Cruscan School
Preserved but no longer current.
A school of poetry started by some young Englishmen at Florence in the latter part of the 18th century. Their silly, sentimental affectations, which appeared in the World and the Oracle, created for a time quite a furore, but were mercilessly gibbeted in the Baviadand Mceviad of GifTord (1794 and 1795).
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Cruscan School” mean?
A school of poetry started by some young Englishmen at Florence in the latter part of the 18th century. Their silly, sentimental affectations, which appeared in the World and the Oracle, created for a time quite a furore, but were mercilessly gibbeted in the Baviadand Mceviad of GifTord (1794 and 1795).
Is “Cruscan School” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.