a cappella
(upside down e)cap(epsilon)la
Definition: a group of singers that do not use any instrumental accompaniment, very common at Cornell.
Attested: At First Night, the last day of freshmen orientation, many a cappella groups sang.
Example: "The Hangovers are definitely the best a cappellas!"
Etymology: A cappella was borrowed from Italian, meaning chapel style. Since no instruments are used when singing in a chapel (except for maybe an organ), any type of singing without instruments is now known as a cappella. A cappella groups seem to be a part of a long tradition here at Cornell. There are at least ten a cappella groups that have concerts a few times a year. One of the most famous a cappelas are the Hangovers, a division of the Cornell Glee Club. Others include the Chordials and the Class Notes.
- Naim Darghouth

A la carte
rhymes with "fart"
Definition: Used when ordering a sandwich at a cash-op dinging facitlity, letting the server know that you don't want fries with you meal.
Usage: "Can I get a hamburgher a la carte for here?"
Attested: I was introduced to this term when I started eatting at Cornell dining facilities as a child.
Etymology: I think this saying is borrowed from another language (possibly French). I know that "a la mode" means with ice cream, so it is similar.
- Steve Terry

After Hours (noun)
rhymes with "laughter" "towers"
Definition: the party which occurs at one of the fraternities after 1 AM when the bars close and the other parties end.
Attested: I first heard this term towards the beginning of school when a friend asked me if I wanted to go to after hours.
Example: After hours is at Sigma Nu. Do you want to go and dance?
Etymology: The name obviously refers to the time at which the party occurs. After the bars are closing and other parties are ending, after hours is just beginning.
- John Moyer

All-Nighter (noun)
ol-niter/ rhymes with "tall" "fighter"
Definition: night when a student does not go to sleep at all in order to study for an exam or finish homework, and then goes through the next day as if nothing.
Attested: I first heard this word when in high school, in speaking with a friend from college. She said that she pulled so many all nighters her first semester in order to study for her tests and finals.
Example: "Yesterday was a killer; I had to pull another all-nighter studying for the Chemistry final."
Etymology: This word, although not particular to Cornell University per se, is used by college students everywhere. Many students find that they do not have enough hours in their days; therefore, they must give up sleep time so as to study and finish work. The word was created because it is simply a shorter version of 'to stay up all-night.'
-Heidi Nguyen

Annex (noun)
pronounced "an" "x"
Definition: Additional housing for the members of a fraternity or sorority
>Attested: I learned what an annex is during first semester when a friend asked me if I wanted to go to an annex party.
Example: My friend lives in the Tri-Delt annex on north campus.
Etymology: Annex is a synonym for addition or attachment. It must have become an easy way to refer to the additonal housing in which some sorority of fraternity members live outside of the main house.
- John Moyer

ARME (noun)
ar'me /armi/; sounds exactly like "army"
Definition: the business major for students enrolled in Cornell's college of agriculture.
Attested: On the first that I was here at Cornell I asked a student what his major was and he replied ARME. I though by this he meant that he was in a ROTC program of some kind.
Example: Hi, my name is little Joey and I am in the Ag school; my major is ARME by I don't know what that stands for.
Etymology: ARME is an acronym for Agricultural, Resource and Managerial Economics. It is a major for many students that are in the Agriculture school who do not care about agriculture. Because the ARME major has been around for decades it has less to do with Agriculture now than it had in the past. I am sure when this major was founded most of the business in America that didn't have to do with Engineering had to do with agriculture. But now the global workplace has changed and agriculture is only a tiny part of America's industry.
- Matt Fellman

Ass
Ass, /aes/, rhymes with sass
Definition: Sexual relations
Attested: I first heard this at a fraternity party when a brother said to his friend. "I need to get ass tonight."
Example: "Why is Judy so happy? Judy is so happy because she got ass this weekend.
Etymology: Like bootie, ass refers to relations between two people, usually involving making out, groping, and sometimes intercourse. Because many people think of sexual relations as merely a physical act they sometimes associate it with a physical part of the body common to both sexes, the ass.
- Matt Fellman