hard hat

¹

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

Or hard·hat

[hahrd-hat]

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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of hard hat¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Origin of hard hat²

First recorded in 1960–65

Idioms and Phrases

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]

Example Sentences

“Our members are ready to don their hard hats, their work boots, their tool belts and start moving dirt,” said Medrano, who began his career loading and unloading trucks at the Convention Center.

From Los Angeles Times

When I saw her, brandishing a hard hat and trowel at a housebuilding site, there seemed no question of her going anywhere.

From BBC

I watched an army of trucks and hard hats, grinding and grunting on the blank canvas of a town in ruins.

From Los Angeles Times

Wearing hard hats they navigate their way through construction material, issuing instructions to a team of workers - all of whom are men.

From BBC

Glendale police said that they found several jewelry boxes, along with a construction hard hat and a vest, which police say may have been used to get near a home without drawing attention.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• helmet