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cappabar

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Uncertain. First attested 1818 as cap a bar.[2] Dated or obsolete by the early 20th century.

Noun

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cappabar (plural not attested)

  1. (nautical, obsolete) a misappropriation of government property; embezzlement or fraud carried out in the management of a ship.
    • Burton, Alfred (1818) The Adventures of Johnny Newcome in the Navy, London: Methuen and Co., page 209
      If e'er the Fortune of the war
      Gave him a Prize, he'd cap a bar
      Like blazes--but stand clear! that elf
      Who dared to steal besides himself.
    • Patrick O'Brian, *The Mauritius Command.*
      disposing of His Majesty's property was an immemorial practice among His Majesty's servants [...] and in the Navy it went by the name of cappabar. —

References

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  1. ^ King, Dean, Hattendorf, John B. (2012) A Sea of Words: A lexicon and Companion to the Complete Seafaring Tales of Patrick O'Brian
  2. ^ Partridge, Eric (1961) A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, volume 1, New York: The Macmillan Company, pages 125, 1028
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