under someone's hat
- idiom
- Informal
:
en secreto
- Now, senator, we agreed to keep this under our hat, remember?
Examples
-
And keep it under your hat.
-
He took the brains on the drive with him under his hat.
-
You keep this under your hat.
-
Keep them under your hat.
-
Now, Clarence, we agreed to keep that under our hat, remember?
-
Please keep this plan under your hat until we finalize the details.
-
She knows a secret that she promised to keep under her hat.
-
The director asked everyone to keep the new project under their hats until the formal announcement.
Synonyms
∞
2.0
Hidden so other people do not know about it
205
5.3
Not shared with others because it should be secret
125
1.1
A thing that is not easily seen or found
117
6.8
Done secretly to avoid being seen or known
40
8.2
Kept secret because it is illegal or not allowed
37
5.8
Kept secret and not told to other people
28
6.0
Most people do not know about it
25
6.2
Partly hidden or not said clearly
13
7.5
People keep it secret from most others to avoid being noticed
5
3.7
Hidden so people cannot see it
3
7.4
Very private and known by only a few people
1
7.5
People in power keep it secret to hide a problem
In secret so only a few people know
Not told to others until a set time or event
Antonyms
How Secret
- Formal
55
4.2
- Informal
205
5.3
174
3.2
104
2.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
The components 'under' + 'hat' invoke a literal sense of concealment (something hidden beneath headwear), so a learner who knows the words can plausibly infer a meaning related to keeping something hidden. However, the conventionalized idiomatic sense 'secret/confidential' is a metaphorical extension and not fully predictable without exposure, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
The idiom under someone's hat may come from the simple image of hiding a note or paper under a hat so no one can see it. That's why it now means 'secret' or 'kept to yourself'.