black cap
Preserved but no longer current.
A small square of black cloth. This is worn by a judge when he passes sentence of death on a prisoner; it is part of the judge's full dress, and is also worn on 'November 9th, when the new Lord Mayor takes the oath at the Law Courts.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “black cap” mean?
A small square of black cloth. This is worn by a judge when he passes sentence of death on a prisoner; it is part of the judge's full dress, and is also worn on 'November 9th, when the new Lord Mayor takes the oath at the Law Courts.
Is “black cap” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.