hat in hand
3
7.2
- idiom
- Informal
:
con humildad
- I told him how to get to my room, and then when he arrived at my door, hat in hand, I was overcome with remorse and offered, by way of apology, to take him out to the best restaurant I knew.
- came hat in hand
- hat in hand, asking
- went hat in hand
Examples
-
Four days later, Johnson took the proposal to the Rockefeller Foundation, insisting that he was not coming with hat in hand but only to seek advice.
Academic text (1998) -
Today, officials went before Congress, hat in hand, seeking a cash infusion of billions of dollars.
-
I know it was difficult for you to come in here, hat in hand.
-
So I'm here... hat in hand... looking for a loan.
-
They come to you with hat in hand, begging, but then they have the audacity to put conditions on you at the same time.
Fiction book (1999) -
One afternoon that summer, Doctor Minnick opened the door and found Claude Gunderman standing on his porch, hat in hand.
Fiction book (2002) -
Because the Supreme Court said he didn't have the power to do it by himself, he's going to have to go hat in hand to Congress to try to get legislation to order a review of all these death sentences.
Blog text (27) -
Until we stop going hat in hand and begging for our rights, Corbett and his ilk, like Nutter and Pedro, will continue to abuse us and our kids.
Blog text (25) -
It was nearly dark when he showed up at her front door, that hulking, shaggy stranger, hat in hand, blue eyes meeting her questioning gaze straight on.
Fiction book (1999) -
So I'm here... hat in hand... looking for a loan.
Synonyms
In a humble way when asking for help or forgiveness
Antonyms
How Humble
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase literally describes a physical state (a hat held in one's hand) which can be indirectly associated with deference or humility due to the cultural gesture of doffing a hat. However, mapping that physical description to the pragmatic meaning 'approach humbly/ask respectfully' requires cultural and pragmatic knowledge that many B1 learners may not have, so the relation is motivated but not fully predictable.
Etymology
Hat in hand may come from the old custom of taking off your hat and holding it in your hand when you asked a favor or showed respect. That's why 'hat in hand' now means 'in a humble or respectful way', often when asking for something or admitting a mistake.