chapeau hras
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A soft three- cornered flat silk hat which could be folded and carried under the arm (Fr. chapeau, hat, bras, arm). It was used in France with the court dress of the 18th century.
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 “chapeau hras” mean?
A soft three- cornered flat silk hat which could be folded and carried under the arm (Fr. chapeau, hat, bras, arm). It was used in France with the court dress of the 18th century.
Is “chapeau hras” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.