As tight as Dick's hatband
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
The crown was too tight for hun to wear with safety.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “As tight as Dick's hatband” mean?
The crown was too tight for hun to wear with safety.
Is “As tight as Dick's hatband” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.