cap1 (kap)

[(1) Early mod. E. also cappe, covering or head-dre made of soft material and usually fitting more closely to the head 801 for the outsides or wrappers of the best cigars. than a hat. Men's caps are usually made of cloth, silk, or fur, are without a brim, except sometimes a peak in front, cover the crown or top of the head, and are worn as an outdoor covering. Women's caps are made of lace, muslin, ribbons, and other light materials, and sometimes cover both the back and sides of the head, as well as the top. They are worn as an indoor covering or ornament. Caps are in many cases made to serve, by their form, color, ornamentation, etc., as insignia of rank or dignity, or emblems of particular principles or occupations, as the ecclesiastical cap (see biretta ), the cap of liberty (see Phry by Lower Bagshot sand. gian cap, below), the fool's cap, the nurse's cap, etc. 2. Anything resembling a cap in appearance, position, or use. Specifically-(a) In bot., the pileus of a mushroom. See pileus. (b) In ornith., the pileum or top of a bird's head, especially when in any way notable, as by special coloration. See pileum. (c) A percu ion cap. (d) An inner plate secured as a over move " The cloud- capp'd towers. Shak . , Tempest, iv. 1. Bones capped by a layer of hard cement. Hampstead Heath is. You would not cap the Pope's commi ioner. Tennyson, Queen Mary, iv. 2. ment of works of some kinds of watches owe nearly disused. (e) Naut.: (1) A covering of metal or of tarred canvas for the end of a rope, to prevent fraying. (2) A large thick block of wood, strengthened by iron bands, and having a square and a round hole in it, used to confine the heel of one mast to the head of another above which it is erected. The square hole of the lower cap is fixed firmly on the tenon in the head of the lower mast, while the topmast traverses through the round hole. The topmast-cap is secured in the same way on the head of the topmast, the topgallant mast pa ing through the round hole. The bowsprit also is fitted with a cap, through which the jib-boom pa es. (3) One of the square blocks of wood Capped quartz. See quartz. - Capped_rail, an iron laid upon others on which the keel of a ve el rests in the rail with a steel cap or tread. See rail. - To cap a rope proce of building. (f) In bookbinding, the envelop of ( naut.), to cover the end of it with tarred canvas or metal. paper which the binder puts around the edges of a book - To cap off, in gla - making, to detach (a cylinder of cover to protect it from injury while he is at work on blown gla ) by drawing a circle around the closed end.other parts of the book. (g) In mach.: (1) The upper half To cap texts or proverbs, to quote texts or proverbs of a journal-box: the lower half is called the pillow. E. alternately in emulation or contest. See to cap verses, H. Knight. (2) The tire or face of a glaze-wheel. (3) The below. terminal section of a pipe having a plug at the end. (4) I will cap that proverb with- There is flattery in friend The part connecting a pump-rod with a working-beam. ship. Shak., Hen. V., iii. 7. (51) The band connecting the handstaff and swingel of a flail; the capling. (h) The movable top of the house of a windmill. (1) In carp., the uppermost of any a emblage of parts, as the lintel of a door or window-frame, a hori zontal beam joining the heads of a row of piles, etc. (7) In mining, as sometimes used, any kind of rock beneath which miners expect or hope to find ore in paying quantities. Sometimes, though rarely, it is used for outcrop, especially when this is comparatively barren of ore. Any unproductive rock, whether it be a portion of a vein or not, may be called cap or capping if valuable ore is found beneath it. In such cases the lode might be said by some to be capped. (k) In coal - mining, the bluish halo of ignited gas appearing above and around the flame of a safety-lamp when a dangerous amount of fire-damp is present. Also called blue -cap. (1) In her., the figure of a cap used in charges, and as part of a crest or an acce ory in a coat of arms, sometimes of very conventional shape. Henderson and th' other ma es, Were sent to cap texts and put cases. S. Butler, Hudibras, III. ii. 1240. To cap the climax, to go to the utmost limit in words or action; exceed expectation or belief: as, that story caps the climax; his conduct in this affair caps the climax of absurdity. In due time the old gentleman capped the climax of his favors by dying a Christian death. Hawthorne, Twice-Told Tales, I. 445. To cap verses, to quote alternately verses each beginning with the same letter with which the last ended. The capping of Latin verses is a common game in cla ical schools. No verse may be used twice, and no hesitation or delay is permitted; so that a moderate proficiency in the game supposes several you sand verses arranged in the memory alphabetically. If the correctne of a verse is challenged, the player who gave it must show where it occurs. II. in trans. To uncover the head in reverence or civility. 3. [ cap is 17 x 28 inches. In England pot is 124 × 154 inches, and foolscap or cap is 134 × 16 inches. Exchange cap is a thin, highly calendered paper of good quality, made of new stock, and used for printing bills of exchange, etc. 4. The head, chief, or top; the acme. Thou art the cap of all the fools alive. Shak., T. of A., iv. 3. 5. Head, chief, or master. [Prov. Eng.]-6. An act of respect performed by uncovering the head. Fuller . Still capping , cringing, applauding-waiting at men's doors with all affability. Burton, Anat. of Mel.