"Dress a hat" Definition

Definitions for the word "Dress a hat" from multiple English dictionaries.

1. slang
TO, to rob in a manner very difficult of detection. The business is managed by two or more servants or shopmen of different employers, exchanging their master’s goods; as, for instance, a shoemaker’s shopman receives shirts or other articles from a hosier’s, in return for a pair of boots. Another very ingenious method may be witnessed about eleven o’clock in the forenoon in any of the suburban districts of London. A butcher’s boy, with a bit of steak filched from his master’s shop, or from a customer, falls in with a neighbouring baker’s man, who has a loaf obtained in a similar manner. Their mutual friend, the potboy, in full expectation of their visit, has the tap-room fire bright and clear, and not only cooks the steak, but again, by means of collusion, this time with the barman or barmaid, “stands a shant of gatter” as his share. So a capital luncheon is improvised for the three, without the necessity of paying for it; and this practical communistic operation is styled DRESSING A HAT. Most likely from the fact that a hat receives the attention of three or four people before it is properly fit for wear.
Source: The Slang Dictionary, 1864

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This page provides a list of definitions and meanings for "Dress a hat" from various historical English dictionaries. By displaying multiple definitions, you can compare and contrast different meanings and nuances of a word, phrase, or slang. You can also see the changes in meaning of "Dress a hat" over time by viewing the definitions from different dictionaries published at different times in history. The page also includes other information to help users expand their vocabulary and understand the context of the word.

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