hard hat

¹ American  

noun

1. a protective helmet of metal or plastic, especially as worn by construction or factory workers.

2. a uniformed soldier of a regular army, as opposed to a guerrilla.

---

hard-hat ² American  

[hahrd-hat] / ˈhɑrdˌhæt /

Or hardhat

noun

Informal.

1. a construction worker, especially a member of a construction workers' union.

2. a working-class conservative.

---

adjective

1. pertaining to or characteristic of hard-hats.

   enlisting hard-hat support for his policies.

hard hat British  

noun

1. a hat made of a hard material for protection, worn esp by construction workers, equestrians, etc

2. informal a construction worker

---

adjective

1. informal characteristic of the presumed conservative attitudes and prejudices typified by construction workers

hard hat Idioms  

1. A working-class ultraconservative. For example, They were counting on a large number of votes from the hard hats. This term alludes to the rigid protective headgear worn by construction workers, who were noted for their conservatism during the tumultuous 1960s. [c. 1960]

---

Etymology

Origin of hard hat¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Origin of hard-hat¹

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

Around $100 million of investment is pouring into the mine, where workers now sport hard hats, carry emergency breathing devices and use advanced drills and other equipment.

From The Wall Street Journal

The place was bustling with workers in hard hats and orange-and-yellow construction vests.

From Literature

Jubilant workers in hard hats hung the flags of Venezuela and PdVSA at Orinoco oil fields.

From The Wall Street Journal

With pickaxes and wheelbarrows, dozens of Palestinian workers in hard hats and high-visibility vests are clearing rubble from the ruins of the Gaza Strip's oldest and largest mosque.

From BBC

Teams in hard hats work the sites, often around the clock.

From Barron's

Related Words

• helmet