<p>Hello. I am doing research on the use of slang in Ivy League schools, and wanted to know if anyone could help me out with what slang is used at Yale. I realize that this forum is primarily used for answering questions of potential and incoming students, but I have been unable to find another forum with a sizable community of Yale students, so I hope there are people here who would be able to help me. I am interested in what slang terms are used, their meaning, examples of how they are used, what time periods they were used in, etc. Any kind of information you can provide would be helpful.</p>
<p>Lots of slang deals with the physical places around campus, for example:</p>
<p>OC = Old Campus</p>
<p>"guts" -- less than academically challenging classes. Can be used with another adjective like "Canada-gut", a polisci class coincidentally filled with Cdn-born hockey players who were basically reliving their HS civics class -- it was a very easy course. "Rice-gut" Seminar level course about economy of China. Strangely ended up being very easy. The list of gut classes changes semester to semester. Usually keep your ears open in the dining halls near the beginning of each term!</p>
<p>I'll let others chime in...</p>
<p>"Weenie bins" were the enclosed study carrels in the old Cross Campus Library, now refurbished and known as the Bass Library. As legend had it, the weenie bins were not infrequently used for passtimes other than studying. "Jack and Susie totally hooked up in a weenie bin last night."</p>
<p>You might want to search archived copies of the Yale Herald and YDN freshman editions. I would bet that they've covered Yale slang.</p>
<p>The Preppy Handbook is also a good source of Ivy League slang, especially if you're looking at slang from other eras.</p>
<p>fro cos...freshman counselors, Yale's much-cooler equivalent of RAs</p>
<p>porn in the morn -- a "gut" science class about gender and sexuality</p>
<p>Doesn't Matter -- Princeton</p>
<p>Qpac -- Quinnipiac, nearby university and source of scantily-clad women at Toad's, a New Haven club</p>
<p>grinds -- the occupants (the studying kind, not the hooking-up kind) of the weenie bins</p>
<p>staXXX -- the Yale Stacks, a part of Sterling Memorial Library, another legendary "hook-up" spot</p>
<p>About 30 years ago, the Department of University Health (DUH) changed its name to University Health Services (UHS). I am told that it is still referred to as DUH. I guess that's slang.
Also, 30 years ago "weenie" was the term for somebody who studied all the time...perhaps it's been replace by "grind."
"Gut" was the name for an easy course back then, too.</p>
<p>Though it's not really slang, Yale uses the more pretentious title "Teaching Fellow" or TF instead of the regular "TA". There are also the terms fro residents of different colleges: a person in Morse is a "Morsel" or Davenport= "D-portees". Those are the best ones. "L-Dub" for Lanman-Wright Hall is popular too. "Directed Suicide" for the Directed Studies program. "MoFoPo" to refer to a class called Moral Foundations of Politics. "Townies" refers to New Haven residents not affiliated with Yale. Also, note that "Qpac girls" and "Qpac sluts" are the most common usages of the "Q-pac" abbreviation.</p>
<p>I have to say that "porn in the morn" is my personal favorite. There are a few other famous or infamous classes with names like this - one gut music class id often referred to as "listening for credit".</p>
<p>yes, i watch gilmore girls, but i once heard that there was some guy whose height was used as a unit of measurement... is that true?... just wonderin</p>
<p>
[quote]
Yale uses the more pretentious title "Teaching Fellow" or TF instead of the regular "TA".
[/quote]
We do? I've always said TA and I've never noticed anyone use TF.</p>
<p>Well, usage may very, but officially, they "TFs"</p>
<p>Well, they are officially named TF:s, but I've never heard anyone actually use that term.</p>
<p>Yeah, we say TA. </p>
<p>The Have = New Haven</p>
<p>Cantabs = harvard students (i believe this is only used at yale), comes from the fact that harvard's in Cambridge, and the latin name for Cambridge is Cantabrigia. Also comes from the fact that harvard has a hella lame mascot (crimsons? weird pilgrim-like things?) and harvardian sounds absurd. </p>
<p>A cappella groups: </p>
<p>Whiffs = whiffenpoofs
Doox = duke's men
BDs = baker's dozen
SOBs = Society of Orpheus and Bacchus</p>
<p>bonesman = member of skull and bones (not necessarily a man)</p>
<p>College abbreviations:
The Houn = calhoun
D-Port = davenport
Stiles = ezra stiles
JE = jonathan edwards
TD = timothy dwight</p>
<p>People in silliman tend to affix silli- to things related to their college.
Eg: sillispace = the name for swing space when silliman was being renovated
sillimander = silliman's mascot (a salamander)
silliflicks = their movie theater
sillesbians = referencing the profusion of lesbians in silliman</p>
<p>Bulldog Days: the pre-freshman visiting program
The game: the annual yale-harvard football game
Taps: people inducted into a society/other organization
Camp yale: the week before classes begin in the fall. Move in/freshman orientation</p>
<p>Hahaha!! Sillesbians! :D</p>