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

He always wore "a cocked hat, buckles at the knees and shoes, as well as a cross-handled cane, over which he stooped in his gait".

From BBC • Nov. 30, 2024

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

But Winfield Scott “always wore all the uniform . . . allowed by law,” Grant observes: “dress uniform, cocked hat, aiguillettes” — loops of braid at the shoulder — “saber, and spurs.”

From New York Times • Oct. 13, 2017

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 first thing he noticed as he stood looking down at the Green was that the old meeting house had been knocked into a cocked hat by a cannon ball.

From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes