The phrase ‘Fun Slippering’ sometimes occurs in messages to this board. I have not heard the expression before, and am wondering if anyone can give me a definition? Also, recollections of the great exponents of Fun Slippering (I think the words merit capital letters) would make interesting reading. From what I have seen here, it seems that Arthur ‘Bicycle Face’ Taylor was such an one.
Dorothy
Although unable to give a definition of Fun Slippering I think we need someone who attended William Penn School to do that I offer below an extract from Whimpering in the Rhododendrons by Arthur Marshall. In this instance it was the chastised pupils, rather than the teacher, who derived fun from the slippering.
In the common room one morning the headmaster reported an occasion when corporal punishment meted out by him had been hardly as dreadful as it ought to be. He had found it necessary to correct, with the aid of a slipper, a tendency by one dormitory to become noisily conversational before the first gong. Finding the proceedings somewhat lengthy and pausing to take stock and rest his arm he had discovered that each victim had rejoined the queue and was coming round again for further correction.
steven0958
The phrase ‘Fun Slippering’ sometimes occurs in messages to this board. I have not heard the expression before, and am wondering if anyone can give me a definition? Also, recollections of the great exponents of Fun Slippering (I think the words merit capital letters) would make interesting reading. From what I have seen here, it seems that Arthur ‘Bicycle Face’ Taylor was such an one.
Dorothy
There was a recent thread on this subject entitled “Slippering for ‘Fun’” started by Karen on June 2 2002 at 11:18 AM. The most recent posting to that thread was by George on June 6 2002 at 6:26 pm.
At my grammar school the teacher who took us for English in the first year used to give us frequent little tests. These were on general knowledge, not on the subjects we were studying in class. I remember one question on the order of the stations on the London Underground. After the tests we swapped papers with the boy sitting next to us and marked each other’s answers. The boy who scored the lowest received one whack from the slipper.
Before slippering a boy “Herbie” would draw a cross in chalk on the sole of the plimsoll which would become imprinted on the seat of the boy’s trousers after the whack. These slipperings must have stung (it never happened to me) and there was a loud sound as the plimsoll landed. But when he punished boys with the slipper for misbehaviour he hit a good deal harder (though still chalking the plimsoll). The test slipperings probably fall into the “fun slippering” category.
Steven
I think we are really talking about “symbolic slippering” or perhaps “pretend slippering” i.e going through the motions but only causing a very slight amount of pain or none at all.
We had a PE teacher who occassionally did an elaborate ritual of bending boys over and slippering them, but literally just touched them with the gym shoe. (Usually for very minor offenses like forgetting kit or talking out of turn.)
I think that what he was doing was saying “Just remember, I am the teacher and could slipper you if I wanted to” — establishing who was boss without needing to cause any actual pain.
I don’t think he was “kinky” or “into it”; because if he had actually enjoyed spanking pupils, there was nothing to stop him slippering them “for real”.
Robin (not Peverett)
The expression Fun Slippering is really super and my whole family are enraptured by it. Can we, I wonder, have it included in the next edition of the O.E.D.?
Jason
The phrase ‘Fun Slippering’ sometimes occurs in messages to this board. I have not heard the expression before, and am wondering if anyone can give me a definition? Also, recollections of the great exponents of Fun Slippering (I think the words merit capital letters) would make interesting reading. From what I have seen here, it seems that Arthur ‘Bicycle Face’ Taylor was such an one.
Dorothy
The class teacher in the 4th year junior school I was in would call a boy or boys who had been naughty just before play time, He would have a boy touch his toes and raise the slipper high. Then he would say he does not want to send the boy out to play with a stinging bottom and he was to remind him after play time.
After play time when the boy did he was told to touch his toes and the teacher raised the slipper very high and whipped it down, about 6 inches before it hit he stopped it and gave a gentle tap. If any boy forgot to remind him, he called thet boy out had him touch his toes for 2 normal stingers.
Jason
I like a teacher with a sense of fun. One teacher i was taught by would make the most appalling puns like “Bottom marks again boy,try harder or i shall give you bottom marks which you will find painful” or whilst playing rugby on a cold day. “Any boy feeling its too cold to play rugby just let me know any i will soon provide some heating”.
The expression Fun Slippering is really super and my whole family are enraptured by it. Can we, I wonder, have it included in the next edition of the O.E.D.?
FUN SLIPPERING AT WILLIAM PENN SCHOOL
An eleven plus failure, so sent to the Penn:
A new school in 1958
With new hopes for fourteen hundred no-hopers.
Orthodontically braced, but a proud wearer of the Faraday House badge,
I adored the teacher Uncle John, but lived in fear of Bicycle Face
Until one day during period three
(When I had forgotten to do my homework)
Bicycle Face said, Brace and Bit, out!
Trembling I walked to the front of the room.
Bend, said Bicycle Face
And I bent over until my fingertips touched my toes.
Faraday boys always have more bend, he said.
And taking the plimsoll he called Oscar
(Always on display on his desk)
He tapped me lightly once
On the btm.
It did not hurt! It was fun, fun, fun!
I didnt mind having Oscar on my bum!
For far worse things happened when I did wrong
And was found out by Uncle John.