hat
Pronunciation: /hat/
noun
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
-
black hat (or white hat)
- used in reference to the bad (or good) party in a situation (from the colour of hat traditionally worn by the bad (or good) character in Western films): we are the good guys—the black hats lost
-
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
Origin:
Old English hætt, of Germanic origin; related to Old Norse hǫttr 'hood', also to hood1