Redcap

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A mythical creature from British folklore said to inhabit ruined castles and dye its cap in human blood ; a railway porter in a red cap who assists passengers with luggage ; a reference to a British military policeman distinguished by a red headgear
2. In legend, a malevolent goblin known for murderous tendencies and blood-soaked headwear ; a train station employee recognized by a red cap who helps travelers with their bags ; a member of Britain’s Royal Military Police identified by distinctive red caps
3. A supernatural being infamous for killing and staining its cap with blood ; an attendant at railway stations whose job is to carry luggage and is marked by a red cap ; a British military police official named after the color of his hat

Etymology: Redcap's most surprising fact is that its red was added by one railway porter's ribbon. On Labor Day, 1890, John Williams, an African-American porter at Grand Central Terminal in New York, tied a red ribbon to his black uniform cap so that he would stand out from the crowd of porters. The idea worked well enough that other porters copied it, and the nickname spread until "redcap" came to stand for railway porters in general. The term is a plain compound of "red" and "cap," so the name describes exactly what made the porters recognizable. It appears in the 1890s in the United States, and it was later used for porters in other countries, which is why similar nicknames exist in Japanese and Chinese.

Synonyms: porter, railway porter, station porter