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percussion cap

American  

noun

  1. a small metallic cap or cup containing fulminating powder, formerly exploded by percussion to fire the charge of small arms.

percussion cap British  

noun

  1. a detonator consisting of a paper or thin metal cap containing material that explodes when struck and formerly used in certain firearms

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of percussion cap

First recorded in 1815–25

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.