Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(Aus.) a large amount, usu. of money.

1951		E. O’Connor Oracle 122: ‘Udolpho will then be looking for another success story, and [...] we’ll have a hatful to show him’.
1954		Truth (Sydney) 16 May 41/4: Accordingly we put a hatful on her and her price shrunk like a cheap shirt.

(US) the hat-check girl in a nightclub.

1956

‘James Updyke’ [W.R. Burnett] It’s Always Four O’Clock 14: [I]t was closing time. [...] The hat-chick went home with her boy friend, who’d come to pick her up.

see headjob under head n.

(UK Und.) stealing hats.

1835		G. Kent Modern Flash Dict. 16: Groaners – a sort of wretches who attend meetings [...] They also rob the congregation of their watches, as they are coming out of church; exchange their bad hats for good ones – jocosely called hat making.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open [as cit. 1835].

pie.

1886

St Louis (MO) Globe-Democrat 31 Aug. 10/1: Such cries as [...] ‘ham and’ for ham and eggs, ‘hat mystery’ for pie, and similar expressions are heard constantly.

(later use US black) the head.

1838		Dickens Oliver Twist (1966) 398: They’d got their footmen to hang ’em up to their own hat-pegs.
1942		Berrey & Van den Bark Amer. Thes. of Sl. 121.56: Head [...] hat peg or rack.
1965–70		in DARE II 919/2: hat holder.

1. (Aus./US) a scraggy animal, usu. a horse.

1881		Bulletin (Sydney) 2 Apr. 9/3: After many long months of traveling, during which period his horse had become like a hat-rack.
1882		Nat. Republican (Wash., DC) 24 June 8/4: The animated hat-racks that are called horses.
1885		Wichita Eagle 29 May 2/6: The ancient gig was restored to its maison de santé, and the hat-rack of a horse to its stall.
1890		Sacramento Daily Record-Union 11 Jan. 2/4: The horses [...] were sold in the city pound. and Laporte, for $5, became the owner of a perambulating hatrack.
1890		Dead Bird (Sydney) 10 May 6/2: It turned out that the old hatrack was 30 years old.
1903		Virginia Gaz. 31 Oct. 5/2: You marched into Newport News with fifteen horses — or hatracks — ambling behind you.
1904		Sydney Sportsman (Surry Hills, NSW) 31 Aug. 3/3: There’s one old cove at North Sydney who goes around in a cart, drawn by an antiquated hat-rack.
1912		Adventure July 476: I thought you had your old hat-rack all ready to gallop to Burke’s? [HDAS].
1930		(con. WWI) T. Fredenburgh Soldiers March 194: It’s these hat-racks in harness that worry me. Look at ’em; every nose in the mud and sagging at the knees [HDAS].
c.1943		‘Bill O. Lading’ You Chirped a Chinful!! n.p.: Hatrack: A horse.
1950		WELS.
1965–70		in DARE.

2. the head.

1929		A.J. Barr Let Tomorrow Come 27: Don’t go haywire, Joe. Use your hatrack.
1942		Berrey & Van den Bark Amer. Thes. of Sl. 121.56: Head [...] hat peg or rack [DARE].
1964		L. Hairston ‘The Winds of Change’ in Clarke Harlem, USA (1971) 317: You slick-headed ditty-bop, if you spent half as much time tryin’ to put something inside that worthless hat-rack as you did havin’ your brains fried—.
1965–70		in DARE.

(US/LA police) an elite squad, known for their trademark porkpie hat headware, seemingly never taken off.

2023

J. Ellroy (con. 1962) Enchanters Freddy O. and the Hat Sqiuad. We’re at it again: .

(US black) the end of a day’s work, thus used as synon. for goodbye.

1971–2		C. Shafer ‘Catheads [...] and Cho-Cho Sticks’ in Abernethy Bounty of Texas (1990) 206: hat time, n. – quitting time in the field; when the captain takes off his hat and waves it.
1972		J. Maryland ‘Shoe-shine on 63rd’ in Kochman Rappin’ and Stylin’ Out 214: The players all started heading for the door, stating, ‘Peace,’ ‘Later,’ ‘Hat time,’ ‘I’m in the wind,’ etc.

(S.Afr. gang) one who is wearing any form of headgear.

1980

B. Setuke ‘Dumani’ in Mutloatse Forced Landing 66: Most of the ladies who travel by train have had their wigs, turbans, chiffons and other types of head-gear snatched. They [hooligans/tsotsies] call passengers who wear head-gear ‘hat-trees’.

see under dress v.

1. (US black) to leave, esp. to leave quickly.

