Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

A lot of slang comes from street language, so that thought may still be right. :)

It's a decades old word that used to mean trying to one up someone with tough talk, exaggerating, topping someone. That talk would be so high above the others, it would be the cap on top.

Now to have a good story, to have that cap, people could be... flexible with the truth, so eventually, over the years, to cap started to mean that you were telling a tall tale, a lie.



Thanks, now I also know where the word comes from.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: