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hang on to your hat

Idioms  

  1. Also, hold your hat. An expression warning someone of a big surprise. For example, Hang on to your hat, we're about to go public, or Hold your hat—we just won the lottery. This expression may allude, according to lexicographer Eric Partridge, to a wild ride on a rollercoaster. [Colloquial; first half of 1900s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

From the top, hang on to your hat, and drink in the view of Deadman’s Cove, right next door!

From Seattle Times • Nov. 14, 2020

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.