cap and bells

American

noun

a fool's cap hung with bells.

cap and bells British

noun

the traditional garb of a court jester, including a cap with bells attached to it

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of cap and bells

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

cap and bells

Unfortunately I didn't get much of a chance to talk to master Partridge, his cap and bells.

From The Guardian ● Jan. 23, 2013

The Kinks, shaking their collective cap and bells, drew a bead on the funny bone.

From Time Magazine Archive

Marv wore the cap and bells with undisguised glee, and the other Mets laughed along with him.

From Time Magazine Archive

Up to the end, he rebelled against the critics who, he felt, were forcing him to don the cap and bells, which became him so well.

From Time Magazine Archive

Her favourite rôle was that of the jester, with cap and bells.

From The Head Girl at the Gables by Angela Brazil

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023