"You may dictate modes of expression to a single man, perhaps, but
not to a whole university," said Lydia, with a quiet scorn that
brought unexpected tears to Alice's eyes. "Do you know what a pug
is?"

"A pug!" said Alice, vacantly. "No; I have heard of a bulldog--a
proctor's bulldog, but never a pug."

"I must try my slang dictionary," said Lydia, taking down a book and
opening it. "Here it is. 'Pug--a fighting man's idea of the
contracted word to be produced from pugilist.' What an extraordinary
definition! A fighting man's idea of a contraction! Why should a man
have a special idea of a contraction when he is fighting; or why
should he think of such a thing at all under such circumstances?
Perhaps 'fighting man' is slang too. No; it is not given here.
Either I mistook the word, or it has some signification unknown to
the compiler of my dictionary."

"It seems quite plain to me," said Alice. "Pug means pugilist."

"But pugilism is boxing; it is not a profession. I suppose all men
are more or less pugilists. I want a sense of the word in which it
denotes a calling or occupation of some kind. I fancy it means a
demonstrator of anatomy. However, it does not matter."

"Where did you meet with it?"

"Mr. Byron used it just now."