copper captain

copper captain

English

Noun

copper captain (plural copper captains)

1. A person falsely giving themselves the title of captain.
   • 1777, Francis Beaumont, Rule a Wife and Have a Wife (play), page 4:

     Michael Perez, the copper captain

   • 1809, Washington Irving, Knickerbocker's History of New York: (books III-VII):

     To this copper captain therefore, was confided the command of the troops.

Translations

a person falsely giving themselves the title of captain

Manx: far-chaptan m

References

• Brewer's Phrase and Fable
• copper captain at the online public domain 1907 edition of The Nuttall Encyclopaedia.