cocked hat

American  

noun

1. a man's hat, worn especially in the 18th century, having a wide, stiff brim turned up on two or three sides toward a peaked crown.

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idioms

1. knock into a cocked hat, to destroy completely; render unachievable.

cocked hat British  

noun

1. a hat with opposing brims turned up and caught together in order to give two points (bicorn) or three points (tricorn)

2. slang to outdo or defeat

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Etymology

Origin of cocked hat

First recorded in 1665–75; cock ² + -ed ²

Example Sentences

The mother’s face is a little mask-like, but the father, with his perfectly cocked hat, is vivid, and both of them have a preening, faux-candid quality that could have been lifted from Instagram.

From New York Times • Jan. 18, 2024

"That knocks anything else I can obtain here into a cocked hat," he said.

From BBC • Aug. 28, 2021

As Brown’s musical style and wardrobe changed through the years, as musicians came and went, Mr. Ray stayed at his side, usually attired in a three-piece suit and jauntily cocked hat.

From Washington Post • Feb. 13, 2021

Not only the vagaries of long-term uncertainty but random single events—a hurricane, say—can throw our models into a cocked hat.

From Slate • Sep. 8, 2016

The sheriff seent his words knocked me into a cocked hat.

From "The Journey of Little Charlie" by Christopher Paul Curtis