pass the hat

pass the hat

English

Etymology

From the practice of placing money in a hat circulated to collect funds from a small group.

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Verb

pass the hat (third-person singular simple present passes the hat, present participle passing the hat, simple past and past participle passed the hat)

1. (idiomatic) To ask for money, especially from a group of people; to solicit donations or contributions.
   • 1885, Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn, ch. 20:

     Then somebody sings out, "Take up a collection for him, take up a collection!" Well, a half a dozen made a jump to do it, but somebody sings out, "Let HIM pass the hat around!"

   • 2008 Dec. 5, Martha Ann Overland, "In Asia, American-Style Fund Raising Takes Off," Chronicle of Higher Education (retrieved 11 Dec. 2008):

     The institutions are opening development offices, hiring professional fund raisers, investing in slick billion-dollar campaigns, and trotting out their presidents to pass the hat.

Synonyms

• take up a collection

See also

• whip-round