tin hat
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A soldiers' name for a metal shrapnel helmet. To. put the tin hat on it, to bring something to an abrupt and conclusive end.
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 “tin hat” mean?
A soldiers' name for a metal shrapnel helmet. To. put the tin hat on it, to bring something to an abrupt and conclusive end.
Is “tin hat” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.