Mixer (noun)
Mi-xer
Definition: A party which in which a number of fraternities and the same
number of sororities attend a party.
Attested: I first encountered this word when during the second weekend I
was here, I asked my upperclassman friend what he was doing for the
evening. He answered me and told me that his frat was holding a mixer,
which is a party for certain fraternities and sororities.
Example: The fraternity Chi Psi is having a mixer with the sorority Alpha Phi.
Etymology: The word must have come from the fact that fraternities wanted
to have some parties with just sororities, not open to all. The word mixer
must have originated from the fact that they wanted a mix between
fraternities and sororities. Since they wanted to mix fraternities which
are for guys only and sororities which are for girls, it was implied that a
mix of guys and girls were going to be at the party. Therefore instead of
just calling it a party, they called it a mixer to distinguish it between
open parties that occur all the time.
- Stephen Guijarro
Morgue, the
'morg
Definition: The study lounge on the first floor of Mary Donlon Hall.
Attested: I first heard this term used shortly after classes started when many
people in my building said they were going to the morgue to study.
Example: "Since I can't seem to get any work done in my noisy room, I'm going
to the morgue for some peace and quiet."
Etymology: The study lounge is called the morgue because it is incredibly
silent, and curtains prevent you from seeing the outside world. It is a
compared to a real morgue- a place where dead bodies are kept- because it is so
silent that the turning of a page or the sound of keys can be heard by
everyone. I believe that this term is only used at Cornell, although I'm sure
that many other dark, dull, and quiet places are referred to as having
"morgue- like" characteristics.
- Kathy Voutsinas
Moving (Devil's) Night (noun)
Definition: the eve of Halloween
Attested: I first heard the term October 30, 1999, Halloween Eve
Example: Are you guys going out on Moving Night?
Etymology: I never heard this interpretation or any kind of term
representing the night before Halloween. But there were people in my dorm
who regularly went on the night before Halloween, the first person that
described the night called it Moving Night, others called it Devil's
Night. Although the name for differed, both practiced the same customs on
this night. On this night, teenagers would go out to the streets and
vandalize other people's party. This probably started because the police
beefed up patrol cars on Halloween, so to get their annual dose of
vandalism and not get caught, kids started going out a night early.
- Satch Sil