to cap verses
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Having the metre fixed and the last letter of the previous line given, to add a line beginning with that letter, thus : The way was long, the wind was cold (D)
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 “to cap verses” mean?
Having the metre fixed and the last letter of the previous line given, to add a line beginning with that letter, thus : The way was long, the wind was cold (D)
Is “to cap verses” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.