[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
[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.)