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hard hat

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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.
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Origin of hard hat

First recorded in 1925–30

hard-hat

or hard·hat

[hahrd-hat]
noun Informal.
  1. a construction worker, especially a member of a construction workers' union.
  2. a working-class conservative.
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adjective
  1. pertaining to or characteristic of hard-hats: enlisting hard-hat support for his policies.
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Origin of hard-hat

First recorded in 1960–65
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

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British Dictionary definitions for hardhat

hard hat

noun
  1. a hat made of a hard material for protection, worn esp by construction workers, equestrians, etc
  2. informal, mainly US and Canadian a construction worker
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adjective hard-hat
  1. informal, mainly US characteristic of the presumed conservative attitudes and prejudices typified by construction workers
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for hardhat

hard hat

also hardhat, hard-hat, late 14c., "helmet;" 1935, "derby hat;" meaning "safety helmet" is from 1953; used figuratively for "construction worker" from 1970.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with hardhat

hard hat

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]

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