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hatter

1

[ hat-er ]

noun

  1. a maker or seller of hats.


hatter

2

[ hat-er ]

noun

, Australian Informal.
  1. a person who has become eccentric from living alone in a remote area.
  2. a person who lives alone in the bush, as a herder or prospector.

hatter

/ ˈhætə /

noun

  1. a person who makes and sells hats
  2. mad as a hatter
    crazily eccentric
“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


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Word History and Origins

Origin of hatter1

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; hat, -er 1

Origin of hatter2

First recorded in 1850–55; said to be from the phrase “as mad as a hatter”
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Idioms and Phrases

see mad as a hatter .
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Example Sentences

Dressed like a shirtless Mad Hatter, he appears to be in it more for the sex than saving the world.

Jack asked a little sharply, and Howard replied, "No, sir; she was madder than a hatter; you've no cause to be jealous."

He told us that he had been a hatter by trade, and that his name was Charles Washington.

The Hatter opened his eyes very wide on hearing this; but all he said was, 'Why is a raven like a writing-desk?'

Here the Queen put on her spectacles, and began staring at the Hatter, who turned pale and fidgeted.

Huh, Ise seen many a corporation dat hatter have good thick leather soles fer ter tote em round.

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About This Word

Who are the Hatters?

A Hatter is a student or member of the athletic program at Stetson University in Florida.

Where did the term Hatters come from?

The Hatters get their name from John B. Stetson, the hat maker known for his eponymous Stetson hats. Although the school was founded as DeLand Academy, it was renamed after Stetson joined the Board of Trustees, and the Hatters were born. The name refers to the school’s athletic program and students.

Technically, the school’s mascot is named John B., but the current version, who wears a Stetson hat, green bandana, and alligator skin boots, is also considered a Hatter, like other members of the school family.

How to use the term Hatters

If you’re a student at Stetson or a big fan, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll use the hashtag “#GoHatters” online and sing the school fight song with the chant “Let’s GO, HATTERS, GO!” You might shout out about your “#StetsonHatters” too.

If you’re not associated with the school, you may associate the term with the “MadHatter of Alice and Wonderland. But, you might want to keep that one under your … well … hat, around the school. They’ve moved on from that version of John B. to his present-day cowboy look.

Note

This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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

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