The Enid Blyton Society

Split from 'What Are You Doing Now?'

I want to ask you all a bit of a silly question, for research purposes, as I'm not sure what to call - this -



is it a 'cap' a 'lid' or a 'top'? Or maybe you call it something else?

I particularly would like to know if anyone remembers what Enid called it, if she ever mentioned one in a book?

Help appreciated!

I would use the word - pen top.

I think cap or top but not lid, but I'm not sure.

I would call it a cap.

"Could you hand me the cap to this pen?"

However, the dialect of English I speak is a strange mixture of USA and Brit.

I would also call it a pen top.

I too would call it a pen top, though cap would be pretty clear too.

Pen top for me. I can't recall Enid describing one though.

It's curious, but I can't recall ever using that word!! But I would say 'pen top'.

I usually say "lid" or sometimes "top". I just asked my son and he said the same.

I'm afraid I don't know what Enid called it, Rob (if she referred to it in her writing). I just checked The Mystery of the Secret Room and a short story called 'At the Bus Stop' because both feature pens. Unfortunately the lid/top/cap wasn't mentioned - or if it was I missed it. Pens appear quite regularly in the school stories, especially First Term at Malory Towers with the violet ink storyline, but again I don't know whether they contain the information you're looking for and I can't check as my copies aren't easy to access.

I recall using the word cap for it when I first had a fountain pen would of been aged eight or nine, filled by hand for a bottle of ink in the recess of ones desk.

Thanks for all your answers! I would normally say 'pen top' but thought maybe that was more casual, so perhaps 'cap' is more the right term.

I somehow thought I'd heard Enid call it a 'lid' and wondered if this was maybe an older term for it, but can't think where I read it (if I ever did!)

I'm not sure what I'd call it, and the more I consider it, the more unsure I am!

I've a feeling that one of the school stories might mention what top/cap/lid, but wouldn't know which book, so not a lot of help really!

Katharine wrote:I'm not sure what I'd call it, and the more I consider it, the more unsure I am!

This is how I'm feeling too!

I've just asked my husband and he immediately said "cap". He went on to say a cap encloses something to a degree, but a "top" might just sit on top of something.

Thanks Daisy. I'm coming round to 'cap' I think!