An outdated idiom?

Keep Your Hat On.

I found an outdated idiom that dates all the way back to 1804: Keep your hat on. This idiom is so old, I can't find anyone who has heard it! Do you know it? Surprisingly, it's likely that you don't either. Keep your hat on would be said to someone who's angry, inferring they should keep their temper in check. We've all seen those old cartoons that depicts someone who is angry with steam coming out of the top of their head and ears. Well, back in the day, everyone wore hats as part of their daily dress.

Here's my impetus for writing about this... At back to school night last week, my 5th grader's teacher asked the parents to solve an idiom puzzle she had placed on the board, as an sneak peak into the daily class going ons. The puzzle was something like: hat on, keep it. She called on a few people who didn't know the answer. Then I raised my hand, and gave an answer that the teacher just replied, "Hmmm..." to. I realized this wasn't what the teacher was looking for, but after we were finished she gave me the prized red ticket for my son (he was so excited). Yay! But, the answer she was looking for is: 'keep it under your hat'. Kudos to Tonya Pierce for solving it! ;)

A few days ago, a discussion my husband and cousin Julia had on Facebook about politics turned to a reflection on the evolution of linguistics. Etymology absolutely fascinates me, and I was quickly reminded of BTSN, and received a renewed curiosity about last week's classroom incident. Consequently, I did a little research on the matter on the internet, to see if I could find some reference to keep your hat on.

After much digging, I came up with two citations. The first is from an autobiographical novel, My Home is Far Away, printed in 1944. I am still shocked that this is the only instance for which I found my idiom used directly in context. The second finding is from an Etymology webpage. This page has a main focus on keep my hair on, keep your shirt on and let your hair down. In the history reference at the bottom of the page, it's explained that these three idioms are British English expressions, that have spread across the globe and they date back to about 1870. Then there is a short note: "keep your hat on" predates them both to the year 1804.

How did I get to be familiar with this term? Maybe it's because my parents are older (my mother was born in 1931) and my grandparents were born in the Victorian Era (1890's)? Is it possible that I have a unique connection to things of the past than many others my age? I wonder.

So, when you hear me say phrases such as, 'Neato torpedo!' Just trust me that is really was a common phrase long ago, and maybe it will make a come back. Or maybe not, but it is kind of fun that I refer to slang from WWII. ;)