Royal Oak Day
Preserved but no longer current.
See OAK-APPLE DAY. To s^ort one's oak. To be "not at home.*' At the Universities, chambers have two doors, the usual room-door and another, made of oak, outside it; when the "oak" is shut or "sported" It indicates either that the occupant of the room is out, or that he does not wish to be dis- turbed by visitors.
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 “Royal Oak Day” mean?
See OAK-APPLE DAY. To s^ort one's oak. To be "not at home.*' At the Universities, chambers have two doors, the usual room-door and another, made of oak, outside it; when the "oak" is shut or "sported" It indicates either that the occupant of the room is out, or that he does not wish to be dis- turbed by visitors.
Is “Royal Oak Day” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.