if the cap fits(, wear it)

if the cap fits(, wear it)

If something (typically negative) applies to one, one should acknowledge it or accept responsibility or blame for it. I know you don't like being called unreliable, but if the cap fits, wear it. A: "Why do teachers always treat me like some kind of troublemaker?" B: "If the cap fits...."See also: cap, if, wear

if the cap fits

or

if the cap fits, wear it

BRITISHYou say if the cap fits or if the cap fits, wear it when you are telling someone that an unpleasant remark which has been made about them is probably true or fair. `She seemed to be suggesting I was lazy.' — `Well, if the cap fits.'See also: cap, fit, if

if the cap fits, wear it

used as a way of suggesting that someone should accept a generalized remark or criticism as applying to themselves. Early examples of this saying show that the cap in question was originally a fool's cap. The variant if the shoe fits, wear it is also found, mainly in North America.See also: cap, if, wear

if the cap fits (, wear it)

(British English) (American English if the shoe fits (, wear it)) (saying) if a person feels that a critical remark applies to them, then it does: ‘There are too many lazy people in this house.’ ‘Including me, I suppose?’ ‘If the cap fits, wear it.’See also: cap, fit, if