cockle hat
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A pilgrim's hat, especially the hat of a pilgrim to the shrine of St. James of Compostella, in Spam; his symbol was really a scallop-shell, but the word cockle was more usually applied to it.
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 “cockle hat” mean?
A pilgrim's hat, especially the hat of a pilgrim to the shrine of St. James of Compostella, in Spam; his symbol was really a scallop-shell, but the word cockle was more usually applied to it.
Is “cockle hat” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.