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Usenet Posted 20 years ago
Usage

Tile/hat.

"Tile" is early 19 century slang for hat. Why? Is it rhyming slang?

Tia.

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Top answer

[nq:1]"Tile" is early 19 century slang for hat. Why? [/nq] No, it's just a fanciful analogy: roofs are covered with tiles, heads with hats.

  • [nq:1]"Tile" is early 19 century slang for hat.
  • Why?
  • [/nq] No, it's just a fanciful analogy: roofs are covered with tiles, heads with hats.
  • " At a guess, I'd say pretty well all BrE speakers are familiar with the term; but I don't know if that is enough to qualify it as still current..
  • Mike.
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2 Answers
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[nq:1]"Tile" is early 19 century slang for hat. Why? Is it rhyming slang?[/nq]
No, it's just a fanciful analogy: roofs are covered with tiles, heads with hats. It was still current, at least in the music-hall, when whoever it was wrote "Where did you get that hat?" and "Any old iron?" At a guess, I'd say pretty well all BrE speakers are familiar with the term; but I don't know if that is enoug
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[nq:2]"Tile" is early 19 century slang for hat. Why? Is it rhyming slang?[/nq]
[nq:1]No, it's just a fanciful analogy: roofs are covered with tiles, heads with hats. It was still current, at least ... speakers are familiar with the term; but I don't know if that is enough to qualify it as still current..[/nq]
Tile sb, (OE tigule, tigele: WGer. *tegala, ad. L tegula, f. tegere to cover.)

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