at the drop of a hat
to do something suddenly and easily
TRANSLATION
at the drop of a hat = auf der Stelle, ohne zu zögern --- GOOGLE INDEX (at the) drop of a hat: approximately 6,500,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
But this carefree attitude to spending is a relatively new phenomenon for many Indians. This ability to spend AT THE DROP OF A HAT is a luxury that only this generation of richer Indians can afford.
(BBC News)
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Successful small companies are adept at responding to opportunities and challenges AT THE DROP OF A HAT.
(BusinessWeek magazine)
(BBC News)
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Successful small companies are adept at responding to opportunities and challenges AT THE DROP OF A HAT.
(BusinessWeek magazine)
Did you
know?
drop of a hat
idiom
- to do something immediately without stopping to think about it
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
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According to Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable, the expression "at the drop of a hat" alludes to the American frontier practice of dropping a hat as a signal for a fight to begin. As anyone who has watched westerns knows, this was usually the only rule that the participants followed. They called it the Wild West for good reason.
The expression "at the drop of a hat" may actually have evolved via another idiom however. In the 19th century, if someone wished to challenge a boxer, they would throw their hat into the ring to indicate their willingness to fight. This tradition eventually led to the idiom "throw or toss one's hat into the ring", which means to announce that one is running for a political office.
Apart from dropping or tossing, there are many other things one can do with a hat:
hang on to your hat = to get ready for what's coming (Hang on to your hat, the plane is about to land)
eat one's hat = to be surprised if something does or does not happen (If I get that promotion, I'll eat my hat!)
pass the hat = to collect donations of money from people (Sandra's birthday is next week and we're passing the hat to buy a present)
take off one's hat = to praise someone (Hat's off to Bill. He finished the project in record time!)
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SYNONYMS
in a flash, in a jiffy, PDQ (pretty damn quick!), in nothing flat, pronto
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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"I'll take the job at the drop of a hat if you offer it to me."
idiom
- to do something immediately without stopping to think about it
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
---
According to Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable, the expression "at the drop of a hat" alludes to the American frontier practice of dropping a hat as a signal for a fight to begin. As anyone who has watched westerns knows, this was usually the only rule that the participants followed. They called it the Wild West for good reason.
The expression "at the drop of a hat" may actually have evolved via another idiom however. In the 19th century, if someone wished to challenge a boxer, they would throw their hat into the ring to indicate their willingness to fight. This tradition eventually led to the idiom "throw or toss one's hat into the ring", which means to announce that one is running for a political office.
Apart from dropping or tossing, there are many other things one can do with a hat:
hang on to your hat = to get ready for what's coming (Hang on to your hat, the plane is about to land)
eat one's hat = to be surprised if something does or does not happen (If I get that promotion, I'll eat my hat!)
pass the hat = to collect donations of money from people (Sandra's birthday is next week and we're passing the hat to buy a present)
take off one's hat = to praise someone (Hat's off to Bill. He finished the project in record time!)
---
SYNONYMS
in a flash, in a jiffy, PDQ (pretty damn quick!), in nothing flat, pronto
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"I'll take the job at the drop of a hat if you offer it to me."
