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flat cap

flat cap

1 3.4
A rounded hat with a small stiff brim at the front, often made of wool or tweed
  • noun
  • /flæt kæp/
translation icon : boina
  • The man wore a stylish flat cap as he strolled through the market.

Next, we're going from flat caps to face caps.

Examples

  • They'll tell you they got it from a handsome old gent in a gray flat cap.

  • At the vintage fair, I spotted several vendors selling handmade flat caps.

  • And without it, I'm just another man in a flat cap.

  • I also got him an old man flat cap, like I can't wait to see him in this.

  • When Erlich reached the top, he took off his flat cap.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Item, one black face mask, one black flat cap, a striped jersey and a bag marked "swag".

  • "There's money to be made here," said Erlich one day, putting on his old khaki trousers and pulling the flat cap down on his head again.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • The city apprentices in their blue coats and flat caps escaped from work for a day, cheered the beginning of the play enthusiastically, and she missed the opening lines.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The strange look in his eyes, the mustache that was never shaven, the flat cap which shaded his eyes and left two unruly curls above his ears, gave his face a look at once frightening and frightened.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • In spite of the efficiency of the cab's heater, the driver was muffled to the ears in a scarf and thick jacket, with a flat cap guarding the top of his head from errant drafts.

    Fiction book (1992)

Synonyms

cap
vsflat cap
175 1.0

A soft hat that fits the head, often with a small brim

is the specific rounded wool type with a small stiff front brim
cloth cap
vsflat cap
1 2.7

A flat hat made of cloth with a small stiff front

focuses on the rounded shape and small stiff front brim

How Formal

top hat
17 4.3
bowler
8 6.7
fedora
122 5.3
flat cap
1 3.4
baseball cap
45 1.2
beanie
18 3.4

Surface Forms

flat cap singular
flat caps plural

Morphology

flat + cap

The meaning of 'flat cap' is directly and compositionally built from 'flat' (having a level surface) modifying 'cap' (a head covering), so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a low-profile, flattened style of cap with a small brim. This adjective+noun pattern is a common, transparent word-formation type across languages, so the expression should be immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner apart from minor cultural style details.

Etymology

The noun flat cap comes from its low, flat top and small front brim. Imagine a soft, flat cake on your head with a little peak at the front, and that's why flat cap today means a low, rounded 'hat' with a small stiff 'brim'.