to eat one's terms
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To be studying for the bar. Students are required to dine in the Hall of an Inn of Court at least three times in each of the twelve terms before they are "called" to the bar.
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 “to eat one's terms” mean?
To be studying for the bar. Students are required to dine in the Hall of an Inn of Court at least three times in each of the twelve terms before they are "called" to the bar.
Is “to eat one's terms” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.