pass the hat

1. Ask for financial contributions, as in Let's pass the hat so we can get her a nice going-away gift. This expression alludes to the actual practice of passing a hat around a gathering, but it is also used more figuratively, as in The board decided to pass the hat again among the corporate sponsors. [Late 1800s]

Related Words

• award 
• bequeath 
• contribute 
• devote 
• give 
• give away 
• grant 
• hand out 
• present 
• provide