size
Preserved but no longer current.
To order extras over and above the usual commons at the dinner in college halls. Soup, pastry, &c., are SIZINGS, and are paid for at a certain specified rate per SIZE, or portion, to the college cook. Peculiar to Cambridge. Minsheu says, "SIZE, a farthing which schollers in Cambridge have at the buttery, noted with the letter s."
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 “size” mean?
To order extras over and above the usual commons at the dinner in college halls. Soup, pastry, &c., are SIZINGS, and are paid for at a certain specified rate per SIZE, or portion, to the college cook. Peculiar to Cambridge. Minsheu says, "SIZE, a farthing which schollers in Cambridge have at the buttery, noted with the letter s."
Is “size” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.