Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a criminal gambling party.

1859, 1860		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1888		Globe (London) 25 Mar. n.p.: A batch of these grimy ones being brought up the other day for playing pitch and toss – in the local vernacular, schooling – in a public place, their counsel argued that they were driven to it by destitution [F&H].

2. a term of confinement in a reformatory.

1879

‘Autobiog. of a Thief’ in Macmillan’s Mag. (London) XL 501: This young —— just come home from a schooling (a term in a reformatory).

(N.Z. prison) one who is serving a minimal sentence.

2001

D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 159/1: schoolboy n. an inmate serving a short sentence.

a fellow member of a gang.

1889–90

Barrère & Leland Dict. of Sl., Jargon and Cant.

(US tramp) a state prison.

1926		N. Klein ‘Hobo Lingo’ in AS I:12 650: Big School—penitentiary.
1930		‘Dean Stiff’ Milk and Honey Route 199: Big school or house – The state penitentiary.
1960, 1975		Wentworth & Flexner DAS.

(US Und.) a juvenile reformatory.

1926		N. Klein ‘Hobo Lingo’ in AS I:12 652: Little School—Reformatory or House of Correction.
1930		‘Dean Stiff’ Milk and Honey Route 209: Little school – Reformatory or house of correction.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn).

1. in rap music use, of anything recent or new, not old school

1996		J. Salzman Encyc. African-Amer. Culture and Hist. IV 2268: [His] musical innovation also provided the transition from the early commercial sound of rap, known as the ‘old school,’ to the ‘new school’ rap.
2001		Source Aug. 59: New-schoolers dead prez did the same on their hit record ‘Be Healthy’.
2006		C.H. Werner Change is Gonna Come 284: [heading] ‘Bring the Noise’: The New School Rap Game.

2. (N.Z. prison) the latest generation of young criminals, seen as changing the standards and assumptions of prison life.

2001

D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 123/2: new school adj. of a young inmate from the new generation of criminals, representing different beliefs and attitudes from those of established inmates.

1. (also old world) used of anything typical of the fashions, music and general styles of a previous era; orig. of the 1960s–70s, now of the 1980s and even 1990s; also as n.

1970		J. Bouton Ball Four 15: The manager (he’s out of the old school, I think, because he looks like he’s out of the old school, short, portly, [...] twinkly-eyed).
1983		C. Heath A-Team 2 (1984) 170: There’s a lot of old school in him when it comes to dealing with women.
1998		(con. 1986) G. Pelecanos Sweet Forever 46: Granmom had this boyfriend name of Louis, no-account hustler type, wore velvet jackets, wide-brimmed hats, dressed like old school.
2004		Simon & Burns ‘Time After Time’ Wire ser. 3 ep. 1 [TV script] Old-school-ass bitch.
2006		D. Winslow Winter of Frankie Machine (2007) 63: The old man was old school. You get a job, you work hard, you get married, you support your family, end of story.
2005		(con. 1960s) Guardian Weekend 2 Apr. 26: Plimsolls and trainers were in, but strictly old school: Green Flash, Converse baseball boots.
2012		G. Johnstone ‘No Through Road’ in Crime Factory: Hard Labour [ebook] We’re looking down at these two old-school looking rifles.
2015		P. Beatty Sellout (2016) 14: He’s an old-school criminal defense attorney.
2015		N. Cummins Tales of the Honey Badger [ebook] My boss at the time [...] was old school and as hard-arse as they come.
2020		D. Whish-Wilson Shore Leave 101: This was Cassidy being old-school, and Swann admired him.
2021		S.A. Crosby Razorblade Tears 207: ‘He went old school and slipped me his number on a piece of paper’.
2024		C. Stella Joey Piss Pot 185: ‘[H]e’s old world. Which means it was someone he trusted or someone he’s going to disappear’.

2. in rap music use, used of anything pertaining to the early days of the musical style, esp. the work of such performers as Grandmaster Flash (b.1958) or Afrika Bambaataa (b.1957); also as n.

[1960		Mad mag. June 48: In like flew this charged up raven from the old school of two-four].
1987		Ice-T ‘Six in the Morning’ 🎵 Out the back window I make an escape / Don’t even get a chance to grab my old school tape.
1987		King Tee & Mixmaster Spade ‘Ya Better Bring a Gun’ 🎵 They’re all from the old school, nobody’s modern.
1999		Hip-Hop Connection Aug. 20: Also, if you ever run short of ideas for new slang, just go back to the old skool.
1999		K. Sampson Powder 44: Bringing in a heavyweight old-school producer like Clive Linklater.
2000		Observer Screen 6 Feb. 10: Hip hop from the old skool.
2002		J. Lerner You Got Nothing Coming 24: This old dude here in the suit might be O.G. —know what I’m sayin’? Original Gangsta! Old school!
2007		UGK ‘Swisha And Dosha’ 🎵 I from the old school (uh!) / Like MJG and Ball.

3. (N.Z. prison) referring to the beliefs and knowledge of a veteran prisoner.

2001

D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 129/1: old school adj. (of an inmate) who has spent a lot of time in prison over many years and is fully familiar with the culture, codes of practice and history of prison life.

4. (US) conventional, conservative.

2024

C. Stella Joey Piss Pot 24: ‘He [i.e. a Mafia boss] understands the rules. He’s old school just like me’.

1. (Aus.) a schoolteacher.

