set one's cap at

== English == === Alternative forms === set one's cap for === Etymology === Probably a calque of French mettre le cap sur (“to set a course for”). === Pronunciation === === Verb === set one's cap at (third-person singular simple present sets one's cap at, present participle setting one's cap at, simple past and past participle set one's cap at) (idiomatic) To choose a man as a potential husband (for a girl). (idiomatic, more generally) To choose something as a goal. Patrick O'Brian, "HMS Surprise". How he has escaped marriage until now I cannot tell: the number of caps set in his direction would furnish a warehouse. ==== Translations ==== ==== References ==== John Camden Hotten (1873), The Slang Dictionary