hats off

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English

Etymology

A lithograph of a man taking his hat off to a passing gentleman as a sign of respect.

Ellipsis of take one’s hat off to.

Pronunciation

Interjection

hats off (as an imperative)

  1. (dated) Used as an instruction for people to remove their hats out of respect, generally towards someone of importance.
  2. (figurative) Followed by to: used to express approval or praise: congratulations, kudos, well done!
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:well done
    Hats off to the Jamaican bobsled team for their able representation of their country in the Olympics against serious obstacles.
    • 2020 December 6, “Stop & Examine”, in Rail, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 71:
      Hats off to Avanti West Coast staff at Crewe station, who found a simple but highly effective way to raise money for charity during the Coronavirus epidemic.

Translations

References

  1. ^ Compare “hats off, phrase” under hat, n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required, Oxford: Oxford University Press, June 2024.
  2. ^ hats off to”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present, reproduced from Christine Ammer, The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2003, →ISBN.