the latest copy of The Old Cranleighan and I read your amusing piece on school slang. It stirred up some memories and if you were planning to repeat the feature at any stage, here are a few other terms which may have escaped your attention.
The following all date from the end of the 60s, or earlier (as indeed do Bone, Moab, Toye, Toke, Fodge etc).
Toke was always spread with Marg (butter) and generally covered with Lade (Marmalade) or Red Jam.
Stooge – a punishment given out by the senior boys for some alleged misdemeanour. In 1&4, this usually involved an “Early Morning” where the miscreant would have to wake up early and either dust the houseroom or clean the brass work, of which there was a lot. To do the cleaning adequately, the offender had to buy some “Dura-XXit” at their own expense.
BU (Bums Upwards) A process by which a dish of food, having been served by the senior boy at the head of each table, would be passed to the bottom of that table so that the “bums” (most junior boys) could have second helpings. Generally done to prevent some disliked 5th former (in the middle of the table) from getting any extra food.
Shaggers (not confined to Cranleigh). A sobriquet given to pupils with severe acne, as in Shaggers King and Shaggers Ross (two notable examples from my time).
“A beet”. An expression of extreme embarrassment. When someone “did a beet” other boys would raise the palms of their hands towards the chap’s face, to enjoy the radiated heat.
“The flush”. To give someone “the flush” was a sign of disapprobation. Or sometimes, “that’s really flush”, as in, that’s rather bad luck.
Doof (v or n) to smoke or a smoke. Tobacco in the case of my friends…can’t answer for anyone else!
Flog (v or n). Indelicate. To masturbate: memorably Spoonerised by one of my house at Evening Prayers when he misread one of the seven plagues as a “Prague of flogs”.