plough
Preserved but no longer current.
To be PLOUGHED is to fail to pass an examination. About twenty years ago "pluck," the word then used, began to be superseded by PLOUGH. It is said to have arisen from a man who could not supply the examiner with any quotation from Scripture, until at last he blurted out, "And the ploughers ploughed on my back, and made long furrows."—University.
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 “plough” mean?
To be PLOUGHED is to fail to pass an examination. About twenty years ago "pluck," the word then used, began to be superseded by PLOUGH. It is said to have arisen from a man who could not supply the examiner with any quotation from Scripture, until at last he blurted out, "And the ploughers ploughed on my back, and made long furrows."—University.
Is “plough” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.