1966		Current Sl. I:2 2/1: Check hat, v. Prepare to leave.
1969		S. Greenlee Spook who Sat by the Door (1972) 31: I ain’t on junk and I can always get my hat and make it to Baltimore, dig.
1978		J. Webb Fields of Fire (1980) 111: It’s too late. They gotta make their hat most ricky-tick.
1990		(con. c.1970) G. Hasford Phantom Blooper 18: I stand by to make my hat most ricky-tick.

2. (US prison, also be given one’s hat) to be released.

a.1955

‘Kitty Barrett’ in D. Wepman et al. Life (1976) 53: I hope this toast helps you when they give you your hat.

(US police) equipped with helmets and nightsticks.

1983

B. Gelb Vanished Brass 27: ‘The uniform will be hats and bats,’ Shilensky said (meaning battle helmets and nightsticks).

(US black) a comment indicating that the speaker is about to leave.

1972		J. Maryland ‘Shoe-shine on 63rd’ in Kochman Rappin’ and Stylin’ Out 214: [A] volley of shots was fired very close to the shoe-shine stand. [...] The players all started heading for the door, stating, ‘Peace,’ ‘Later,’ ‘Hat time,’ ‘I'm in the wind,’ etc.

(US black) to leave, to exit.

1970		Current Sl. V:2 8: Hat, v. To leave.
1977		L. Heinemann Close Quarters (1987) 137: Let’s hat up, hey. Let’s get the fuck outa here.
1987		(con. c.1967) J. Ferrandino Firefight 143: Why don’t we just hat up to the meeting place as quick as we can.
1994		(con. 1968) T. Wolff In Pharoah’s Army 162: Sergeant Benet finished his beer. ‘Time we hatted up,’ he said .

(US) to be fellated.

c.1930		(ref. to 1868) N. Kimball Amer. Madam (1981) 89: A guest could [...] have his joint copped, or be blown, or have his hat nailed to the ceiling.
1984		L. Paros Erotic Tongue n.p.: The professionals helped forge a common tongue. A man now had his joint copped, had some derby, or had his hat nailed to the ceiling. More frequently, men spoke of being blown or having a blow job (all since early 20th C).

to be drunk.

1737		Pennsylvania Gazette 13 Jan. 3/1: He’s Got on his little Hat .
1770		Gent.’s Mag. Dec. 559/2: To express the condition of an Honest Fellow [...] under the Effects of good Fellowship, [...] it is also said that he has 49. Got his little hat on .
1804		C.L. Lewes Comic Sketches 26: While others would say he had, ‘Bung’d his eye — Was knocked up — How came ye so — Had got his little hat on — Top-Heavy — Pot- Valiant — That he had been in the sun — That he was in for it’.

(US prison) targeted for death.

2000		Other Side of the Wall: Prisoner’s Dict. July 🌐 In the Hat: Targeted for death.
2019		D. Winslow Border [ebook] The word was out that Eddie was in the hat.

to astonish, to amaze.

2001

D. Teach ‘Wurlitzer 10-Tune A.P.P. Roll Recutting Project’ Mechancial Music Digest Archives 3 Aug. 🌐 I personally never really cared for march rolls until I heard one of these ten tune Wurlitzer rolls and it knocked my hat off.

see get one’s hat

(US) emptily, but noisly boastful.

1990		Great Falls Trib. (MT) 16 Dec. 1G/5: [headline] Bush showed much more hat than cattle.
2000		Sacramento Bee (CA) 1 Nov. B7/1: The vaunted ‘Texas miracle’ in raising student test scores was more hat than cattle.
2016		Economist 2 Jan. 🌐 [headline] More hat Than Cattle.
2020		D. Winslow ‘The Last Ride’ in Broken 326: ‘Them vigilantes are generally more hat than cattle’.

(US prison) to mark for assassination.

2004

D. Grann ‘The Brand’ in New Yorker 16 Feb. 171/3: I asked him [i.e. a federal prosecutor] if, as some feared, he had been ‘put in the hat’—marked for assassination. He blanched.

see pull something out of the bag under bag n.¹

1. (UK Und.) to beat someone, to put them in their place.

1896		E. Pugh Man of Straw 7: I’d put him in his hat as soon as look at him, and sooner, the wonk-eyed, pig-nosed monkey!
1906		E. Pugh Spoilers 5: Bli’ me! I’ll put you in your gaudy ’at if you don’t parker quick! [Ibid.] 10: Tell ’em if they don’t ’op it, Bill, I’ll put ’em in their ’ats.

