Formal (university) - Terminology

Terminology

The full name and abbreviations to describe the formals differ. Generally, though, they are known as:

• Formal Hall - common at Oxford, Cambridge, Royal Holloway and Durham
• Formal Meal or Formal Dinner - are also sometimes used
• Common Meal - subsidized collegiate meals at St Andrews
• Commons - Dublin (Trinity College)

Abbreviations of the above terms tend to be either Formal or, at St John's College, Cambridge, Hall. There are other circumstances in which different names are used. For example, some larger colleges have both a large dining hall and a canteen-style dining room (often called the Buttery or Servery). In these cases informal evening meals are taken in the Buttery and formal meals in the hall, and the term Hall is used uniquely to refer to the latter meal. Some may call it Second Hall to differentiate from the earlier self-service First Hall or Informal Hall.