forakers
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
The closet of decency, or house of office. Term used by the boys at Winchester School. Very likely from "four acres," the original necessary having been in all likelihood a field behind the school.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Where it’s used:
Origin
British & Irish English
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 “forakers” mean?
The closet of decency, or house of office. Term used by the boys at Winchester School. Very likely from "four acres," the original necessary having been in all likelihood a field behind the school.
Is “forakers” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.