He generally dresses in Oxford-mixed pantaloons, and a brown surtout.—­Collegian, p. 240.

It has disappeared along with Commons, the servility of Freshmen and brutality of Sophomores, the Oxford-mixed uniform and buttons of the same color.—­Harv.  Mag., Vol.  I. p. 263.

OXONIAN.  A student or graduate of the University of Oxford, England.

P.

PANDOWDY BAND.  A correspondent writing from Bowdoin College says:  “We use the word pandowdy, and we have a custom of pandowdying.  The Pandowdy Band, as it is called, has no regular place nor time of meeting.  The number of performers varies from half a dozen and less to fifty or more.  The instruments used are commonly horns, drums, tin-kettles, tongs, shovels, triangles, pumpkin-vines, &c.  The object of the band is serenading Professors who have rendered themselves obnoxious to students; and sometimes others,—­frequently tutors are entertained by ‘heavenly music’ under their windows, at dead of night.  This is regarded on all hands as an unequivocal expression of the feelings of the students.

“The band corresponds to the Calliathump of Yale.  Its name is a burlesque on the Pandean Band which formerly existed in this college.”

See HORN-BLOWING.

PAPE.  Abbreviated from PAPER, q.v.

  Old Hamlen, the printer, he got out the papes.
    Presentation Day Songs, Yale Coll., June 14, 1854.

  But Soph’more “papes,” and Soph’more scrapes,
    Have long since passed away.—­Ibid.

PAPER.  In the English Universities, a sheet containing certain questions, to which answers are to be given, is called a paper.

To beat a paper, is to get more than full marks for it.  In explanation of this “apparent Hibernicism,” Bristed remarks:  “The ordinary text-books are taken as the standard of excellence, and a very good man will sometimes express the operations more neatly and cleverly than they are worded in these books, in which case he is entitled to extra marks for style.”—­Five Years in an Eng.  Univ., Ed. 2d, p. 238.

2.  This name is applied at Yale College to the printed scheme which is used at the Biennial Examinations.  Also, at Harvard College, to the printed sheet by means of which the examination for entrance is conducted.

PARCHMENT.  A diploma, from the substance on which it is usually printed, is in familiar language sometimes called a parchment.

There are some, who, relying not upon the “parchment and seal” as a passport to favor, bear that with them which shall challenge notice and admiration.—­Yale Lit.  Mag., Vol.  III. p. 365.

  The passer-by, unskilled in ancient lore,
  Whose hands the ribboned parchment never bore.
    Class Poem at Harv.  Coll., 1835, p. 7.

See SHEEPSKIN.