Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.

Definitions: Caper |
CaperNoun1. Any of numerous plants of the genus Capparis. 2. Pickled flower buds used as a pungent relish in various dishes and sauces. 3. A crime (especially a robbery); "the gang pulled off a bank job in St. Louis". 4. A ludicrous or grotesque act done for fun and amusement. 5. Gay or light-hearted recreational activity for diversion or amusement; "it was all done in play"; "their frolic in the surf threatened to become ugly". Verb1. Jump about playfully. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "caper" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1258. (references) |
| Domain | Definitions |
19th Century Satire | A foot in the air. Source: Foolish Dictionary, 1904. |
Literature | Caper The weather is so foul, not even a caper would venture out. A Manx proverb. A caper is a fisherman of Cape Clear in Ireland, who will venture out in almost any weather. Source: Brewer's Dictionary. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
| Caper | ||||||||||||||
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| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
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| Binomial nomenclature | ||||||||||||||
| Capparis spinosa |
A Caper (Capparis spinosa) is a flower bud or young berry of the caper shrub from the mediterranean region. It is often pickled and used as a seasoning or garnish. Capers are a common ingredient in the mediterranean cuisine.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Caper."
Synonyms: CaperSynonyms: antic (n), frolic (n), gambol (n), job (n), joke (n), play (n), prank (n), put-on (n), romp (n), trick (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Amusement | Amuse oneself, game; play a game, play pranks, play tricks; sport, disport, toy, wanton, revel, junket, feast, carouse, banquet, make merry, drown care; drive dull care away; frolic, gambol, frisk, romp; caper; dance; (leap); keep up the ball; run a rig, sow one's wild oats, have one's fling, take one's pleasure; paint the town red; see life; desipere in loco, play the fool. |
Leap | Verb: leap; jump up, jump over the moon; hop, spring, bound, vault, ramp, cut capers, trip, skip, dance, caper; buck, buck jump; curvet, caracole; foot it, bob, bounce, flounce, start; frisk; (amusement); jump about; (agitation); trip it on the light fantastic toe, trip the light fantastic, dance oneself off one's legs, dance off one's shoes. |
Ance, caper; curvet, caracole; gambade, gambado; capriole, demivolt; buck, buck jump; hop skip and jump; falcade. | |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Caper |
| English words defined with "caper": bay-leaved caper, bean caper, Brank ♦ Caper bush, caper family, Caper sauce, caper spurge, caper tree, Caperberry, Capered, Capering, Colaptes caper collaris, common caper, Curlycue ♦ Flisk, Friskal ♦ Hoit ♦ Jamaica caper tree ♦ Syrian bean caper ♦ To cut a curlycue, To cut a dido ♦ Vagissate. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "caper": Caper Merchant ♦ HOP MERCHANT. (references) |
| Etymologies containing "caper": Capable, Capella, Capreoline, Capric, Caprice, Capricorn, Caprid, Caprification, Caprifole, Capriform, Caprigenous, Capriped, Capstan, Captation, Caption, Captor ♦ Friskal. (references) |
| Non-English Usage: "Caper" is also a word in the following language with English translations in parentheses. Latin (chevron, goat). |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Milo, baby, lemme handle this one, eh? Crime's my baaag. I got this caper worked out ta the last detail! (Sleuth; writing credit: Anthony Shaffer) | |
Lyrics | Slow down love please chill drop the caper ("Warning"; performing artist: The Notorious B.I.G.) | |
Movie/TV Titles | The Classified Caper (1973) Manchu Eagle Murder Caper Mystery (1973) The Alpha Caper (1973) Catalina Caper (1967) The Big Caper (1957) | |
Song Titles | Sad Caper (performing artist: Hootie & The Blowfish) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books | |||
Theater & Movies | |||
Music |
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High Tech |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | ![]() | The proper caper.Credit: Library of Congress. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Title | Author | Quote |
Gulliver's Travels | Swift, Jonathan | Flimnap, the Treasurer, is allowed to cut a caper on the straight rope, at least an inch higher than any other lord in the whole empire. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Caper" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 98.36% of the time. "Caper" is used about 61 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 98.36% | 60 | 43,597 |
| Noun (proper) | 1.64% | 1 | 339,140 |
| Total | 100.00% | 61 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following table summarizes the usage of "caper" based on a population census conducted in the United States. Ranks and frequencies are based on all names reported and classified. |
| Name | Usage/Gender | Usage per 100 million Persons | Rank in USA |
| Caper | Last name | 130 | 58,123 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits. | |||
