meaning - What did "pop a cap" mean, other than "shoot someone," in the 19th century?

Popping a cap

Green's Dictionary of Slang defines "pop a cap" as:

to fire a weapon; to shoot someone.

In recent uses, the slang meaning is clear, and often extended to "pop a cap (in somebody's ass)." For example in this citation from 2000:

F.X. Toole Rope Burns 165: If some fool of whatever color was coming to kill him, he’d pop a cap in his ass in a heartbeat.

The two earliest attested dates provided in GDoS are 1865 and 1953. The 1953 citation clearly carries the same meaning, "to shoot someone."

‘Death Row’ in D. Wepman et al. Life 118: I popped four caps through his chest with my piece.

The 1865 citation, at first glance, seems to carry the same meaning:

in B.L. Ridley Battles and Sketches of the Army of Tennessee 454: My men halloo out: ‘Lie down, Mr. Govan, Mr. Bate is now gwine to pop a cap’.

Strange early uses

Looking through early uses of "pop a cap," I found some strange instances that made me wonder if they actually are referring to something other than firing a gun, or shooting someone. These two stood out in particular. First, from 1874:

A son of Col. Thomas, a little fellow of about seven years, had gone over to the Institute, and while there was a boy of thirteen or fourteen years of age, who had a shot gun in his hands, pointed it at the little fellow and pulled the trigger. It was his intention to pop a cap at him, having no idea that the gun was loaded.

In this first example, the phrasing suggests that the shooter had not intended to actually fire a bullet, but rather only to "pop a cap at him."

From 1888:

After Dixie was played Governor Gordon was called for by the crowd and came forward to acknowledge the compliment. He said the gun was loaded for to-morrow, and he would not discharge it to-night. "Well, then, pop a cap," said a voice in the crowd. The Governor said it was already popped, and thanked them again for the serenade.

Once again, this text suggests that "popping a cap" is an alternative of sorts to shooting, or "discharging" a gun. Furthermore, the phrase "it was already popped," while possibly meant as a joke, seems to make the context even stranger.

Questions

In these early uses from the 19th century, including the early attestation provided in GDoS and the two example clippings above, what is meant by "pop a cap?" Does it still refer to firing a gun in all cases? Does it mean something different in the two cases mentioned above?

Finally, if "pop a cap" meant something else in the 19th century, how did it evolve into the 20th century meaning, referring simply to shooting somebody (or something)?

Answer

What is a cap anyways?

A "cap", in the firearms sense, is the ignition source for the gunpowder. These were used in the days before firearms that used "modern" cartridges containing bullet, powder, and (not obvious to the casual observer) a "cap" in the center of the cartridge base.

The pre-cartridge (but post-flintlock) "percussion cap" was a small cup-shaped bit of metal with a special sort of gunpowder packed into it. One placed this over a "nipple" (a sort of nozzle) on the firearm, then released the hammer. As the hammer hit the cap the powder inside would explode and blow flame through the nipple and into the powder chamber of the firearm.

These same caps were also used in "starter pistols" and the like to produce a miniature version of a gunshot sound, and they are the source of the term "cap gun" as known by kids of the 50s (though these used safer/cheaper paper "caps").

Answer

The references you have found refer to discharging a cap-style firearm with no powder in the chamber, so as to produce a sound without actually firing a bullet. The term "pop a cap" from there took on a figurative meaning, as modern cartridges took over and the original meaning of "cap" was lost to most firearm users.

(And, obviously, the origin of the term "cap" is based on its shape, and how it caps the end of the nipple.)

etymology - Origin of the greeting "Sweet dreams".

Does anybody know the etymology of the phrase "sweet dreams"? I tried googling but did not find anything satisfying. Is this a relatively new phrase of the modern world or has this been in use for some time? I think it's the latter one. Answer The OED has the interjection as "a farewell to someone going to bed" from the 20th century: 1908 Sears Roebuck Catal. 198/1 Tenor Solos..Good Bye, Sweet Dreams, Good Bye. But it goes back until at least the 19th and possibly 18th centuries. John Wolcot, writing under the pseudonym of Peter Pindar, used it in his poem "Orson and Ellen; A Legendary Tale" published in 1801: Also from 1801 in The infernal Quixote (Page 287) by Charles Lucas: In the March 1776 of The Universal Magazine was published "The Serenade. A Pastoral Tale. From the German of Gesner" , where the shepherd Daphnis watches over his beloved as she sleeps and sings: The same tale appears in 1776's as Idyl XI, " Daphnis ...

Is there a word/phrase for "unperformant"?

As a software engineer, I need to sometimes describe a piece of code as something that lacks performance or was not written with performance in mind. Example: This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. Based on my Google searches, this isn't a real word. What is the correct way to describe this? EDIT My usage of "performance" here is in regard to speed and efficiency. For example, the better the performance of code the faster the application runs. My question and example target the negative definition, which is in reference to preventing inefficient coding practices. Answer This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. In my opinion, reads more easily as: This coding style leads to unmaintainable and poorly performing code. The key to well-written documentation and reports lies in ease of understanding. Adding poorly understood words such as performant decreases that ease. In addressing the use of such a poorly ...

What are the similarities between the relationships of the characters in The Outsiders and Romeo and Juliet?

At first glance, it might appear as if the characters in The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton and Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare do not have much in common; however, when one isolates the core of the conflicts, it becomes clear that the relationships in both stories are rooted in rivalry and secrecy. In both The Outsiders and Romeo and Juliet , an overarching theme is rivalry. While socioeconomic status separates the greasers from the Socs in The Outsiders , last names separates the Montagues from the Capulets, who appear to be relatively equal in terms of socioeconomic status. Due to these rivalries, there are instances of deadly interactions in both stories. In The Outsiders , Johnny kills Bob (whether his actions were justified or not is debatable). In Romeo and Juliet , Romeo kills Tybalt and Paris, and Tybalt kills Mercutio. These deaths have profound effects on the main characters. In Ponyboy's case, the Johnny's death and other events in the novel inspire h...

Notes

Search This Blog