Tufts Slang

Know the slang, know the school. The following is a list of things you really need to know before coming to TU. The more of these words you know, the better off you'll be.

A Cappella

Singing without accompaniment.

CSL

Committee on Student Life.

Dewick

When going to eat at Dewick, someone may ask you, “Do you want to Dewick it?”

Double-Jumbo

Someone who has attended Tufts both as an undergraduate and graduate, or professional student.

Downhill

Using the library steps as the dividing line.

E

Short for “Engineer.”

ELBO

Elections Board.

Ex College

Experimental College, a program that brings in outside experts to teach classes.

Flip Cup

A drinking game played by two teams. The game proceeds as a relay.

Jackson College

The name of the Tufts’ college for women (from before the University became coed).

JumboFOB

Electronic signal keys used to enter some dorms.

Light on the Hill

A number of school traditions and songs derive from this phrase that initiated Tufts’ creation, when Nathan Tufts vowed “to put a light on the hill.”

O-zone

Where you live if you're on the basement level of a dorm.

Pax Et Lux

Latin for “Peace and Light,” and is part of the Tufts symbol.

P-Row

Professors Row.

Quad

Area of grass surrounded on all sides by buildings.

TCU

Tufts Community Union; student government groups, TCU Senate, and Judiciary.

TEMS

Tufts Emergency Medical Service, the group of student-EMTs on call for emergency service.

The Hill

Walnut Hill, where Tufts is located.

Uphill

Using the library steps as the dividing line.

Wren Bugs

The special species of bugs that live in and around Wren Hall.