• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / Where does the expression “old hat” come from and What does old hat mean?

Where does the expression “old hat” come from and What does old hat mean?

March 4, 2020 by Karen Hill

The expression “old hat” means: Old stuff; information, experience, condition, or the like that is familiar.

A gutter interpretation of the origin, based on the pun, “frequently felt,” does not strike me as remotely plausible.

In our opinion the familiarity that is implied is rather that of long usage, something to which one is as accustomed as he is to a hat so long worn as to fit the head snugly.

The metaphor is comparatively recent, and is rarely heard in the United States.

Related Facts

  • Where does the expression "brass hat" come from and What does it mean?
  • Where does the expression "to keep under one's hat" come from and What does it mean?
  • What does the expression "to knock into a cocked hat" mean and Where does it come from?
  • Where does the expression "talking through one's hat" come from and What does it mean?
  • Where does the phrase "to eat one's hat" come from and What does it mean?
  • Where Did the Term "Hat Trick" For Three of Anything Come From and What Does the Phrase Mean?
  • What Does "Talking Through Your Hat" Mean and Where Did the Phrase For Lying Come From?
  • How does a magician pull a white rabbit out of a hat and Where did the trick come from?
  • How did the ten-gallon hat get its name and how much water can it hold?
  • Who Invented the Bowler Hat, How Did it Get its Name, and When Was the English Icon In Fashion?
  • How Did Hat Tipping Become A Custom?
  • How are Thousand-Year-Old Eggs made and Where do Thousand Year Old Eggs come from?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where does the expression “as clean as a whistle” come from and What does it mean?
Next Post: Where does the phrase “to go west” come from and What does go west mean? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy