English Synonyms. Benjamin; cover-me-decently; upper benjamin (a great
coat); joseph; wrap-rascal; bum-cooler or arse-hole-perisher, or shaver
(a short jacket); claw-hammer, swallow-tail, steel-pen (all three = a
dress coat); M.B. coat; panupetaston; rock-a-low; reliever; pygostole;
ulster; monkey-jacket. See also Caster, many synonyms of which = a
coat.
French Synonyms. Un cache-misère (familiar: specially applied to a coat
buttoned close to the throat to conceal the absence of a shirt or the
soiled state of one’s linen); un alpague (also alpaga and alpag); un
elbeuf; un Berry (a fatigue jacket); une menuisière (pop.: a long
coat); un ne-te-gêne-pas-dans-le-parc (a short jacket; also termed un
saute-en-barque, un pet-en-l’air, and un montretout).
German Synonyms. Oberhänger (an overcoat; also a cloak). Wallnusch
(Hanoverian: corruption from the Hebrew malbusch = clothes);
Schwalbenschweif (a dress-coat, a ‘swallow-tail’).
Italian Synonym. Tappe (clothing in general; it also signifies
‘feathers’).
Cape-Nightingale, subs. (colonial).—A frog. Cf., Cambridgeshire
nightingale.
1889. H. A. Bryden, Kloof and Karroo: or Sport, Legend, and Natural
History in Cape Colony. The very smell of the water and the din of
the huge frogs, cape nightingales as we call them, revived them.
Capeovi, adj. (costers’).—Sick; seedy (q.v. for synonyms). Cf., Capivi.
Caper, subs. (vagrants’).—A device, idea, performance, or occupation.
Americans use it in the same sense as racket (q.v.), e.g., the ‘real
estate racket’ or ‘caper.’ [From the figurative sense of caper,
signifying a fantastic proceeding, freak, or prank.] Also used in the
sense of ‘the go,’ ‘the fad,’ i.e., the latest fashionable fancy.
1867. London Herald, 23 March, p. 221. ‘He’ll get five years penal
for this little caper,’ said the policeman.
1870. C. Hindley, Life and Adventures of a Cheap Jack, p. 220.
Charley would reply ... ‘I have just done such and such an amount
to-day with these people,’ at the same time showing the invoice of
the goods he had just purchased at the house where he got change
for his fifty sovereigns. The conversation, as a rule, ended in
Charley’s giving them an order too. Of course, this little caper
would only ‘wash’ once.
1884. J. Greenwood, The Little Ragamuffins. ‘Are you goin’ a
‘tottin’?’ ‘No,’... ‘Then what caper are you up to?’
To cut a caper upon nothing, or to cut caper sauce, phr. (old).—To be
hanged. For synonyms, see Ladder.
1708. Motteux, Rabelais. IV. xvi. Two of the honestest Gentlemen in
Catchpole-land had been made to cut a caper on nothing.
1834. H. Ainsworth, Rookwood, bk. III., ch. v. And my father, as
I’ve heard say, Was a merchant of capers gay, Who cut his last
fling with great applause.
Caper-Juice, subs. (American).—Whiskey. [From caper, a freak or antic +
juice.] For synonyms, see Drinks.
1888. Portland Transcript, 29 Feb. Say, fellers, let’s take a
leetle mo’ uv the caper juice. [They drink again. Sam and the girl
exchange affectionate glances.]
Caper-Merchant, subs. (old).—A dancing master. [From caper, a
frolicsome leap or step, + merchant.] Also called a hop-merchant (q.v.
for synonyms).