E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Brute,
in Cambridge University slang, is a man who has not yet matriculated. The play is evident. A “man,” in college phrase, is a collegian; and, as matriculation is the sign and seal of acceptance, a scholar before that ceremony is not a “man,” and therefore only a “biped brute.”
