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Have your hat handed to you

Posted by Smokey Stover on December 05, 2007

In Reply to: Have your hat handed to you posted by Todd on December 05, 2007

: What is the meaning and origin of "To have your hat handed To you?

Origin: in more ceremonious days, if someone came to visit you, you would see him to the door at visit's end. Then either you or your butler would hand him his hat, since everyone in those days wore hats, but not inside. Figurative meaning: to be shown the door, to be sent packing. Can be used to mean to be fired. You can use it in a variety of ways, such as: "He expected another term, but the voters handed him his hat." Or, "I was confident that my actions were for the good of the company, but I was handed my hat anyway." Or: "I offered him first crack at my new invention, the one that would save him thousands annually. I didn't expect to be handed my hat and shown the door." Of course, the literal meaning is still valid. If you are looking around for your hat, someone is likely to hand it to you in simple politeness.
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