dunce cap

noun
1.
a tall, cone-shaped hat formerly worn by slow or lazy students as a punishment in school.
Also, dunce's cap.
Also called fool's cap.
Origin
1830-40
Examples from the web for dunce cap
  • SA should be given a dunce cap and made to sit in the corner.
  • Go ask your parents if they ever stepped in to help a teacher wearing a dunce cap or said that these monks were ok guys.
  • But they don't necessarily mean that light-sleeping children are doomed to wearing the dunce cap.
British Dictionary definitions for dunce cap

dunce cap

noun
1.
a conical paper hat, formerly placed on the head of a dull child at school