Expressions using "caper": Bean caper ♦ caper about ♦ caper berry ♦ caper bush ♦ caper family ♦ Caper sauce ♦ caper spurge ♦ Caper tree ♦ Colaptes caper collaris ♦ common caper ♦ Jamaica caper tree ♦ syrian bean caper ♦ To cut a caper. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "caper": caper-bush. | |
Containing "caper": bean-caper family. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "caper"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Albanian | mashtrim (bilk, blind, bluff, bunco, bunko, cheat, chicanery, chouse, circumvention, con, cozenage, crammer, deceit, deceitfulness, deception, defalcation, delusion, dodge, double dealing, duplicity, fake, false pretences, falsity, flimflam, fob, fraud, fraudulence, fraudulency, gag, gammon, gimmick, guile, gyp, humbug, imposition, imposture, jiggery pokery, juggler, jugglery, juggling, leasing, lie, manipulation, overreach, quackery, racket, racketeering, rascaldom, rascality, rig, roguery, sham, swindle, take in, trick), marifet (art, artifice, dodge, fetch, gimmick, hocus pocus, hokey-pokey, ploy, sleight of hand, stunt, trick), lodroj (gambol), keqbërje (evildoing, malediction, misdeed, misdemeanor, misdemeanour, offence, wrongdoing), kërcim (bounce, bouncing, bound, dance, fly, footer, gambade, gambado, hop, jump, leap, leaping, pounce, prance, rebound, skip, spring, vault), hidhem (bounce, bound, dash, Frisk, hop, jig, jounce, jump, launch, leap, lunge, peg, pounce, skip, spring, vault, Wade), çamarrokësi. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arabic | مزحة (banter, frolic, game, jest, jocularity, joke, prank, rag, raillery, romp, trick, waggery), وثب سرحا, تصرف بحماقة (carry on), عربد (go to town, revel, roister, run wild), طفرة (jump, leap, pounce, prance, rebound, start), طفر (cavort, prance, skip, spring), الكبر نبات, رقص بمرح, براعم الكبر الخضراء. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bulgarian | средиземноморски храст, скок (bounce, bound, gambade, gambado, hop, jump, leap, lunge, prance, saltation, skip, spring), глупава шега, лудувам (cavort, lark, prance, romp, scamper about, tittup), лудория (antic, devilry, foolishness, gambade, gambado, lark, ploy, prank, rag, romp, shine), подскачам весело, подрипване, подрипвам (hop, jump, skip). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chinese | 雀跃, 戲弄 (jest). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Czech | poskok (dogsbody, hop, skip, stooge, underling, understrapper). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Danish | kapers. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dutch | bokkesprongen maken (frolic about). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Esperanto | kaprioli (frolic about). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Farsi | جهش (Braid, Jump, Lunge, Mutation, Pounce, Spurt, Startle, Vault), جست وخیز (Bound, Curvet, Spring), ازروی شادی جست وخیزکردن , رقصیدن (Bale, Dance, Hoof, Hop, Lope, Tumble), شادی (Curvet, Gala, Glee, Joyance, Jubilation, Mirth). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
French | gambader (cavort), câpre. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
German | kaper (raider), Luftsprung, Kapriole. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Greek | κάππαρη. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hebrew | לקפץ (jump, leap, prance), לקרטע (fidget, leap), לרקו" (dance, foot, leap, prance), לרק" (dance, hop, leap), לרצ" (jump, leap, lurk, skip), תעלול (antic, caprice, hoax, machination, mischief, practical joke, prank, quip, rag, trick, whim). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hungarian | fickándozás (cavorting, flounce, skip). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Indonesian | meloncat-loncat, bercanda (act playfully, be capricious, tease). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Italian | cappero. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Manx | keimraght, corlheimmey (capering), caprys. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pig Latin | apercay alcaparra. (various references) caperã, zburda (Frisk, frolic, gambol, romp), tumbã (cart wheel, somersault, tumble), se da de-a tumbã, salt (bounce, bound, dive, Frisk, gambol, header, hop, jump, leap, resilience, saltation, skip, spring, start, vault, vaulting), sãri (Bob, bounce, bound, break, dance, dap, frolic, gambol, hop, jump, lark, leap, leave out, lop, lope, Miss, rebound, skip, spirt, splash, spout, spring, spurt, start), poznã (damage, farce, Folly, foolishness, freak, merry prank, mischief, practical trick, prank, roguery), face prostii. (various references) прыжок (bounce, bound, capriole, gambado, gambol, hop, jump, leap, lunge, prank, skip, spring). (various references) skok (bounce, bound, curvet, hop, jump, leap, plunge, rally, rise, skip, spring, upturn), praviti ludorije (skylark), ludorija (antic, escapade, foolery), ludirati se (fool about, romp, trifle), kapar. (various references) cabriola (antic, cabriole, chevrette, prance, skip), alcaparra. (various references) glädjesprång (gambol, leap for joy). (various references) การกระโ""อย่างสนุกสนาน, กระโ""ไปรอบๆ อย่างสนุกสนาน. (various references) suç (blame, crime, criminality, culpability, delict, delinquency, error, fault, felony, guilt, irregularity, job, misdeed, misdemeanor, misdemeanour, offence, offense, rap, sin, transgression, wrong), sıçrama (bounce, bouncing, bound, capriole, gambol, hop, jump, jumping, leap, rush, saltation, skip, skipping, splash, spring, springing, start, take off, vault, vaulting), oynayıp sıçramak, muziplik etmek, muziplik (Dido, fooling, frolic, hoax, joke, lark, prank, rag, teasing, trick), kanunsuz davranış, hoplamak (cavort, gambol, hop, jig, jump, leap, prance), hoplama (gambol, jump, jumping, saltation), geberotu, aptalca davranmak (act the fool, fart around, goof, goof around, make an ass of oneself, tomfool). (various references) стрибок (bounce, bound, curvet, dive, gambade, gambado, gambol, hop, jump, leap, leaping, pounce, prance, saltation, skip, souse, spirt, spring, spurt), стрибати (bounce, bound, cavort, dance, gambol, hop, jump, leap, lope, skip, spring, vault), утнути шутку, скакати (bound, cavort, gambol, lope), витівка (contrivance, device, devilment, gambade, gambado, lark, prank, sport), пустувати (fool about, footle, piddle, roil, rollick, skylark). (various references) sự nhảy cỡn (frisk), h nh động kỳ cục. (various references) rhygyngu (amble, mince), prancio (prance). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | CAPPARIS SPINOSA, Capparis spinosa Linnaeus. (various references) |
| Italian | 900-Modern | capriolare. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "caper": capercaillie, capercaillies, capercailzie, capercailzies, capered, caperer, caperers, capering, capers. (additional references) | |
Words ending with "caper": escaper, landscaper, outcaper. (additional references) | |
Words containing "caper": escapers, landscapers, outcapered, outcapering, outcapers. (additional references) | |
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"Caper" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: cadpr, caer, Cafer, Cager, Caker, Calper, camer, Caparn, capat, capax, capea, capee, capek, capeo, caperd, capere, capet, capex, capi, Capie, capir, capker, Capler, Capoeira, cappe, cappel, cappen, Capree, carerr, carpere, caspe, cepa, chaper, cizer, coper, cpr, craper, Cvpe, cyper, Kapar, kaper, kapper, maper. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "caper" (pronounced kā"per) |
| 3 | -ā" p er | Draper, paper, Raper, scraper, taper, vapor. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
Direct Anagrams: crape, pacer, recap. | |
| Words within the letters "a-c-e-p-r" | |
-1 letter: acre, aper, cape, care, carp, crap, pace, pare, pear, race, rape, reap. | |
-2 letters: ace, ape, arc, are, cap, car, cep, ear, era, pac, par, pea, pec, per, rap, rec, rep. | |
-3 letters: ae, ar, er, pa, pe, re. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-c-e-p-r" | |
+1 letter: apercu, camper, capers, capper, carped, carpel, carper, carpet, craped, crapes, eparch, escarp, pacers, packer, parcel, parsec, placer, prance, preach, preact, recaps, redcap, repack, scrape, secpar, spacer. | |
+2 letters: apercus, caliper, campers, campier, capered, caperer, cappers, caprice, caprine, capture, carpale, carpels, carpers, carpets, champer, chapter, cheaper, clamper, clapper, clasper, compare, cramped, crapped, crapper, crappie, eparchs, eparchy, epicarp, escaper, escarps, exocarp, packers, parcels, parched, parches, paretic, parsecs, patcher, peacher, peccary, peracid, percale, picrate, placers, plectra, poacher, pranced, prancer, prances, preachy, preacts, precast, precava, preface, prelacy, prepack, prerace, reclasp, redcaps, repacks, repatch, replace, replica, respace, scalper, scamper, scarped, scarper, scauper, scraped, scraper, scrapes, scrapie, secpars, spacers, spacier, spectra, upreach. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
Hexadecimal (or equivalents, 770AD-1900s) (references)43 61 70 65 72 |
| Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519; backwards) (references)
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| American Sign Language (origins from 1620-1817 in Italy and, especially, France) (references)
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| Semaphore (1791, in France) (references)
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| Braille (1829, in France) (references)
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Morse Code (1836) (references)-.-. .- .--. . .-. |
| Dancing Men (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1903) (references)
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Binary Code (1918-1938, probably earlier) (references)01000011 01100001 01110000 01100101 01110010 |
HTML Code (1990) (references)C a p e r |
ISO 10646 (1991-1993) (references)0043 0061 0070 0065 0072 |
| British Sign Language (Fingerspelling, BSL; 1992, British Deaf Association Dictionary of British Sign Language) (references)
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Encryption (beginner's substitution cypher): (references)3767827184 |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Photo Album 8. Quotations: Fiction | 9. Usage Frequency 10. Names: Frequency 11. Expressions 12. Expressions: Internet | 13. Translations: Modern 14. Translations: Ancient 15. Derivations 16. Rhymes | 17. Anagrams 18. Orthography 19. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.