elegant extracts
Preserved but no longer current.
A Cambridge University title for those students who having failed only slightly in some one subject, and being "plucked" accordingly, were allowed their degrees. This applied to the "Poll" list, as the "Gulf" did to the "Honours."
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “elegant extracts” mean?
A Cambridge University title for those students who having failed only slightly in some one subject, and being "plucked" accordingly, were allowed their degrees. This applied to the "Poll" list, as the "Gulf" did to the "Honours."
Is “elegant extracts” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.