Section (noun)
I. rhymes with "election"
Definition: A small class, or group meeting, to discuss what is being taught in a larger lecture.
Example: "I have physics sections on tuesday and thursday." Attested: first saw this term when I was given my schedual at the beinging of the first semester.
Etymology: I'm not sure where this term came from. These classes, usually taught by TA's, are made up of 20-30 students, out of a lecture of up to 600. Maybe the term "section" came about because each class has a section of the students.
- Steve Terry
II. Pronunciation: sex shon/ sect shon
Definition: A class period that is taught by a teaching assistant that is meant to supplement the professor's lecture.
Attested: When I was signing up for classes, I had to sign up for two different types of classes for each coarse, lecture and section.
Etymology: The TA is taking attendance so I have to go to Section today.
Etymology: The term is derived from the words' original meaning, a part of, and is transplanted to refer to a part of a course.
- Amy Gorman

Shady (adjective).
I. sh·y-dee, /shadee/ rhymes with "lady"
Definition: causing one to be leery, causing queasiness or a generally uneasy feeling.
Attested: I first heard this word at Tompkins County Airport in the same sentence as the first time I heard the word "sketchy."
Example: "Did you see that shady man near the playground who was wearing a trench-coat?"
Etymology: This term has a home in the same group that readily uses the term "sketchy." Its meaning is relatively the same, but in many ways it denotes a greater degree of apprehension. Because of its stronger implications, it is not used quite as often, but it is still likely that in any given two minute conversation between Cornell students, one will hear it at least three times. It stems from qualities of shady areas, areas where it is hard to see the entire picture. Not knowing exactly what you are looking at (or what is looking at you) causes dread. Therefore, someone who may be hiding something or appears to have something out of order is considered abnormal and labeled as "shady."
- Josh Finberg
II. /shedi/, rhymes with lady
Definition: Of dubious character or of questionable merit/disreputable.
Attested: I first head of this tem in my home town when speaking of a car which had all of the windows tinted black, a blaring subwoofer screaming thuds and booms, and chalky white smoke escaping the narrow cracks at the top of the black cracked-open windows. It was decided that the car was definitely shady as all hell.
Example: "That kid is shady. Holy crap, what a shady kid."
Etymology: When something is shady, generally not a lot is known about the object in question and a judgement is placed upon the shady object because of how it seems. An insane person running around screaming about an invasion of turtles from Mars would NOT be shady because it is apparent that this person is insane. There is no question about his sanity and therefore there would be no questioning his reputation therefore the person is not shady, but rather, loony.
- Matt Fellman

Shaggy (noun)
rhymes with "baggy"
Definition: A hot sub on a quarter loaf of french bread with meatball, sausage, cheese, onion, garlic, red pepper, mayonnaise, and lettuce
Attested: I learned what a shaggy was when I first read the Hot Truck menu during early September.
Example: The shaggy is my favorite sandwich at Hot Truck.
Etymology: It is difficult to determine how this name originated. Most likely the person who created it got to name it. It is likely a reference to Scooby Doo the cartoon as there is a sandwich called the Scooby as well.
- John Moyer

Shits and giggles
Definition: when something is done that isn't work for a class or otherwise academically necessary it is done for "shits and giggles."
Attested: I first encountered this word last month, when my friend Alex uttered it inreference to his roommate's strange work habits.
Example: "It isn't his CS class, he just writes programs for shits and giggles."
Etymology: I have no idea how this phrase came about. Someone probably just made it up because they were sick of saying "for the hell of it" and they wanted something more creative. This phrase isn't as wide spread as some of my other entries, but after hearing it multiple times I decided to submit it.
- Steve Terry

Shower (verb)
š(upside down e)wr, ryhmes with flower
Definition: to submerge an individual living in the International Living Center (ILC) in a bath of cold soapy water with the shower on, to honor his or her birthday.
Attested: It was my RA's birthday, but she told me not to tell anyone, or she'll get showered.
Example: "Hey look! It's ______'s birthday! Shower him/her!"
Etymology: This word originates from the traditional definition of shower, but ILCers have given it a whole other twist. "Showers" are guessed to have started about two decades ago. The origins of this tradition are unknown. Recently this tradition has mutated though, and people are being showered without it being there birthday, leaving the decision of "showers" to a few elite macho males in ILC. This might change the definition of shower in the next year for the new freshmen who will live in ILC next year.
- Naim Darghouth

