E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Slate Club (A).
A sick benefit club for working-men. Originally the names of the members were entered on a folding slate; in the universities the names of members are marked on a board, or on boards; hence such expressions as “his name is on the boards,” “I have taken my name off the boards.”