2. (US black) to single someone out for revenge.

1970

Adam-12 [TV script] Somebody’s put a real hat on me [...] Somebody’s accused me of blackmailing them [HDAS].

3. to inform against, to betray.

1992

R. Price Clockers 521: The police told him if he ID’d the shooter they’d drop a homicide charge they had on him. So he went and put a hat on Buddha Hat.

see ring someone’s bell under bell n.¹

see under talk v.

(US) secret.

1899		W.J. Kountz Billy Baxter’s Letters 87: I have something to tell you [...] strictly under your bonnet.
1905		H. Green Actors’ Boarding House (1906) 35: This under yer hat, a’ course.
1917		Goodwin’s Wkly (Salt lake City, UT) 2 June 12/3: He kept the discrepancy between the two weighings strictly under his own hat.
1936		R. Chandler ‘Goldfish’ in Red Wind (1946) 156: All the co-operation you can use, under the hat.
1947		J. Maclaren-Ross Of Love And Hunger 159: They usually keep it under their hat till you start making sales.
1957		A. Buckeridge Thanks to Jennings (1988) 145: A second course, perhaps, that he was going to keep under his hat till after we’d finished the stew.
1958		R. Prather Scrambled Yeggs 97: Well, under your hat, Louis, a guy got a little murdered.
1964		H.S. Thompson letter 12 Jan. in Proud Highway (1997) 432: I am, of course, keeping my opinions on Senor Nixon close under my bonnet.
1979		J. Morrow Confessions of Proinsias O’Toole 123: I suppose it’s all right to gen you up in the circumstances – but under your hat, mind.
2001		S. King Dreamcatcher 102: I’ll keep it under my hat.

1. drunk .

1890–1904

Farmer & Henley Sl. and Its Analogues.

2. (Irish) elated.

1927

P. O’Donnell Islanders (1933) 117: Stasia will be up in her hat. But what a freak photo of her!

(US) full, of food and/or alcohol.

1902		T.A. Dorgan ‘Johnny Wise’ [comic strip] Shay!! Jawn, Hic. I’m up to the hat. Hic.
1974		G. Radano Stories Cops Only Tell Each Other 171: I go out and celebrate. I go to a bar in my old neighborhood. [...] I got stewed to the hat.

(orig. US) a general jeer or shout of derision.

[1863		Western Times 15 Sept. 1/4: [advert] ‘Where did you get your hat? From Thomas, the Practical Hatter’].
1890		Thames Star (Waikato, NZ) 11 July 1/6: Slang, my dear? Is ‘where did you get that hat?’ slang?
1893		Harper’s Mag. 87 July 305/1: These mere catchwords of the moment are rarely foul, as the words and phrases of the first class often are, but they are unfailingly foolish. There you go with your eye out, which was accepted as a humorous remark in London, and where did you get that hat? which had a like fleeting vogue in New York, are phrases as inoffensive as they are flat.
1903		Hull Dly Mail 31 Mar. 2/8: Where Did You Get That Hat?
1920		Western Dly Press 9 June 10/5: ‘Where did you get that hat?’ Loud laughter and cries of ‘ear, hear’.
1936		Tamworth Herald 7 Mar. 5/3: You know what the song says —Where Did You Get That Hat?

(US black) go away!

1971

H.E. Roberts Third Ear n.p.: get hat! an imperative urging one to leave; get out!

(US black) go away!

1971

H.E. Roberts Third Ear n.p.: hat up! an imperative urging one to leave.

joc. aggressive phr. shouted by street boys at passing (be-hatted) gentlemen.

1868		Bombay Gaz. : One heard nothing but the new slang phrase, now so popular with the gamins of London, and which was practically illustrated on an extensive scale among the mob, of ‘I’ll have your hat!’ .
1871		‘The Great Liberal Majority’ in C. Hindley Curiosities of Street Lit. 110/1: And the little boys will them get at, / I say, old boy, I’ll have your hat.

a dismissive retort.

1934		B. Appel Brain Guy (1937) 54: ‘I hear ya got canned.’ ‘I resigned.’ ‘In your hat. You got fired!’.
1935		S. Kingsley Dead End Act III: They hurl a chorus of abuse. milty: Gay cock of’m yam! angel: Fongoola! dippy: Nuts ta yew! t.b.: In yuhr hat!
1957		M. Shulman Rally Round the Flag, Boys! (1959) 62: ‘In your hat!’ replied Oscar promptly.
1965		J.P. Carstairs Concrete Kimono 178: ‘In your hat!’ I retorted succinctly.

see my aunt! under aunt n.