old hat

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌəʊl(d) ˈhæt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌoʊl(d) ˈhæt/

• Audio (General American):

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• Audio (General Australian):

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• Rhymes: -æt

From old +‎ hat, possibly a reference to something familiar and well-used. The Oxford English Dictionary suggests a connection to German alter Hut (“something familiar and hackneyed”, noun, literally “old hat”).

old hat (uncountable)

1. (idiomatic) Something regarded as very familiar and unoriginal, hackneyed, or out of date.

   Hyponyms: old news, yesterday's news

   • 1920, D H Lawrence, Touch and Go: A Play in Three Acts (Plays for a People’s Theatre; II), London: C W Daniel, , →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 21:

     Oliver. What was the address about, to begin with? / Willie. Oh, the same old hat—Freedom.

   • 1940, Raymond Chandler, chapter 21, in Farewell, My Lovely: A Mystery, Tower Books edition, Cleveland, Oh.; New York, N.Y.: World Publishing Company, published October 1944, page 100:

     We curved through the bright mile or two of the Strip, past the Georgian-Colonial vogue, now old hat, past the handsome modernistic buildings in which the Hollywood flesh-peddlers never stop talking money,

old hat (comparative more old hat, superlative most old hat)

1. (idiomatic) Very familiar and unoriginal; common, hackneyed, out of date.

   Synonyms: banal, commonplace, cliché, démodé, passé, unchic; see also Thesaurus:unfashionable

   • 1946 November 11, “The Theater: New Plays in Manhattan, Nov. 11, 1946 ”, in Time‎, New York, N.Y.: Time Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2013-07-21:

     Coward is such an old hand at this kind of thing that he makes it seem old hat.

   • 1964 July, “The Mythology of Monorails”, in Trains Illustrated, London: Ian Allan Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 1:

     In fact, monorails are rather old hat.

   • 1987 May 8, Elaine Sciolino, “Washington talk: The Hart story grips the capital; foreigners amused and baffled”, in The New York Times (B section)‎, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-10-09, page 8:

     t is old hat for a sex scandal to bring down a politician.

   • 2007 May 4, Fredrick Kunkle, Paul Duggan, “Straining for a glimpse of royalty: Queen launches visit in Richmond by offering sympathy over Va. Tech tragedy”, in The Washington Post‎, Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2025-02-19:

     As for the greeting she and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, received when they arrived outside the Capitol about 3:30 p.m. – well, based on the size of the crowd, perhaps the queen is old hat.

   • 2021 September 6, Zack Handlen, “Rick and Morty Ends Its Fifth Season Looking for an Escape Hatch”, in The A.V. Club‎, archived from the original on 2024-12-02:

     The only real knock against "Mortshall" is that "Rick and Morty get sick of each other and split up for a while" feels kind of old hat at this point—the comic premise of the show requires their relationship to be toxic (because a lot of the humor comes from seeing Rick be a shit and seeing Morty try haplessly to deal with Rick being a shit), and they can only try and sell the illusion that anything is going to change so many times before it starts to get stale.

• old-hat

From old +‎ hat, the significance being unknown.

old hat (countable and uncountable, plural old hats) (slang, archaic)

1. (countable) The female genitalia.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:female genitalia

   • , volume III, London: A Millar, , →OCLC, book II, footnote *, page 140:

     I ſhall conclude this learned Note vvith remarking, that the Term Old Hat, is at preſent uſed by the Vulgar, in no very honourable Senſe.]

   • , “Hat”, in A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 2nd edition, London: S Hooper, , →OCLC:

     Old hat; a vvoman's privities: becauſe frequently felt.

     The latter part of the definition is a joke rather than a proper etymology.]

   • 1980, Erica Jong, chapter XV, in Fanny, Being the True History of the Adventures of Fanny Hackabout-Jones , New York, N.Y.: New American Library, →ISBN, book I, page 120:

     'Tis a Nest, a Niche, an Old Hat, an Omnibus, an Oyster, a Palace o' Pleasure.

2. (by extension)
   1. (countable, derogatory) A woman treated as a sexual partner.
      • 1697, d’Urfey, The Intrigues at Versailles: Or, A Jilt in All Humours: A Comedy, , London: F. Saunders , P. Buck , R. Parker , and H. Newman , →OCLC, Act IV, scene i, page 40:

        VVhy, hovv novv, ye piece of old Hat, vvhat are ye muſty? the Jade's as muſty as a ſtale pot of Marmalade of her ovvn making.

      • , B. E., “Top-diver”, in A New Dictionary of the Terms Ancient and Modern of the Canting Crew, .">…], London: W. Hawes , P. Gilbourne , and W. Davis , →OCLC; reprinted : , 1899, →OCLC, signature M3, recto:

        Top-diver, a Lover of VVomen. An old Top-diver, one that has Lov'd Old-hat in his time.

   2. (uncountable) Sexual intercourse.

      Synonyms: see Thesaurus:copulation

      • 1723, Charles Walker, “Letter XI”, in Authentick Memoirs of the Life Intrigues and Adventures of the Celebrated Sally Salisbury. , London: , →OCLC, page 103:

        he very pertly reply'd, She had done that not vvith a Design to affront but to convince me of the Value ſhe had for my Preſent; for that if the Pedantick Blockhead ſhould come, he ſhould only have a little bit of Old-Hat to ſtay his Stomach, till he got to ſome Harlot of his ovvn Puritanical Flock,

• Old Hat (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia