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On-Night (Annabel Revers)

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Title: On-Night

General Information:

  • Type: Verbal Folklore
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: AM ’23
  • Date Collected: 11/1/2021
  • Location: Baker/Berry Library at Dartmouth College

Informant Data:

  • AM ’23 is from Orange County, California, and is a student at Dartmouth College studying Economics and Government. He is involved on campus as a teaching assistant in the Government Department. He plans on going into consulting after graduation.

Contextual Data:

  • Culture Context: Dartmouth has a “work hard, play hard” culture where students are expected to perform well academically and work hard at the schoolwork while also maintaining an active social life on campus. Furthermore, fraternities are a very prominent part of the social scene at Dartmouth.
  • Social Context: Dartmouth students typically go out to parties to socialize on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. While students can find things to do on other nights, these three nights in particular are when larger events are hosted by the dozen fraternities on campus.

Item:

  • The phrase “on-night” refers to nights when Dartmouth students typically go out to parties. For example, someone will say to their friend, “Are you going out tonight?”. Their friend might respond with the following: “Yeah of course, it’s an on-night.”

Associated File:

  • Transcript: “An on-night is Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday when more parties are hosted. There’s parties on other nights once in a while, but those are the days most people go out. On-night is a phrase you hear all the time around campus. Friends will throw it around all the time, usually in the context of whether or not they should go out. I’m not sure when it originated: it’s be used since I’ve been here and I would guess long before.”

Informant’s Comments:

  • Even students who go out a lot might not go out every on night, myself included.

Collector’s Comments:

  • While this phrase might not be entirely Dartmouth specific, it is a very prevalent phrase in our vocabulary.

Collector’s Name: Annabel Revers

Tags/Keywords: Verbal Folklore, Students, English, Dartmouth, Social

The Ledyard Bridge Challenge (Annabel Revers)

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Title: The Ledyard Bridge Challenge

General Information:

  • Type: Verbal Folklore
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: KC ’18
  • Date Collected: 11/5/2021
  • Location Collected: Phone Call

Informant Data:

  • KC ’18 is a twenty-five-year-old female and a Dartmouth alumni. She is a member of the Class of 2018 and studied Economics and Environmental studies during her time at Dartmouth. She is from Vancouver, Canada, but is now living in New York City where she works as a consultant. During her time at Dartmouth, she was a member of a sorority and enjoyed spending time with her friends when she was not busy with work.

Contextual Data

  • Cultural Context: Dartmouth has various traditions that can be classified as “challenges.” While their origins are often unknown, these challenges provide students with both entertainment during their time at Dartmouth and the opportunity to participate in and perpetuate Dartmouth traditions. They also provide Dartmouth students with the opportunity to prove that they can do something challenging outside of academics and sports. Furthermore, they create a bond among the friends that attempt them together. These traditions are passed down among generations of students, and the “Ledyard Bridge Challenge” is just one of many such challenges.
  • Social Context: The Ledyard Challenge is typically attempted in warmer months when the water temperature is bearable to swim in. Many students aim to complete this challenge at least once during their time at Dartmouth. Sophomore Summer, or the summer during which the entire sophomore class takes summer courses, is a fairly typical time to complete the challenge because of the warm weather. The Ledyard Challenge is one of the riskier challenges in Dartmouth culture because of the possibility of being caught by campus security or Hanover police. Because of this, it is also a challenge that is quite effective in bonding students through common experience.

Item:

  • The “Ledyard Bridge Challenge,” also called “Ledyard,” refers to the challenge of a person, or more commonly a group, removing their clothing and swimming across the Connecticut River. The participants then run back across the Ledyard Bridge and dress themselves before they get caught by campus security or the police. For example, a student will ask their friend, “Want to do Ledyard later tonight?”.

Associated File:

  • Transcript: “I first heard about Ledyard my freshman year. Pretty much everyone on campus at least knows what it is by then. The thought of it terrified me at first, but I finally had the guts to try it my sophomore summer. Luckily my friends and I successfully completed the challenge without getting caught. I was so relieved! I think most people try the challenge at least once during their time at Dartmouth. As far as I can tell, it’s a tradition that’s been passed down for decades now, usually just through upperclassmen talking about it to younger students. I think most people wanna try it just for a thrill and to spice up their time here. Life gets a little monotonous on campus sometimes and you have to find ways to keep yourself entertained. It also makes you feel like you’re really a part of Dartmouth once you complete the challenge, like you really belong.”

Informant’s Comments:

  • Even though I found the Ledyard Challenge very stressful, I would still recommend students try it with their friends just because of what a bonding experience it is.

Collector’s Comments:

  • The Ledyard Challenge is something I only heard about later in my freshman year at Dartmouth. Unlike slang that refers to locations on campus, slang surrounding challenges seems to be learned a little bit later on in students’ time at Dartmouth, perhaps because it is less immediately necessary for integrating into Dartmouth culture and is typically not attempted until students are further into their time at Dartmouth. It should also be noted that the challenge itself can be considered Customary Folklore–it is the phrase itself as slang and its meaning that we are documenting here.

Collector’s Name: Annabel Revers

Tags/Keywords: Verbal Folklore, Students, English, Dartmouth, Slang, Challenges, Ledyard, Ledyard Bridge Challenge

Lou’s Challenge (Annabel Revers)

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Title: Lou’s Challenge

General Information:

  • Type: Verbal Lore
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: MR ’18
  • Date Collected: 11/7/2021
  • Location Collected: Phone Call

Informant Data:

  • MR ’18 is a twenty-six-year-old male who was born in Boston and grew up in Weston, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. He is a Dartmouth Alumni and graduated in 2018. He majored in Computer Science and currently works as a software engineer in New York City, where he lives, for a financial technology company. While at Dartmouth, he was heavily involved in the Computer Science Department as a teaching assistant and tutor. He also worked at the technology support desk. He is of German and Polish heritage and does not prescribe to any religion, although he grew up with two Catholic parents.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: Dartmouth has various traditions that can be classified as “challenges.” While their origins are often unknown, these challenges provide students with both entertainment during their time at Dartmouth and the opportunity to participate in and perpetuate Dartmouth traditions. They also provide Dartmouth students with the opportunity to prove that they can do something challenging outside of academics or sports and, as they are frequently attempted with friends, provide a bonding experience among classmates. The “Lou’s Challenge” is just one of many such challenges.
  • Social Context: Lou’s is a restaurant in Hanover, New Hampshire, located on the main street of the town and a brief minute walk from the green, which marks the center of campus. Lou’s serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and is by far the most popular brunch place in town. It typically has long wait times on the weekends as it is popular among student as well as other residents of Hanover. The phrase “Lou’s Challenge” is typically used exclusively by students rather than the general Dartmouth population. Although professors and likely other Hanover residents know about the challenge, it is students alone who attempt this feat. This slang is used around campus and is not limited to a particular season, though people more frequently attempt the Lou’s Challenge when weather is warmer. The term is typically used on “on-nights” when students go out to parties, which would be Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, as students are typically out late anyways. The term is also frequently used during busy academic weeks when students are staying up late studying for exams and decide to attempt the challenge. Most students strive to attempt the challenge at least once in their Dartmouth careers, but there are lots of failed attempts where students cannot manage to stay up for so many hours and instead fall asleep. Students typically hear of this challenge early on in their Dartmouth Career, perhaps their freshman fall, but will attempt the challenge at any point in their Dartmouth Career. It is almost always attempted in pairs or groups, never alone.

Item:

  • The phrase “Lou’s Challenge” refers to the challenge of staying up all night and going to Lou’s Restaurant when it opens at 6am. For example, a student will ask their friend, “Want to do Lou’s after going out tonight?”.

Associated File:

  • Transcript: “I first heard about the Lou’s Challenge early on in my freshman year from a friend who said we should do it. I’m guessing he learned about it from an upper classman. I did the Lou’s Challenge once while I was at Dartmouth. It was a terrible experience, it was not fun at all and I just slept the whole day afterward. I would define the challenge as staying up all night and then going to Lou’s at 6am. Either you’re pulling an all nighter studying for an exam or you are out partying and trying to find things to do to keep you busy and help you not fall asleep.  I would use it, like, “Wanna do the Lou’s Challenge tonight after going out?”. I think it probably came about a long time ago since Lou’s has been around for like ever, but also probably because people here are bored and have nothing better to do with their time.”

Informant’s Comments:

  • I would not recommend doing the Lou’s Challenge as it’s not a fun experience, but it’s a Dartmouth tradition so I guess we have to keep it going.

Collector’s Comments:

  • The motivation for completing the Lou’s Challenge varies from person to person, but many students, including MR ’18, feel like they have to complete it just for the sake of keeping the tradition going and passing it down to future generations. The Lou’s Challenge, though impossible to say how far back it dates, has been going on for likely decades at the very least. I think this says a lot about human nature and our desire for tradition in order to feel more a part of our community. By completing the Lou’s Challenge, students feel more immersed in campus culture and feel united with each other by the common experience of staying up all night and going to the same place afterward for breakfast. It should also be noted that the challenge itself may be considered Customary Folklore–in this entry it is the phrase itself and its meaning as slang that we are documenting.

Collector’s Name: Annabel Revers

Tags/Keywords: Verbal Folklore, Students, English, Dartmouth, Slang, Challenges, Food, Lou’s, Lou’s Challenge

Foco (Annabel Revers)

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For in-house use to Engelberth Construction Inc in media produced by them such as brochures, presentations, ads, web sites and competitions where all rights are not required. Photo credit as Gary Hall Photography or Gary R. Hall.

Title: Foco

General Information:

  • Type: Verbal Lore
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: ES ’23
  • Date Collected: 11/1/2021
  • Location Collected: Baker/Berry Library at Dartmouth College

Informant Data:

  • ES ’23 is a twenty-year-old female from Orange County, California. She is a member of the Class of 2023 at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire where she studies Economics and Government. On campus, she is involved in the Women in Student Businesses organization, is a teaching assistant for an engineering course, and is a member of a sorority. ES is also vegan, but this does not restrict her from dining at the various dining centers around campus–she is able to find options at all of them that fit her dietary needs. She plans on going into consulting after graduation.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: Students at Dartmouth generally use the dining halls quite a lot. Though there are options for eating out and getting takeout food in town, they are somewhat limited given the relatively remote location of the campus. Most students thus opt to stay on a meal plan for all four years that they go to Dartmouth for the sake of convenience and also cost effectiveness. “Foco” is the largest dining hall on campus and one of the more frequently used by students of various backgrounds, involvements, and class years. The atmosphere at Foco varies depending on the meal time. While breakfast is somewhat quiet given many students do not eat breakfast due to sleeping in too late, at peak hours, Foco is typically quite lively and crowded. Peak hours for lunch are between noon and 1pm, while peak hours for dinner are between 6 and 7pm. During these times, it can be difficult for a student to get a table. There are various food options, ranging in terms of health and nutritional value. Typically, one can always find something at Foco that appeals to them and fits with their diet and nutritional needs.
  • Social Context: “Foco” is typically used exclusively by students rather than the general Dartmouth population, as it is generally students alone who dine at the Class of 1953 Commons. This slang word is used around campus at any time of the day when one would typically be up and looking for something to eat. Foco serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, so this piece of lore applies to all three meals and is used throughout the day. It would generally be used under the following circumstances: a student is going there for a meal, a student is asking someone else to go there for a meal with them, a sports team is all going there to eat after practice, someone is going to study there (sometimes people go to both eat and study), or a club is meeting there. It is often the case that girls eat at Foco more early on in their college career at Dartmouth, rarely going there by the time they are seniors. Guys, however eat at Foco for all four years they are at Dartmouth. The reasons for this are unknown.

Item:

  • “Foco” stands for “food court.” It is colloquial slang that refers to the Class of 1953 Commons, a dining hall at Dartmouth College. For example, a student will ask another student, “Want to get dinner at Foco?”.

Associated File:

  • Transcript: “Foco stands for food court, which is kinda weird because there’s an actual name for it too, the class of fifty-something commons. I think I first heard the term on trips when my trip leaders were talking about the different places to eat on campus. They said it in passing though, so I didn’t realize that Foco wasn’t the actual name of the dining center until a friend told me when I got back to campus and went there to eat for the first time. Almost everyone on campus uses this slang term even if they don’t eat there–Foco just comes up. It’s mostly underclassmen and guys that eat there though; a lot of girls stop eating there after freshman year. It’s a social thing, can’t explain it. But I still eat there sometimes when I’m running out of DBA. It’s also a good place to go if you want to run into people.”

