What Does It Mean Keep It Under Your Hat? – Celebrity
This term, with its vivid image of hiding a secret under headgear, dates from the late nineteenth century and has remained current even though hats are worn much less frequently today. A popular song of the 1920s had it: “Keep it under your hat! You must agree to do that.
Ah, sir – a distinct universe walks about under your hat and under mine. The extended phrase ‘keep it under your hat’, which didn’t arise until the 20th century, simply meant ‘keep it in your head’, that is, ‘think it, but don’t say it’. An early example is found in P. G. Wodehouse’s Inimitable Jeeves, 1923:
The speculation is that putting an item under one’s hat would be a way of hiding it. Such trickery is recorded, as in the collection of stories published as The Adventurer, 1793: “By a sudden stroke of conjuration, a great quantity of gold might be conveyed under his hat.”
keep under your hat keep until (some point in time) keep until some time keep up keep up an act keep up appearances keep up the act keep up the good work keep up with (someone or something)
When did the song “Keep it under your hat” come out?
A popular song of the 1920s had it: “Keep it under your hat! You must agree to do that. Promise not to breathe a word” (quoted by Eric Partridge).
Preserve the secrecy of something, as in I’ll tell you about it if you promise to keep it under your hat. This usage alludes to hiding a secret in one’s head, covered by a hat. [Late 1800s]
What does “keep it under your hat” mean?
keep (something) under one’s hat, to. To preserve secrecy. This term, with its vivid image of hiding a secret under headgear, dates from the late nineteenth century and has remained current even though hats are worn much less frequently today. A popular song of the 1920s had it: “Keep it under your hat! You must agree to do that.
keep to a minimum. keep to oneself. keep to the straight and narrow. keep to, stay on, etc. the straight and narrow. keep together . keep track. keep track of (someone or something) keep track of something/someone. keep trying.
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