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hat

Pronunciation: /hat/

Translate hat | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of hat

noun

  • a shaped covering for the head worn for warmth, as a fashion item, or as part of a uniform: a black straw hat a woolly hat
  • used to refer to a particular role or occupation of someone who has more than one:wearing her scientific hat she is director of a pharmacology research group

Phrases

be all hat and no cattle

US informal tend to talk boastfully without acting on one’s words: in my view, the Senators are all mouth and no action or, as we say in my part of the country, all hat and no cattle

hat in hand

see cap in hand at cap1.

hats off to ——

British used to express admiration for someone who has done something praiseworthy:hats off to them for agreeing to work for the day to raise money

keep something under one's hat

keep something a secret: keep it under your hat is the golden rule for top chefs when it comes to sharing culinary secrets

pass the hat round (or North American pass the hat)

collect contributions of money from a number of people for a specific purpose: we’re going to pass the hat round later and buy some beer

pick something out of a hat

select something, especially the winner of a contest, at random: he picked the victor out of a hat

take one's hat off to

British state one’s admiration for (someone who has achieved something): I take my hat off to anyone who makes it work

throw one's hat in (or into) the ring

express willingness to take up a challenge: he has resisted the temptation to throw his hat in the ring and do both jobs simultaneously

Derivatives

hatful

noun (plural hatfuls)

hatless

adjective

hatted

adjective
[in combination]:a bobble-hatted skier

Origin:

Old English hætt, of Germanic origin; related to Old Norse hǫttr 'hood', also to hood1

hat in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of hat in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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