The term "truant" in literature has been employed both in its literal sense—as one who is absent from school or duty—and in more figurative or playful manners. In some works, it directly refers to students shirking their educational responsibilities, as seen in discussions of school attendance and the tricky business of managing truancy in urban settings [1, 2] and even in direct queries about the behavior [3, 4]. Other authors expand its meaning: G. K. Chesterton’s remark implies an ironic twist on being overloaded with instruction despite the label [5], while Thomas Carlyle uses "truant" metaphorically to underscore a departure from expected roles [6, 7]. Similarly, in narrative pieces, characters are likened to wayward schoolboys or absent-minded wanderers—illustrated in examples from Middlemarch [8] to Thackeray’s depiction in Vanity Fair [9, 10]. Even in playful literary imagery, such as comparing a wandering animal or invoking a theatrical exclamation [11, 12], "truant" captures a range of connotations from deliberate neglect to mischievous departure.