Sketchy (adjective).
skÈh-chee, /skÈchee/; rhymes with "fetch-ie"
Definition: causing an uneasy or scared feeling, abnormal in an unpleasing way.
Attested: I first heard this word within 5 minutes of stepping of the plane to Ithaca as I was picked up by my guides for a Wilderness Reflections trip.
Example: "Last night, on my way home from a party, I took a wrong turn and ended in an extremely sketchy neighborhood."
Etymology: From talking with friends from other colleges, I have deduced that this is a term native to college-aged kids. I have never heard adults use this word, nor have I heard kids much below their senior year in high school use it. For the group it is used in, however, it is accepted as standard, everyday English. Relatives include "shady" or "random," yet "sketchy" seems to be preferred. Most likely, its roots lie in the idea of a sketch compared to a picture. The sketch gives the general idea of the subject yet does not convey the entire idea. Likewise, a person may appear to have some qualities of a normal person but lacks something important, making them seem incomplete. This gives off warning signals, alerting others to beware because they are dealing with a ÏsketchyÓ person.
- Josh Finberg

Slope Day (noun)
rhymes with pope
I. Definition: On this, students skip classes and drink a lot.
Attested: I first encountered this word when a sophomore in my suite told me he couldn't wait until the last day of classes.
Example: "I can't wait until the last day of classes because it's slope day."
Etymology: This day is a derviative of a year filled with stress and agony. Students every year gather at Libe slope and consume enormous amounts of alcohol. They get one day to relieve all the pressures of going to Cornell University.
- Manish Trivedi
II. Definition: the last day of scheduled classes of the spring semester of which no-one attends, but rather all students gather on the west campus hill for a day long party of fun and games
Attested: I first heard about this day through the "Daily Sun" in which I read articles about the various measures that the administration was taking to create some regulations for the day.
Example: "I can't wait for Slope Day when there will be no more classes!"
Etymology: This idea of this day probably occurred before the name came about. The party probably occurred annually and then students decided to name it for where it occurs, the west campus slope. Hence, it is now known as Slope Day.
- Sandy Tushingham

Sorority Pants
Pronunciation: "soar" "or" "e" "tee" P antz
Definition: Tight black pants that are usually partially made out spandex.
Attested: During Rush Week, most of the girls wore this type of pant for at least one of the days.
Etymology: The hoards of rushees adorned their uniform, sorority pants and a North Face jacket, to win their position in the house of their choice.
Etymology: The name of this type of pants is derived from the high frequency of sorority girls that wear them. The highest frequency of use is during rush week when many of the girls need to dress up in a certain way to impress their future sisters. Use of the sorority pants are not limited to rushees. Such pants are usually deemed acceptable attire for any sorority function. There is also a negative stigma attached to those that wear the pants that usually consists of a boy-crazy, easy young woman.
- Amy Gorman

Sped (noun)
the word rhymes with fed
Definition: Person who acts as if they must be in "special educational classes."
Attested: At lunch, this girl said something stupid, and my friend said, "dude, you're such a sped."
Example: After walking into the glass door, Sarah felt like a sped.
Etymology: The word is a combination of the original words special education. This term is used to classify menatlly retarded individuals who aren't capable of performing normal tasks.
- Manish Trivedi

Stacks
Pronunciation: St ax
Definition: The floors where mass quantities of books are stored in the libraries.
Attested: The first time that I had to do a research paper that required me to borrow a book
Example: I really need to study, so I think I'm gonna git lost in the stacks.
Etymolgy: This term is derived from how the books are placed. They are essentially "stacked" on many shelves that right on top of each other. This is an area that provides for much confusion for library goers due to the seemingly haphazard and complicated organization. One does not need to understand the principle behind it in order to find a desired book. With practice and patience, the stacks can be conquered, this time. Because so few people actually make it to the hallowed book, the stacks are quiet and are a very good study area. The stacks are a place where both the people and the books seem to get lost.
- Amy Gorman

