Eton College: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Eton College, is a public school (that is, an independent, fee-paying secondary school) for boys in Eton, Berkshire near Windsor.

It boards approximately 1,200 boys between the ages of 13 and 18 who enjoy some outstanding facilities at a cost of over £23,000 (GBP) a year. As at most 'public schools', its pupils achieve very good exam results. 'Public schools' in the British sense are not state funded or run, rather they are the top independent secondary schools.

It is famous for its alumni (known as Old Etonians) and the archaic traditions it maintains, including a uniform of black tailcoat and waistcoat, false-collar and pin-striped trousers. The uniform was first worn as mourning for the death of George III, and the uniform is still worn today for classes (known as "divisions" or "divs".) Other idiosyncrasies include the Eton Field Game, the Eton Wall Game, and the remnants of a peculiar slang.

The school is popular with the Royal Family and has produced nineteen Prime Ministers. There are also more old Etonians in the Special Air Service (SAS) than any other Army regiment. See the list at the foot of this page for more well-known Old Etonians.

The King's College of our Lady of Eton was founded in 1440 by Henry VI as a charity school to provide free education to seventy poor students who would then go on to King's College, Cambridge, founded by Henry VI in 1441. Henry VI took half the scholars and the headmaster from William of Wykeham's Winchester College (founded 1382). Eton is modelled on Winchester College, and became popular in the 17th century.

It is often suggested that the Duke of Wellington claimed "The Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing-fields of Eton". The credibility for this is believed by some to be dubious: Wellington briefly attended Eton, for which he had no great love, in the late 18th century, when the school had no playing fields or organised team sports, and the phrase was first recorded three years after the Duke's death. The Duke was, however, wildly popular at Eton, visiting many times later in his life.


Eton terminology

Eton slang is often the same as other public school slang, such as calling the elder brother 'Major' and the younger brother 'Minor'. There are few Eton-specific phrases.

  • popper: Prefect (member of Pop).
  • beak: Teacher
  • stick-ups: The winged collars worn by certain members of the upper sixth form (B Block)
  • absence: Roll call
  • Corps: School cadet force
  • to cap: to raise a finger as a sign of respect, derived from tipping of a hat. All boys had to cap beaks when passing them in the street.
  • a rip: when work is torn as a mark that it is substandard and has to be submitted for inspection of the house master and the boy's tutor
  • a show up: the opposite of a rip - the paper is not ripped, obviously
  • and others which refer to places or things at the school
  • Tap: School bar
  • Mespots: "Mesopotamia", one of many playing fields including

Upper Sixpenny, Lower Sixpenny, Agar's Plough, Upper Club.

top

Selected Old Etonians

The following are more complete lists of well-known Old Etonians:

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