1866		Wild Boys of London I 285/2: He saw the nephew of the schoolmistress with his arm round Lucy’s waist. [...] ‘I’m only a ’prentis, and he’s a schooly’s nevvy; and—and I’ll punch his hie into his helbow.’.
1958		G. Casey Snowball 17: Tough type for a schoolie, he is.
1972		A. Chipper Aussie Swearers Guide 65: Chalkie (also Schoolie). School teacher.
1999		G. Seal Lingo 76: A few further examples: [...] chalkie – teacher. Closely related to the last is schoolies – nowadays usually applied to schoolchildren, though it may also be used to include teachers, a usage dating from at least the late 19th century.

2. a schoolgirl.

1974		G.F. Newman You Flash Bastard 182: Here were all the stages of womanhood [...] from pubescence to the final development where Juliet was [...] He had never actually pursued schoolies, but seeing these, he understood why a lot of men did.
1994		I. Welsh ‘A Smart Cunt’ in Acid House 184: They caught him shagging a schoolie.
2001		K. Sampson Outlaws (ms.) 62: Everywhere you look there’s little posses of hooched-up schoolies and shopgirls.
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. 179: schoolie Sexy schoolgirl.
2013		T. Black Ringer [ebook] n.p.: There’s two wee lassies – schoolies likely – over in the corner, silvery dresses and St Tropez tans.
2018		I. Welsh Dead Man’s Trousers 138: Fucked by a gang of strap-on-wearing schoolies.

3. (Aus.) a trainee.

1982

N. Keesing Lily on the Dustbin 89: Karen, who has just started work as a [...] ‘schoolie’ or cadet ‘journo’.

1. anyone who wishes to go to school and further their education.

1994

C. Major Juba to Jive.

2. a naïve, unsophisticated person, a conformist.

1994

C. Major Juba to Jive.

(N.Z. gay) an underage male prostitute.

2010

W. Ings ‘Trolling the Beat to Working the Soob’ in Int’l Jrnl Lexicog. 23:1 71: In New Zealand there have been many terms for a young male street worker. These include school bag, street solicitor, merchandise, Kleenex, commercial, trade, street trick, and Illegal Tegel.

1. (drugs) codeine, cough syrup, even cocaine, anything seen (by heroin users) as a drug for ‘beginners’.

1969		R.R. Lingeman Drugs from A to Z (1970) 223: schoolboy codeine.
1977		L. Young et al. Recreational Drugs.
1981		D.E. Miller Bk of Jargon 324: Codeine, Also schoolboy. Codeine is always taken by mouth, is famous as a cough suppressant, and is also used in treatment of diarrhea.
1989		J. Morton Lowspeak.
2001		ONDCP Street Terms 19: Schoolboy — Cocaine; codeine.

2. (US black) a neophyte in the street life, an apprentice criminal.

1983

R. Klein Jailhouse Jargon and Street Sl. [unpub. ms.].

a whipping.

c.1616		Beaumont & Fletcher Loyal Subject (1750) V:4: Anc. He was whipt like a Top, I never saw a Whore so lac’d: Court School-butter? Is this their Diet? I’ll dress ’em one running Banquet.
1680		F. Kirkman Eng. Rogue IV 269: [They] lashed him soundly, giving him School-butter, and then sent him away.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: School-butter a Whipping.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
c.1750–1882		B.M. Carew Life and Adventures.
1768		Dyche & Pardon New General Eng. Dict.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1809		G. Andrewes Dict. Sl. and Cant.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1835		G. Kent Modern Flash Dict.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open.
1859		Matsell Vocabulum.

(drugs) crack cocaine.

2001

ONDCP Street Terms 19: Schoolcraft — Crack Cocaine.

(US black) to be educated (in ‘street’ terms).

1944

D. Burley Orig. Hbk of Harlem Jive 60: You gotta come to school, understand?

(W.I.) not to go to school at all and thus to become a rough, ignorant person.

1991

cited in Allsopp Dict. Carib. Eng. Usage (1996).

(W.I.) to be uneducated, to display one’s ignorance.

1996

Allsopp Dict. Carib. Eng. Usage.

(Aus.) a dramatic, challenging environment.

1910

Bulletin (Sydney) 4 Aug. 13/4: I’ve been in some hot schools one place and another, but that bush joint in Karamea secures my recommendation as the star item.

(US black) one who is academic, but not very sophisticated or worldly-wise.

1980

E. Folb Runnin’ Down Some Lines 38: He like a schoolbook chump... stupid, ignorant, hide in d’ books all d’ time.

(US black) cheap wine.

1980

E. Folb Runnin’ Down Some Lines 187: Wine itself was disparagingly referred to as schoolboy scotch, sixteen-year-old shaving lotion, and sixteen-year-old after shave.

(US black) to educate (in ‘street’ terms).

1990		(con. c.1970) G. Hasford Phantom Blooper 24: Don’t you know why the Phantom Blooper is here, man? The Phantom Blooper has come to take your white ass to school.
1997–2000		Da Bomb 🌐 28: Takin’ (someone) to school: Teaching someone a lesson; showing someone up; showing someone that you are better.
1998		(con. 1986) G. Pelecanos Sweet Forever 148: ‘Kansas.’ [...] ‘They’re takin’ Temple to school.’.
2000		G. Pelecanos Shame the Devil 54: We beat the nets and Dr J. [...] But the Kentucky Colonels took us to school after that.

(US gay) to initiate someone into the world of homosexuality.

1972

B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 37: to introduce to homosexuality [...] teach school (‘Where did you teach school, Professor, the third glory hole from the right?’).