cow college

American  

noun

Informal.

1. an agricultural college.

2. a small, relatively unknown rural college.

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cow college Idioms  

1. An agricultural college; any small, relatively unknown rural college. For example, He's never published a paper, but he might do all right in some cow college. This term uses cow in the somewhat pejorative sense of “provincial.” [c. 1910]

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Etymology

Origin of cow college

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

There’s no cash cow college tournament for broomball.

From The Wall Street Journal • Aug. 21, 2016

The lowly Big Ten, from the cow college in Michigan that didn't get Jim Harbaugh and the spotlight was a testimony to how good you've become.

From New York Times • Jan. 2, 2015

He had arrived at a "cow college" in 1950 as an assistant coach armed with a flat-top haircut, a Brooklyn accent and a degree from Brown.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 15, 2012

The "cow college" grew into a public-research university with $4.6 billion in revenue and buildings as large as airplane hangars.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 15, 2012

In his post-graduate year in cow college, Dick devoted himself to laboratory work and cut all lectures.

From The Little Lady of the Big House by London, Jack