hat trick

SEE SYNONYMS FOR hat trick ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Cricket. the knocking off by one bowler of three wickets with three successive pitches: so called because formerly such a bowler was rewarded with a hat.

Ice Hockey, Soccer. three goals or points scored by one player in one game.

Baseball. a series of a base hit, a two-base hit, a three-base hit, and a home run achieved in any order by one player in one game.

a clever or adroitly deceptive maneuver.

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Origin of hat trick

1875–80; 1955–60 for def 2

Words nearby hat trick

hat dance, hat in hand, hat in the ring, hat stand, hat tree, hat trick, hat-trick, hatable, hatasu, hatband, hatbox

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Cultural definitions for hat trick

hat trick

In some sports, such as ice hockey, three goals by one player in a single game: “Lemieux scores for the third time tonight; he finally has the hat trick he's been looking for all season.”

notes for hat trick

By extension, a hat trick is an outstanding performance by an individual, or a particularly clever or adroit maneuver: “She pulled off a hat trick with her presentation to the committee.”

notes for hat trick

The phrase originally referred to a hat traditionally given to a cricket player who scored three wickets, or goals.

Idioms and Phrases with hat trick

hat trick

An extremely clever or adroit maneuver, as in It looked as though the party was going to achieve a hat trick in this election. The term originated in cricket, where it refers to three wickets taken by a bowler in three consecutive balls, traditionally rewarded with the presentation of a hat. It later was transferred to ice hockey, soccer, and baseball, where it denotes three consecutive successes (goals, hits), and then to more general use.