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The list below shows Hat items 1 to 50 of 1125 total items: | Next Index Page Top of Page
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Hat-isms Talking Through Your Hat To talk nonsense or to lie. c1885. [In an interview in "The World" entitled "How About White Shirts", a reporter asked a New York streetcar conductor what he thought about efforts to get the conductors to wear white shirts like their conterparts in Chicago. "Dey're talkin' tru deir hats" he was quoted as replying.] Eating Your Hat There is no such thing as sure thing, but that's where this expression comes from. If you tell someone you'll eat your hat if they do something, make sure your are not wearing your best hat-just in case. [The expression goes back at least to the reign of Charles II of Great Britain and had something to do with the amorous proclivities of 'ol Charlie. Apparently they named a goat after him that had his same love of life which included, in the goat's case, eating hats.] Old Hat Old, dull stuff; out of fashion. [This seems to come from the fact that hat fashions are constantly changing. The fact of the matter is that hat fashions had not been changing very fast at all until the turn of the 19th Century. The expression therefore is likely about 100 years old.] Mad As A Hatter Totally demented, crazy. [Hatters did, indeed, go mad. They inhaled fumes from the mercury that was part of the process of making felt hats. Not recognizing the violent twitching and derangement as symptoms of a brain disorder, people made fun of affected hatmakers, often treating them as drunkards. In the U.S., the condition was called the "Danbury shakes." (Danbury, Connecticut, was a hatmaking center.) Mercury is no longer used in the felting process: hatmaking -- and hatmakers -- are safe.] Hat In Hand A demonstration of humility. For example, "I come hat in hand" means that I come in deference or in weakness. [I assume that the origins are from fuedal times when serfs or any lower members of feudal society were required to take off their hats in the presence of the lord or monarch (remember the Dr. Seuss book "The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins"?). A hat is your most prideful adornment.] Pass The Hat Literally to pass a man's hat among members of an audience or group as a means for collecting money. Also to beg or ask for charity. [The origin is self evident as a man's hat turned upside down makes a fine container.] Tight As Dick's Hat Band Anything that is too tight. [The Dick in this case is Richard Cromwell, the son of England's 17th Century "dictator", Oliver Cromwell. Richard succeeded his dad and wanted to be king but was quickly disposed. The hatband in the phrase refers to the crown he never got to wear.] Hat Trick Three consecutive successes in a game or another endeavor. For example, taking three wickets with three successive pitches by a bowler in a game of cricket, three goals or points won by a player in a game of soccer or ice hockey, ets. [From cricket, from the former practice of awarding a hat to a bowler who dismissed three batsmen with three successive balls.] Hard Hats In the 19th Century, men who wore derby hats specifically Eastern businessmen and later crooks, gamblers and detectives. [Derby hats, a.k.a. Bowlers or Cokes, were initially very hard as they were developed in 1850 for use by a game warden, horseback rider wanting protection.] Today, "Hard Hats" are construction workers [for obvious reasons]. In One's Hat, or In Hat An expression of incredulity. [Origin unknown. Help us if you can] Throwing A Hat In the Ring, Entering a contest or a race e.g. a political run for office. [Although I do not know this for a fact, I assume that the origins of this may be literal. I expect that people did literally throw their hats in a ring (of people, themselves?) in order to declare their candidacy. If someone can shed any light on this question, please drop us an email.] Hats Off . . . "Hats off to the U.S. Winter Olympic Team" for example. An exclamation of approval or kudos. [Origins must be from the fact that taking one's hat off or tipping one's hat is a traditional demonstration of respect.] A Feather In Your Cap A special achievement. [I assume that the origins on this expression hail from the days when, in fact, a feather for one's cap would be awarded for an acomplishment much like a medal is awarded today and pinned to one's uniform. A feather, or a pin, add a certain prestige or luster to one's apparel.] Hold On To Your Hat(s) A warning that some excitement or danger is imminent. [When riding horseback or in an open-air early automobile, the exclamation "hold on to your hat" when the horse broke into a gallop or the car took-off was certainly literal.] Bee In Your Bonnet An indication of agitation or an idea that you can't let go of and just have to express. [A real bee in one's bonnet certainly percipitats expression.] Wearing Many Hats This of course is a metaphor for having many different duties or jobs.[Historically, hats have often been an intergral, even necessary, part of a working uniform. A miner, welder, construction worker, undertaker, white-collar worker or banker before the 1960s, chef, farmer, etc. all wear, or wore, a particular hat. Wearing "many hats" or "many different hats" simply means that one has different duties or jobs.] All Hat and No Cattle All show and no substance. For example, in October 2003, Senator Robert Byrd declared that the Bush administration's declarations that it wanted the United Nations as a partner in transforming Iraq was "All Hat and No Cattle". [This Texas expression refers to men who dress the part of powerful cattlemen, but don't have the herds back home.] To Hang Your Hat (or not) To commit to something (or not), or stake your reputation on something (or not), like an idea or policy. For example "I wouldn't hang my hat on George Steinbrenner's decison to fire his manager." [Origin unknown. Can anyone help with this one?] At the Drop of a Hat Fast. [Dropping a hat, can be a way in which a race can start (instead of a starting gun for example). Also, a hat is an apparel item that can easily become dislodged from its wearer. Anyone who wears hats regularly has experienced the quickness by which a hat can fly off your head.] To Tip Your Hat or A Tip of the Hat An endorsement of respect, approval, appreciation, or the like. Example: "A tip of the hat to American troops for the capture of Saddam Hussein." [This is simply verbalizing an example of hat etiquette. Men would (and some still do) tip their hat to convey the same message.] My Hat Instead of Myself This is an expression from Ecuador, home of the "Panama" hat. It means what is says; it is preferable to give up your hat than your life. [The Guayas River runs through Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city on the Pacific coast. People from the city were known to hunt alligators for their hides in the river by swimming stark naked wearing Panama hats on their heads and long knives between their teeth. When the reptiles open their jaws and go for the swimmer, he dives leaving his hat floating on the surface for the alligator to chew on while he plunges the knife into the animal's vitals. From THE PANAMA HAT TRAIL by Tom Miller.]
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