poke bonnet
Preserved but no longer current.
A long, straight, projecting bonnet, commonly worn by women m the •early 19th century, and still worn by Salvation Army lasses and old-fashioned Quaker women. Why it was so called is not clear — probably because it projects or pokes out.
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 “poke bonnet” mean?
A long, straight, projecting bonnet, commonly worn by women m the •early 19th century, and still worn by Salvation Army lasses and old-fashioned Quaker women. Why it was so called is not clear — probably because it projects or pokes out.
Is “poke bonnet” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.