Lingua Carthusiana | Charterhouse School

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Lingua Carthusiana


Known as Lingua Carthusiana, the School’s unique private language, or ‘idiolect’, has evolved over centuries and is part of Charterhouse’s proud history. All are used on a daily basis and are cherished as part of our shared tradition.

Uncover the meaning behind Charterhouse’s distinctive language and discover how it shapes the Carthusian experience.
 

school terms
Oration Quarter (OQ)

Autumn Term, typically September to December

Long Quarter (LQ)

Spring Term, typically January to March

Cricket Quarter

Summer Term, typically April to July

year groups
Specialists (Sixth Form)

First Year Specialists (1YS) – Lower Sixth Form – Year 12.
Second Year Specialists (2YS) – Upper Sixth Form – Year 13

Fifth Form (Year 11)

Pupils in the Fifth Form are collectively referred to as Fifths

Remove (Year 10)

Pupils in the Remove year are collectively s referred to as Removes.

Fourth Form (Year 9)

Pupils in their first year in the School – Year 9 – are collectively referred to as Fourths or Yearlings

miscellaneous
Adsum

A roll-call, taken in House (see also Jibs)

Artifex

The annual creative arts festival held in CQ

Banco

An evening period for academic work from 7.00 pm to 8.45 pm

Beak 

A member of the teaching staff

Big Ground

1st XI Football Pitch

Brooke Hall

The teaching and support staff’s Common Room. Also the collective noun for the teachers

Broom & Lees

Playing fields across Hurtmore Road (over footbridge)

BTT

The Ben Travers Theatre on Queen’s Drive, opened in 1983, and named after the playwright who was an Old Carthusian

Catley’s Level

Old all-weather pitch adjacent to the Queen’s Sports Centre (QSC)

CDR

Central Dining Room

Chapel

There are three chapels in the School: Memorial Chapel built as a memorial to Old Carthusians who were killed in the First World War; Millennium Chapel (MMC) which is situated in the north-east corner of the Memorial Chapel; Founders’ Chapel (FC)

Crown

The School tuck shop. It is situated on the Long Walk facing Under Green. It is also sometimes referred to as Crack

Crack

School Tuck shop

DWR

Daniel Wray Room – Small meeting room attached to the Library

Exeat

Half term break in the middle of each Quarter when all pupils go away from Charterhouse. Exeat in LQ is known as Queen’s Exeat

Green 

1st XI Cricket Pitch

Hash

A lesson

Homebill

The pupils’ evening meals

HHC

Hunt Health Centre

JDTC

The John Derry Technical Centre, situated between Studio and Armoury, and opened in 1980

Jibs

Evening Adsum in Houses

Lessington

2nd XI Football Pitch

Long Walk

Footpath across campus between Maniacs and Under Green connecting Princes Avenue with Queen’s Drive

Maniacs

2nd XI Cricket Pitch

Northbrook

Playing Fields

OHH

Old Headmasters’ House

PMP

Peter May Pavilion

Pontifex

The annual inter-House cross-country races held in LQ

Prom Courts

Promontory Tennis Courts

QSC

Queen’s Sports Centre, otherwise known as Charterhouse Club.

Quarter

Terms are referred to as Quarters. There are three Quarters in the School year – Oration (September), Long (January) and Cricket (April)

quarter

The mid-morning break, which is normally after the first two or three lessons (hashes)

RVW (Music School)

Music school situated on the south side of Memorial Chapel and opened in 1984, in memory of Ralph Vaughan Williams who was an Old Carthusian.

SAC

South Africa Cloister

Send-Up

When a pupil does a piece of work that a beak considers distinguished, they are sent with their work to the Senior Deputy Head. For every third send-up they are awarded a prize

SR

Saunders Room – Meeting room attached to Sutton

Turning-Up

The general term for inter-House games which are organised on a league basis

Under Green

Playing Fields between Princes Avenue and Queen’s Drive

houses
B – Bodeites
Ch – Chetwynd
D – Daviesites
F – Fletcherites
g – Girdlestoneites (otherwise known as ‘Duckites’)
G – Gownboys
H – Hodgsonites
L – Lockites
N – Northbrook
P – Pageites
R – Robinites
S – Saunderites
Su – Sutton
V – Verites
W – Weekites