We asked freshmen what Yale words mean
A guide on how not to speak Yale
Being a freshman at Yale is hard, especially when there is an entire list of vocab words you will only ever hear on campus. We took to Old Campus to ask the bright-eyed freshmen what they thought these Yale words meant and the responses we got were…well, we’ll let you see for yourself.
Brown-out (broun out):
When one is extremely intoxicated and does not black out, but definitely does not remember the entire night.
‘My mind goes to ‘bird’ for some reason’
“I don’t know, but it sounds a little racist.”
“Old Campus is pretty brown…maybe is means living on Old Campus! Wait, no that doesn’t make sense.”
“There is no way this wasn’t coined after the guy who shat in people’s laundry.”
FENCE (fens):
The slightly hipster and only co-ed frat on campus.
I literally have no idea’ – Teresa Chen
“Fence? Like a fence?”
“Is this a trick question?”
“A barrier between two yards. Nailed it!”
The Flower Lady (the flou–er ley–dee):
The woman who sells flowers with her dog on the corner of York and Broadway.
‘I’ve never seen her! How have I never seen her? Well now I want to find her’ – Josh Swerdlow
“Doesn’t she also recite Shakespeare or something?”
“I can’t look at her dog or else I’ll guilt myself into buying a flower. It happens every time…”
“I know this one! Yeah, she’s the homeless lady who still has an iPhone!”
Gheav (jee hev):
The fine establishment which has single-handedly fed drunk Yalies for years. It is typically the place where every late night ends.
“Oh yeah that’s what everyone calls Good Nature, right?” Wrong.
“It’s Good Nature’s code name.” Also wrong.
“Why do they call it Gheav? Shouldn’t it be like Natty G or something?” smh.
SWUG (swuhg):
An acronym for Senior Washed Up Girl.
In her natural state.
“It’s like swag, but swug.”
“Snobby White Under Graduate.”
“It sounds like a big drink. Like he didn’t take a swig, he took a SWUG.”
Townie (toun-ee):
Anyone who lives in New Haven, but is not affiliated with Yale.
Oh, yeah, they hate us’
“Someone who likes to hit the town on Friday nights.”
“It’s just someone who lives in New Haven, right? Haha that’s so pretentious.”
“I’m not really sure, but I was told to watch out for them.”
Wenzel (wen-zul):
A sandwich from Alpha Delta Pizza consisting of chicken tenders, hot sauce and whatever else one desires; AKA the pinnacle of drunk food.
Feel free to bask in its glory.
“I don’t know why, but I’m thinking pretzel.”
“Hell yeah, I know this. Wenzels are the shit. And apparently Alpha Delta delivers now so that’s great.”
“I’ve had like five when I was plastered, but I actually have no clue what’s in it.”
12 College Challenge (twelv kol-ij chal-inj):
The challenge to hook up with at least one person in each of the twelve residential colleges.
‘Yeah I know it. It’s the one where you sleep with someone in every college’ – Louis Abrassard
Not only did he know the correct answer, he also reads The Tab. 10 points to the Class of 2019
“Is it, like, to see if you can eat in each of the dining halls?”
“Yeah I know what that is, but the rules are super unclear. Do you have to sleep with them or just hook up? Or does hook up with someone mean to have sex with them? Whoa.”
“I’ve already got three down! By the way, what college are you in?”
50 Most (fif-tee mohst):
The annual article released by the Rumpus crowning the 50 most beautiful people at Yale.
This, freshmen, is prime 50 Most material
“Is there a word missing?”
“No clue.”
“That’s the pretty people competition.”
And finally…
The Tab (the tab):
The hottest and most relevant publication this campus has ever seen.
“The what?”
“Never heard of it.”
“I’m guessing it’s not as obvious as it sounds, so I’m going to say it’s a combination of ‘tap’ and ‘pub’. Maybe it’s a bar or something.”
¯\_(ツ)_/¯