John Stephen Farmer’s The Public School Word-book is a historical glossary of the words, phrases, and expressions peculiar to England’s great public schools, both obsolete and still in use, together with some current at the universities. Farmer, a noted lexicographer of slang, documents the rich and distinctive vocabulary that grew up within these closed institutions.
The book records terms for customs, ranks, places, and activities, illuminating the insular culture of the public schools and the way language marked belonging and tradition. As a work of lexicography it is both scholarly and entertaining, full of curious and revealing entries. For readers interested in English education, slang, and the social world of the schools, it offers a fascinating linguistic record.