Meaning
Used to praise, congratulate or give credit to someone for an achievement or admirable act ('hats off to the crews who brought the harvest in before the storm'). Informal and warm; it usually stands alone as a toast-like exclamation rather than forming part of a larger clause. Warmly commendatory and informal; common in speech, journalism and tributes. Regional use: General English (clothing origin).
Origin
The expression transfers the old etiquette of removing the hat as a sign of respect into words. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries doffing or tipping the hat was a routine greeting, and the gesture was graded by rank: social subordinates were expected to take their hats off fully, while superiors could merely touch the brim; bareheaded crowds also cried 'hats off!' as a literal salute at public occasions. Dictionary.com dates the figurative expression to the mid-1800s. Once daily hat-wearing declined, the verbal formula carried on alone, so that praise could be given with words where the gesture had once done the work.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- a tip of the hat to someone
- hat's off to (nonstandard spelling)
- hats off to you
- take one's hat off to someone
Usage Examples
- Hats off to the nursing staff, who kept the ward running through the power cut.
- You have to take your hat off to anyone who finishes a marathon in that heat.
- Hats off to her, though: she predicted the merger months before it was announced.