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 call over 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 uniform's dark blue jacket. Greyers are the grey trousers.
• Butteries are the kitchens in the Houses.
• A Copy is awarded for 12 send ups or to the top boy in each subject every term. Boys with eight copies win a prize.
• Double is lines on special paper, set as a sanction.
• Eccer is any form of games. 
• Ducker is the swimming pool.
• Flannels are School colours for sport. A boy awarded his Flannels for cricket, rugby, football, Harrow football or for minor sports may wear a grey waistcoat with his tails.
• 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 tails.
• 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 are times 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 Send up is a piece of very good work.
• A Shepherd is a Remove boy whose job it is to look after new Shell boys for their first two weeks.
• A Skew is a sanction from a Beak for poor or incomplete work.
• 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.