• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌəʊl(d) ˈhæt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌoʊl(d) ˈhæt/

• Audio (General American):

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• Audio (General Australian):

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• Rhymes: -æt

From old +‎ hat, possibly a reference to something familiar and well-used. The Oxford English Dictionary suggests a connection to German alter Hut (“something familiar and hackneyed”, noun, literally “old hat”).^[1]

old hat (uncountable)

1. (idiomatic) Something regarded as very familiar and unoriginal, hackneyed, or out of date. [from early 20th c.]

   Hyponyms: old news, yesterday's news

   • 1920, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, Touch and Go: A Play in Three Acts (Plays for a People’s Theatre; II), London: C[harles] W[illiam] Daniel, […], →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 21:

     Oliver. What was the address about, to begin with? / Willie. Oh, the same old hat—Freedom.

   • 1940, Raymond Chandler, chapter 21, in Farewell, My Lovely: A Mystery, Tower Books edition, Cleveland, Oh.; New York, N.Y.: World Publishing Company, published October 1944, page 100:

     We curved through the bright mile or two of the Strip, […] past the Georgian-Colonial vogue, now old hat, past the handsome modernistic buildings in which the Hollywood flesh-peddlers never stop talking money, […]

old hat (comparative more old hat, superlative most old hat)

1. (idiomatic) Very familiar and unoriginal; common, hackneyed, out of date. [from mid 20th c.]

   Synonyms: banal, commonplace, cliché, démodé, passé, unchic; see also Thesaurus:unfashionable

   • 1946 November 11, “The Theater: New Plays in Manhattan, Nov. 11, 1946 [review of Nöel Coward’s Present Laughter (written 1939)]”, in Time‎^[1], New York, N.Y.: Time Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2013-07-21:

     [Noël] Coward is such an old hand at this kind of thing that he makes it seem old hat.

   • 1964 July, “The Mythology of Monorails”, in Trains Illustrated, London: Ian Allan Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 1:

     In fact, monorails are rather old hat.

   • 1987 May 8, Elaine Sciolino, “Washington talk: The [Gary] Hart story grips the capital; foreigners amused and baffled”, in The New York Times (B section)‎^[2], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-10-09, page 8:

     [I]t is old hat for a sex scandal to bring down a politician.

   • 2007 May 4, Fredrick Kunkle, Paul Duggan, “Straining for a glimpse of royalty: Queen launches visit in Richmond by offering sympathy over Va. Tech tragedy”, in The Washington Post‎^[3], Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2025-02-19:

     As for the greeting she [Elizabeth II] and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, received when they arrived outside the Capitol about 3:30 p.m. – well, based on the size of the crowd, perhaps the queen is old hat.

   • 2021 September 6, Zack Handlen, “Rick and Morty Ends Its Fifth Season Looking for an Escape Hatch”, in The A.V. Club‎^[4], archived from the original on 2024-12-02:

     The only real knock against "Mortshall" is that "Rick and Morty get sick of each other and split up for a while" feels kind of old hat at this point—the comic premise of the show requires their relationship to be toxic (because a lot of the humor comes from seeing Rick be a shit and seeing Morty try haplessly to deal with Rick being a shit), and they can only try and sell the illusion that anything is going to change so many times before it starts to get stale.

• old-hat

From old +‎ hat, the significance being unknown.^[1]

old hat (countable and uncountable, plural old hats) (slang, archaic)

1. (countable) The female genitalia.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:female genitalia

   • [1743, Henry Fielding, “The History of the Life of the Late Mr. Jonathan Wild the Great. Chapter VI. Of Hats.”, in Miscellanies, […], volume III, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book II, footnote *, page 140:

     I ſhall conclude this learned Note vvith remarking, that the Term Old Hat, is at preſent uſed by the Vulgar, in no very honourable Senſe.]

   • [1788, [Francis Grose], “Hat”, in A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 2nd edition, London: […] S[amuel] Hooper, […], →OCLC:

     Old hat; a vvoman's privities: becauſe frequently felt.

     The latter part of the definition is a joke rather than a proper etymology.]

   • 1980, Erica Jong, chapter XV, in Fanny, Being the True History of the Adventures of Fanny Hackabout-Jones […], New York, N.Y.: New American Library, →ISBN, book I, page 120:

     'Tis a Nest, a Niche, an Old Hat, an Omnibus, an Oyster, a Palace o' Pleasure.

2. (by extension)
   1. (countable, derogatory) A woman treated as a sexual partner.
      • 1697, [Thomas] d’Urfey, The Intrigues at Versailles: Or, A Jilt in All Humours: A Comedy, […], London: […] F. Saunders […], P. Buck […], R. Parker […], and H. Newman […], →OCLC, Act IV, scene i, page 40:

        VVhy, hovv novv, ye piece of old Hat, vvhat are ye muſty? the Jade's as muſty as a ſtale pot of Marmalade of her ovvn making.

      • [1699], B. E., “Top-diver”, in A New Dictionary of the Terms Ancient and Modern of the Canting Crew, […], London: […] W. Hawes […], P. Gilbourne […], and W. Davis […], →OCLC; reprinted [London]: [Smith, Kay & Co.], 1899, →OCLC, signature M3, recto:

        Top-diver, a Lover of VVomen. An old Top-diver, one that has Lov'd Old-hat in his time.

   2. (uncountable) Sexual intercourse.

      Synonyms: see Thesaurus:copulation

      • 1723, Charles Walker, “Letter XI”, in Authentick Memoirs of the Life Intrigues and Adventures of the Celebrated Sally Salisbury. […], London: [s.n.], →OCLC, page 103:

        [S]he very pertly reply'd, She had done that not vvith a Design to affront but to convince me of the Value ſhe had for my Preſent; for that if the Pedantick Blockhead ſhould come, he ſhould only have a little bit of Old-Hat to ſtay his Stomach, till he got to ſome Harlot of his ovvn Puritanical Flock, […]

• Old Hat (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia