top hat
17
4.3
- noun
- /ˈtɑp hæt/
:
sombrero de copa
- He arrived at the wedding wearing a stunning top hat and a formal suit.
I was, I was singing, you know, dancing, hot pink vest, top hat, putting on a Ritz.
- I was, I was singing, you know, dancing, hot pink vest, top hat, putting on a Ritz.
- You might have thought that TB had been eradicated in the UK alongside pea soup fogs and top hats.
- But The thing is, is the guys who are giving it were like weird dweeby guys with like feather Boas and top hats.
- Yeah, yeah, and a top hat.
- Damn, you see, fucking Rhonda put on that top hat and she's fucking permed up an hour later.
Examples
-
Often, he dons a slick black hat, usually a top hat, fedora, or bowler.
Academic text (2012) -
You can leave your top hat and cane by the door.
-
I have a top hat.
-
I'm wearing a top hat.
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Nancy, that's a beautiful top hat you're wearing today.
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You walk in expecting a circus and that's exactly what it was, even complete with a ringmaster with a top hat on.
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The people there were all well-dressed men in business suits, top hats, and frock coats.
Fiction book (1992) -
In Ouidah, they may include elaborate chairs, top hats, and umbrellas.
Academic text (2007) -
At the center stood a man adorned in a top hat, leather sash and a swarm of rats.
-
And the driver's top hat will match the horse's saddles and the ribbons on the doves that will be released at the exact moment of "I do."
Synonyms
1
9.6
A tall hat with straight sides that people wear with formal clothes in the 1800s
1
9.3
A tall hat with a straight high top once worn by men at formal events
1
3.9
A tall formal hat with a high crown covered with silk
A tall formal hat with a flat top worn by men
A tall round hat for men worn on formal occasions
A classic formal hat like a top hat worn at weddings and ceremonies
A tall shiny silk hat like a top hat worn in older times
A tall formal hat with a flat top and narrow brim worn by men
A tall formal hat for men often covered with silk or fur and worn with a formal suit
Antonyms
How Formal
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a tall, formal hat' is directly derivable from combining 'top' (highest/upper) with 'hat' — the first noun acts attributively to indicate a hat with a high/top portion. This is a transparent compositional pattern (noun+noun modifier) found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Top hat grew from a simple image: a very tall, flat top on a man's hat, because in the 1800s men wore high, stiff hats of silk or felt to look important at 'formal occasions'. That's why today top hat means 'a tall, formal hat' and is the kind of hat you still see at weddings, galas, or in magic shows.