to cut capers
Preserved but no longer current.
To spring upwards in dancing, and rapidly interlace one foot with the other; figuratively, to act in an unusual manner with the object of attracting notice. Caper here is from Ital. capra, a she-goat, the allusion being to the erratic way in which goats will jump about.
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 cut capers” mean?
To spring upwards in dancing, and rapidly interlace one foot with the other; figuratively, to act in an unusual manner with the object of attracting notice. Caper here is from Ital. capra, a she-goat, the allusion being to the erratic way in which goats will jump about.
Is “to cut capers” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.