An obsolete British slang term for a dancing teacher, playing on the word caper meaning a lively dance step or leap. The merchant suffix was a productive slang element for someone who deals in or practises a particular activity. Now entirely archaic.
The local caper merchant charged sixpence a lesson and packed the hall every Tuesday evening.
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(slang, obsolete) A teacher of dancing.
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
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