tuns
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A name at Pembroke College, Oxford, for small silver cups, each containing half a pint. Sometimes a TUN had a handle with a whistle, which could not be blown till the cup was empty.
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 “tuns” mean?
A name at Pembroke College, Oxford, for small silver cups, each containing half a pint. Sometimes a TUN had a handle with a whistle, which could not be blown till the cup was empty.
Is “tuns” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.