feather in one's cap
4
6.3
- idiom
- Informal
:
un logro
- That's a feather in my cap.
- a nice feather in one's cap
Examples
-
It'd be a feather in my cap, too.
-
Quite a feather in my cap, don't you think?
-
For me to get something on your series - would be such a feather in my cap.
-
The Owen case had been a feather in his cap, no doubt about it.
Fiction book (1993) -
And you, Ms. Petrie, will get another feather in your cap.
-
It'll be a big feather in your cap.
-
That would indeed be a feather in your cap, Pedro, and a joke on me.
-
It'd be quite a feather in your cap to bring back to the Royal Adventure Society, wouldn't it?
-
And I should add that we still have spring elections and tryouts for graduation speaker, either of which would be a substantial feather in your cap.
-
Winning the championship was a huge feather in his cap that he will always cherish.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A prize given to someone for achievement or excellence
344
2.3
A success you reach after working hard
141
3.4
Public praise for someone's achievement or effort
40
4.6
An honor that rewards very good work or success
21
5.3
Praise and respect people give for doing something well
11
6.0
An honor given for an important achievement
1
5.1
Awards or praise given for success
A success someone counts to show they are making progress
A very successful event or product that people praise
Antonyms
How Notable
1
3.9
5
5.6
- Informal
4
6.3
- Informal
Surface Forms
Morphology
The words create a clear literal image (a feather placed in a cap), but the meaning 'an achievement to be proud of' depends on a conventional, culturally grounded metaphor (feathers as marks of honour) rather than straightforward compositional semantics. This link is somewhat inferable from the image but not fully predictable for an average B1 learner without prior exposure, and equivalents vary across languages.
Etymology
The phrase feather in one's cap comes from a simple picture: when a soldier or hunter did something brave or successful, people put a feather in their cap as a clear sign of honour. That's why today feather in one's cap means 'an achievement or honour' you can be proud of.