E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Mods.
In Oxford a contracted form of moderations. The three necessary examinations in Oxford are the Smalls, the Mods, and the Greats. No one can take a class till he has passed the Mods. There are no Mods at Cambridge.
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“While I was reading for Mods I was not so unsettled in my mind.”-Grant Allen: The Backslider, part iii.
