Talk:Robin Butler, Baron Butler of Brockwell

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Can someone help out with some of the terminology in this article. Few Americans can decipher "he took a double first in Mods and Greats and twice gained a rugby Blue." I was able to figure out the "double first" and put a Wikipedia link there. I'm guessing Mods is modern languages. Please keep in mind that most British terminology, abbreviations and slang are unknown to Americans and those in other countries as well. Thanks. SDC 03:36, 29 May 2005 (UTC)

Quite right. I often find myself getting indignant about American jargon being used as if everybody understands it! I must say I find it even more annoying when it is used inappropriately in a British context (e.g. a person described as having "majored in history", which would be unheard of at most British universities).

• Double first means that he was placed in the first class in both his first and second public examination. (If he had stayed on to take a second Final Honour School and got a first it would be called a triple first, as in the case of C. S. Lewis).
• Mods is short for Moderations and means the first public examination for some courses at Oxford (others have "Prelims", short for "Preliminary Examination"). In his case it means Classical Moderations, the usual shorthand first "Honour Moderations in Literae Humaniores" (i.e. Classics)
• Greats means the Final Honour School of Literae Humaniores, i.e. the second public examination in Classics.
• A "Blue" is what you get for representing Oxford in a match (or other sporting fixture) against Cambridge. See University Sporting Blue.--Oxonian2006 15:39, 27 May 2007 (UTC)