Standardeeve (noun)
standardeeve'/stahn dur deev/ pronounced "standard deeve"
Definition: The average deviation from the mean on a paper, homework, prelim, quiz, or exam.
Attested: Quickly after learning the importance of my first prelim's mean I was informed about the standardeeve.
Example: Anyone who got more than a standardeeve below the mean should seek extra help during office hours.
Etymology: A clipping of "standard deviation," a standardeeve weighs on students' minds almost as heavily as the mean. Since relatively few people actually get the exact mean score, students want to know what the range of scores is for a test. Many professors use the standardeeve to help students gauge their grades. Quite often, professors say the mean corresponds to a B-/C+ and each standardeeve above or below the mean is a letter grade above a B-/C+. Similar to the mean, the standardeeve is simply a method that makes students focus not on their actual, individual performance but on their performance relative to others.
- Josh Finberg

Stick (Noun)
rhymes with dick
Definition: Someone who is so dense and clueless that they don't ever realize what is going on. People who are "sticks" tend to be the butt end of jokes and do silly things.
Example: "Hey Phil, You are such stick!"
Etymology: The word originated from the phrase "stick in the mud." It evolved to cut the phrase shorter so that it became stick.
- Manish Trivedi

Straight (noun).
stret, /stret/, rhymes with hate.
Definition: Willard Straight Hall, Cornell University's student union building.
Attested: Early this semester I heard someone saying they would meet someone in front of the Straight for lunch. By this I thought there was a narrow waterway or something where there was food nearby.
Example: "I have to go to the Straight to give blood on Tuesday.
Etymology: Willard Straight Hall is too long to say, therefore people say Straight instead. Willard Straight hall is also spoken about quite frequently which makes the abbreviation all the more useful. The Straight is home to two dining halls, a movie theater, a ceramics workshop, a darkroom, the memorial room which is used for everything from craft shows to interfraternity council meetings to chinese new year celebrations. Because the Straight is spoken about so much it makes perfect sense that its name is abbreviated.
- Matt Fellman

Suicide
Pronunciation: rhymes with "two" "uh" "dyed"
Definition: This term means to put an end to one's own life through voluntary means. People can kill themselves in several ways and Cornell has gotten the reputation that it's a "suicide school", meaning that many people put out their own lives every year.
Attested: I first heard it when my friends were persuading me not to come to Cornell because they'd heard it was a depressing school with a high suicide rate.
Usage: Rumors are always floating around that people at Cornell want to commit suicide by jumping off the bridge.
Etymology: The word is a very common one; however, linked to the Cornell sense, I think it started after several students committed suicide here. Suicide is especially linked to Cornell not because students at other schools do not commit suicide, but rather, because students at Cornell jump off bridges, which is more dramatic and headline-catching. Also, in 1970s, on 60 Minutes, a show was done on college suicide and it was filmed on Cornell campus, and so many people began to associate Cornell with suicides.
- Dorrie Tong

Suite
Pronounced like "sweet"
Definition: the cluster of four rooms that share a bathroom found in the Low rises (see entry)
Attested: When given my room location the first day at Cornell, I was told to go to suite two.
Example: "Suite two is the coolest suite in ILC."
Etymology: Since these room arrangements consist of bedrooms, a small living area (ie hallway), and a bathroom, Cornell Housing thought it would be appropriate (and appealing to its students) to call this a suit. This is somewhat (okay, VERY) different from the traditional suite, such as the Hilton or Marriott suite. Yet it has become an area where students can hang out with out being in a "public area" such as a lounge, and have turned out to be cozier than the long prison-like hallways of the larger dorms.
- Naim Darghouth

Sunny (adjective)
sun'nie/ sun'nee/ rhymes with 'funny'
Definition: A term used to describe the local weather meaning the sky will be mostly cloudy, but perhaps once or twice throughout the day, the sun will peek through.
Attested: I heard weathermen using this from the first day I arrived here but have yet to experience their being one hundred percent correct.
Example: "Tomorrow will be sunny, with just an 80% chance of snow."
Etymology: Just as Eskimos have at least seven words for different types of snow, Ithacans have adopted a plethora of words denoting cloudy weather. They have phrases like 'overcast,' 'partly cloudy,' 'gray,' and 'drab,' but using just these to describe weather would quickly become too dull a job. Hence, they had to get creative and use a word like 'sunny,' which means (gasp!) shining sun in many parts of the world, to represent a cloudy sky. Now, when one hears ÏsunnyÓ in a weather report, it still is a signal to put the umbrella in the backpack; it simply means there is a chance he or she won't have to use it until possibly after 9:00 a.m.
- Josh Finberg