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

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

They use hard hats and vests to disguise themselves.

From The Wall Street Journal

The investors donned hard hats and piled into five-person buggies to get a tour of the Abilene campus, which has a 5,000-car parking lot built just for its construction workers.

From The Wall Street Journal

They grabbed hard hats and scrambled under desks to wait it out.

From Literature

Related Words

• helmet