Meaning of Idiom ‘At the Drop of a Hat’
When something is done at the drop of a hat, it is done immediately, without any planning; instantly, without delay; without good reason or excuse. 1Heacock, Paul. Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms]. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010.,2Bengelsdorf, Peter. Idioms in the News – 1,000 Phrases, Real Examples. N.p.: Amz Digital Services, 2012.,3Ayto, John. [http://amzn.to/2vdGvI7 Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms]. Oxford: Oxford U, 2010.,4Kirkpatrick, Elizabeth M. The Wordsworth Dictionary of Idioms. Ware: Wordsworth, 1995.
Examples Of Use
“You can’t just go on vacation at the drop of a hat anymore. You have a real job, now.”
“My dad would often go fishing at the drop of a hat. He just grabbed his tackle and off he went to the lake.”
“If you want to be able to make a tasty family meal at the drop of a hat, by our new cookbook, Instant Meals!”
“You’d better call now. You can’t get an appointment with him at the drop of a hat. The waiting list is very long.”
Origin
Used since the late 1800s.
This idiom comes from the practice of signaling the start of a race or other contest by dropping a hat.
…a footrace was run, two gallons of rum being the stakes. Robert Williams and Samuel Potter were the contestants. The ground selected was the sandbar opposite George W. Webb’s farm, 100 yeards the distance, to start at the drop of a hat.(History of Illinois, 1883)