Informant’s Comments:

  • I would recommend Foco, though the food varies a lot in quality day to day.

Collector’s Comments:

  • I think it is interesting how ES mentioned Foco is not just a place to eat but also a place to socialize and a place of community gathering where you run into various people you know. Such must add to its appeal for some people and deter others who may want to grab a meal without having to socialize. Furthermore, I think it is important to note that Foco is one of the more frequently used slang words on Dartmouth Campus. It makes sense that an acronym would arise for a dining center so frequently used by students, especially considering its actual name is quite lengthy and would be difficult to say throughout the day in the casual contexts in which it is typically referred to. Finally, I wanted to clarify the transcript’s reference to “trips”–these are the camping trips all first-year Dartmouth students participate in before matriculation.

Collector’s Name: Annabel Revers

Tags/Keywords: Verbal Folklore, Students, English, Dartmouth, Slang, Dining Halls, Food, Acronyms

3FB (Annabel Revers)

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Title: 3FB

General Information:

  • Type: Verbal Lore
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: RR ’23
  • Date Collected: 11/5/2021
  • Location Collected: Baker/Berry Library at Dartmouth College

Informant Data:

  • RR ’23 is a twenty-one-year-old female born in London, England. She is a member of the Class of 2023 at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. She is majoring in Economics modified with Psychology and consequently spends quite a lot of time in the library. RR is very involved on campus in both student organizations and athletics. She is a leader of Women in Student Businesses as well as a coxswain on the Men’s Lightweight Crew Team. She has also acted in many theatrical productions throughout her time at Dartmouth. She was recently accepted for an internship during the Summer of 2022 in consulting, which is the field she plans on having a career in.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: With ten week, fast-paced terms, Dartmouth students spend a lot of time studying and, consequently, a lot of time in the library. There is an attitude of “working hard and playing hard” embedded in campus culture, and with that comes the expectation that students are constantly running to the library to fit in work between their other commitments and social activities.
  • Social Context: This phrase is typically used exclusively by students rather than the general Dartmouth population. It is used around campus at any time of the day when one would typically be awake. It would also generally be used under the following circumstances: a student is telling another student of their plans to go study, asking another student to go with them to study, if they are going to class at one of the classrooms in the library, or if they are going to look for a book for a research project. The Baker/Berry Library is considered the main library on campus and 3FB is one of the more popular study locations on campus. This term (Fall 2021) in particular with many students returning to Dartmouth for the first time since the pandemic, the term “3FB” has been used in the context of complaints about how crowded it is given the large number of students on campus. It is also generally accepted to be a quiet study area, but has recently been louder than usual, much to the annoyance of other students who are trying to get work done there.

Item:

  • The acronym “3FB” stands for Third Floor Berry. This is a floor in the Baker/Berry library, the main library at Dartmouth College. For example, a student will say, “I’m going to 3FB to study.”

Associated File:

  • Transcript: “I spend a lot of time in the library and my favorite study spot is 3FB. It’s facetimey but also quiet enough that you can actually study there. I would use it like “Hey wanna go study on 3FB?”. It’s an acronym for Third Floor Berry, so it can’t really be defined beyond that. I first learned it freshman year, I’m not sure from who exactly, but I heard a friend say it my first day on campus and didn’t know what it meant. Eventually that same day I asked someone and they told me what it stood for. Everyone on campus uses the phrase 3FB, it’s just what it’s called now. It probably came about since its one of the more popular study spots on campus and Third Floor Berry was being used so frequently that people got tired of saying it.”

Informant’s Comments:

  • I would highly recommend 3FB whether you want to seriously study or casually work while quietly chatting with friends.

Collector’s Comments:

  • RR mentioned the word “facetimey,” which is also defined in this project by another member of our team. This slang word refers to in this context locations where one goes when they want to be seen by others and socialize. I think it is interesting to consider the atmosphere of different study spaces on campus and if they are considered more quiet or social. It is also interesting to consider how this evolves and changes throughout the years, as this affects the contexts in which this piece of slang is used.

Collector’s Name: Annabel Revers

Tags/Keywords: Verbal Folklore, English, Students, Dartmouth, Slang, Libraries, Acronyms