flat cap
- noun
- /flæt kæp/
- The man wore a stylish flat cap as he strolled through the market.
Next, we're going from flat caps to face caps.
- Next, we're going from flat caps to face caps.
Examples
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They'll tell you they got it from a handsome old gent in a gray flat cap.
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At the vintage fair, I spotted several vendors selling handmade flat caps.
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And without it, I'm just another man in a flat cap.
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I also got him an old man flat cap, like I can't wait to see him in this.
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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".
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"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
How Formal
Surface Forms
Morphology
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'.