Foolscap

//ˈfʊl.skæp// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Writing paper sheets measuring 13.25 x 16.5 inches.
  2. 2
    a size of paper used especially in Britain wordnet
  3. 3
    Such a sheet folded or cut in half, thus approximately 8 x 13.25 inches.

    "At twilight in the summer there is never anybody to fear—man, woman, or cat—in the chambers and at that hour the mice come out. They do not eat parchment or foolscap or red tape, but they eat the luncheon crumbs."

  4. 4
    Printing paper measuring 13.5 inches x 17 inches.
  5. 5
    Alternative form of fool's cap. alt-of, alternative

Synonyms

All synonyms
legalpaperstationery

Example

More examples

"At twilight in the summer there is never anybody to fear—man, woman, or cat—in the chambers and at that hour the mice come out. They do not eat parchment or foolscap or red tape, but they eat the luncheon crumbs."

Etymology

Probably from a watermark of a fool's cap.

Related phrases

double foolscapwriting paper

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.