Learning the lingo one word at a time

    __The College of William and Mary is rich with traditions, many of which freshmen experience within their first few weeks on campus. Other things take a little more time to catch on to. The Flat Hat has compiled a list of some of the most important terms for every freshman to know.__

    *Add/Drop:* The saving grace for those who ended up with only 8 a.m. classes during registration, this two-week period lasts from Aug. 24 at 3 p.m. to the last minute of Sept. 3. During these two weeks students are able to drop classes without any repercussions and pick up new ones. But beware: those professors who have already given tests or assignments before the end of add/drop will not allow you to retake them.

    *AMP:* Short for Alma Mater Productions, AMP hosts everything from concerts and comedians to late night trivia at Lodge 1. While the nightlife of Williamsburg may be sparse, AMP does its best to provide students with entertainment.

    *Blowout:* Referred to as “The Last Day of Classes” or LDOC by the man, Blowout is the beloved campus tradition of going to class on the last day of the semester, wasted. Blowout also marks the celebration of another student favorite: Intervarsity’s Pancake House, at which students gather in the Sadler Center to enjoy free pancakes. While more subdued in the fall, spring Blowout features a campus-wide picnic and mini carnival in the Sunken Garden.

    *The Caf:* The Commons Dining Hall is the biggest dining hall on campus, providing students with a wide variety of meal stations. Popular with freshman frat boys and athletes, the Caf is a solid dining option with great theme days, although it offers little culinary excitement otherwise.

    *The Cheese Shop:* Perfectly located immediately off campus on Duke of Gloucester Street, The Cheese Shop offers some of the most delicious sandwiches around — which, in this context, means the entire world. Stacks of thinly cut meat on freshly baked bread with a generous portion of house dressing make for a mouth wateringly good lunch. Another student favorite is the $1 bag of bread ends, which, paired with a cup of house dressing, serve as the ultimate easy — and cheap — meal.

    *Confusion Corner:* The tip of campus where Ancient Campus meets Colonial Williamsburg, as well as the intersection of five streets — Richmond Road, Jamestown Road, Duke of Gloucester Street, North Boundary Street and South Boundary Streets — the difficulty it poses to both pedestrians and motorists attempting to make their ways around it.

    *CW:* Not the network which airs “Gossip Girl” and “One Tree Hill,” but rather, historic Colonial Williamsburg. All students spend time here at some point, whether by relaxing on the Governor’s Palace Green, watching the fireworks show during Grand Illumination, or visiting the DeWitt Wallace Gallery for a class project. CW is responsible for the influx of tourists crowding campus in the warmer months, as well as for the occasional half-hour long wait at the Cheese Shop.

    *The Delis:* Two of students’s favorite things — cheap food and drinking — mix at Paul’s Deli, the Green Leafe Cafe and the College Delly, collectively referred to as the delis and located at the intersection of Richmond Road and Scotland Street. While they are good for a cheap bite to eat for all ages during the day, after 9 p.m. they cater only to the 21 and over crowd.

    *The Grind:* The College’s very own coffee shop, the Daily Grind is conveniently located between the lodges and the Terrace. It’s delicious snacks and drinks are great for a between-class snack, and the atmosphere is perfect for chilling with friends, or for low-key studying. Unfortunately, the Grind does not accept Flex Points, so students must pay out of pocket or with Express.

    *DoG Street:* The animalistic abbreviation for Duke of Gloucester Street is an amusing nickname bound to confuse parents and visitors. The street — which runs from Confusion Corner to the Capitol Building — serves pedestrians and horse-drawn carriages on their adventures in CW.

    *Ho House:* The Hospitality House, a popular hotel for parents and alumni wedding parties, possesses its very own amusing abbreviation, in classic Williamsburg fashion. Located directly across from the Alumni House, it has the closest trolley stop for getting to High Street, and is also the stop for numerous bus lines including the route to New Town.

    *Mug Night:* The weekly Sunday night event at the Green Leafe at which students and townies alike gather to enjoy discount beer with the purchase of a Leafe mug.

    *Override:* Whether a last-ditch attempt to get into the perfect class for your schedule or for that one last science GER, an override is the gracious acceptance into a class granted by the professor teaching it, usually based on a very polite e-mail, a friendly meeting or pathetic groveling outside his or her office.

    *The Triathlon:* An event consisting of running, swimming and jumping, the Triathlon is a long standing college tradition. The three events — jumping the Governor’s Palace wall and completing the maze, streaking the Sunken Garden and swimming the Crim Dell — can be done in one night, one year or over the course of one’s time at the College, but are practically required for any self-respecting senior before graduating. The particularly adventurous students attempt all three in the nude — a feat known as the Ironman.

    *TWAMP:* This endearing and demeaning abbreviation for a “Typical William and Mary Person” is used to describe those who meet, and, occasionally, embrace the stereotypes of students at the College. Whether they are overly studious, heavily involved in extracurriculars or known to frequently use “terrace” as a verb when referring to hanging out on the Terrace, TWAMPs are all around.

    *Sex Change:* Another adorably confusing nickname, this one stands for the Student Exchange, the convenience store located in the bottom of the Sadler Center. The Sex Change offers quick lunches for the TWAMP on the go as well, those essentials that students are too lazy to go all the way to Bloom for and even bags of candy, all of which available to be purchased with Flex Points, Express or, of course, cold hard cash.

    *Steer Clear:* This helpful service provides free transportation around the College and Williamsburg for students too drunk, tired or lazy to walk or drive home from wherever they spent their Thursday, Friday or Saturday nights. Steer Clear won’t just pick you up, it will take you wherever you want to go, whether it be to your dorm, a friend’s house or to the next party.

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