into a cocked hat
idiom
informal + old-fashioned
1
US
: into a state of confusion, ruin, etc.
The discovery has knocked/thrown all our old assumptions into a cocked hat.
2
British
—used to say that one person or thing is much better than another
The old design was good, but this new one knocks/beats it into a cocked hat.
Examples of into a cocked hat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The whole week was knocked into a cocked hat when the White House meeting with Zelensky blew up.
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Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 1 Mar. 2025
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Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 1 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Into a cocked hat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/into%20a%20cocked%20hat. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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