cocked hat
Preserved but no longer current.
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 “cocked hat” mean?
A hat with the brim turned, like that of a bishop, dean, etc. It is also applied to the chapeau bras (q v.) and the military full-dress hat, pointed before and behind, and rising to a point at the crown, the chapeau a conies. "Cock" in this phrase means to turn; cocked, turned up.
Is “cocked hat” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.