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  • cloth-cap
    cloth-cap
    adjective
    pertaining to or characteristic of the working class.
  • cloth cap
    cloth cap
    noun
    a flat woollen cap with a stiff peak

cloth-cap

American  
[klawth-kap, kloth-] / ˈklɔθˌkæp, ˈklɒθ- /

adjective

British.
  1. pertaining to or characteristic of the working class.


cloth cap British  

noun

  1. Also called: flat cap. a flat woollen cap with a stiff peak

  2. informal

    1. a symbol of working-class ethos or origin

    2. ( as modifier )

      cloth-cap attitudes

"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 cloth-cap

First recorded in 1850–55


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:

In contrast, Wilson - often anchored by his ever-present pipe and Gannex coat - was famed for a pragmatic, utilitarian wardrobe that defined the "cloth-cap" socialism of the 1960s and 70s.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

The incident gave rise to the description of his brand of politics as "cloth-cap socialism".

From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2014

And even in the cloth-cap era, behaviour was not beyond reproach.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 12, 2012

No politician is more aware of this possibility than Wilson, who has sought with considerable success to shake Labor's cloth-cap image and move into the middle ground.

From Time Magazine Archive

At once his cloth-cap was exchanged for the black helmet, and, in a few seconds, the escape was flying along the streets, pushed by the willing hands of policemen and passers-by.

From Personal Reminiscences in Book Making and Some Short Stories by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne

Kelly, a small man who plays in a cloth cap, looks like Spanky McFarland in an old “Our Gang” comedy.

From Golf Digest ● Apr. 16, 2020

He only reluctantly wore the required helmet, always white, saying he preferred a cloth cap.

From New York Times ● Apr. 12, 2020

Wearing an ill-fitting suit, his cloth cap askew, the 1950s film star was the epitome of the little man defeating the odds.

From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2013

Today the cloth cap has gone and, although Sunderland remains a predominantly white working-class city, there will be black and Asian faces in the crowd.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 16, 2012

Luster returned, wearing a stiff new straw hat with a colored band and carrying a cloth cap.

From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner

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