We must have, at least, as many subscribers as there are students in College, or “flunk out.”—­The Crayon, Yale Coll., 1823, p. 3.

FLUNKEY.  In college parlance, one who makes a complete failure at recitation; one who flunks.

  I bore him safe through Horace,
    Saved him from the flunkey’s doom.
    Yale Lit.  Mag., Vol.  XX. p. 76.

FLUNKING.  Failing completely in reciting.

  Flunking so gloomily,
  Crushed by contumely.
    Yale Lit.  Mag., Vol.  XIII. p. 322.

We made our earliest call while the man first called up in the division-room was deliberately and gracefully “flunking.”—­Ibid., Vol.  XIV. p. 190.

  See what a spot a flunking Soph’more made!
    Yale Gallinipper, Nov. 1848.

FLUNKOLOGY.  A farcical word, designed to express the science of flunking.

The ——­ scholarship, is awarded to the student in each Freshman Class who passes the poorest examination in Flunkology.—­Burlesque Catalogue, Yale Coll., 1852-53, p. 28.

FOOTBALL.  For many years, the game of football has been the favorite amusement at some of the American colleges, during certain seasons of the year.  At Harvard and Yale, it is customary for the Sophomore Class to challenge the Freshmen to a trial game, soon after their entrance into College.  The interest excited on this occasion is always very great, the Seniors usually siding with the former, and the Juniors with the latter class.  The result is generally in favor of the Sophomores.  College poets and prose-writers have often chosen the game of football as a topic on which to exercise their descriptive powers.  One invokes his muse, in imitation of a great poet, as follows:—­

 “The Freshmen’s wrath, to Sophs the direful spring
  Of shins unnumbered bruised, great goddess, sing!”

Another, speaking of the size of the ball in ancient times compared with what it is at present, says:—­

 “A ball like this, so monstrous and so hard,
  Six eager Freshmen scarce could kick a yard!”

Further compositions on this subject are to be found in the Harvard Register, Harvardiana, Yale Banger, &c.

See WRESTLING-MATCH.

FORENSIC.  A written argument, maintaining either the affirmative or the negative side of a question.

In Harvard College, the two senior classes are required to write forensics once in every four weeks, on a subject assigned by the Professor of Moral Philosophy; these they read before him and the division of the class to which they belong, on appointed days.  It was formerly customary for the teacher to name those who were to write on the affirmative and those on the negative, but it is now left optional with the student which side he will take.  This word was originally used as an adjective, and it was usual to speak of a forensic dispute, which has now been shortened into forensic.