(US) A bowler hat.
a donkey derby
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(by extension) Any organized race.
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.
Browse all slang words starting with D.
(US) Wearing a bowler hat.
An American English adjective meaning wearing a bowler hat (called a 'derby' in American English). The term is formed by converting the noun 'derby' into an adjective with '-ed,' as in 'suited' or 'top-hatted.' It has an archaic, literary flavor — the kind of word a novelist might use to describe a character's appearance in a period piece set in the late 19th or early 20th century, when the derby/bowler hat was at the height of its popularity. Rarely used in modern speech.
A dated US adjective meaning wearing a derby hat -- the round-crowned felt hat called a bowler in British English. The word reflects an era when hat-wearing was common enough to merit adjectival forms. Now largely obsolete except in historical contexts or period writing evoking early 20th century urban American life. Nobody uses it unironically today, but it paints a very specific visual in period fiction.
I don’t remember the ‘89 run in being easy, Derby, Wimbledon
“I don't think they're exactly playing derby in IGPX, but its very derby-adjacent at least. I know something similar is also in Battle Angel Alita, but I've already seen that and mecha and cyborgs are different.”
“Umamusume: Pretty Derby (2018) ウマ娘 プリティーダービー Episode 2: The Debut Race Out of Nowhere 00:14:47.360”
“and that man.....was robert derby”
“❌ Si ferma all’esordio l’avventura di Bronzetti a Roma Kessler vince in 3 set e conquista il secondo turno, dove affronterà Jovic nel derby USA 🇺🇸 @bmwitalia”
“Weird, didn't a man from Puerto Rico just win the Kentucky Derby? Earning his 'white, male owner' a lot of money? But that's okay right?”
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Any of several annual horse races.
a donkey derby
“⛽ DERBYSHIRE! Your cheapest unleaded petrol (E10) today is 147.9p/L at Costco Wholesale Derby, DE21 6RS! #UKFuel #Pumpr #Derbyshire”
“Love a podcast that fact checks whether Kentucky Derby winner semen really is cheaper than printer ink right now”
“I don’t remember the ‘89 run in being easy, Derby, Wimbledon”
“🔴 I'm LIVE!! playing umamusume: pretty derby 🦄 - training aces for Taurus cup 💕 www.twitch.tv/murukit #twitch #livenow #envtuber #vtuber #streamer #vsky #umamusume”
“Fun little tidbit, in my early/mid 20s I was a referee for a roller derby team. My derby name was wreck it roo.”
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WWI military slang for a tin helmet — the steel combat helmets issued to Allied soldiers that were far from stylish but very much life-saving. The 'derby' reference plays on the shape of the dome, reminiscent of a bowler hat (also called a derby). Soldiers' slang was full of this sardonic wit, finding absurd comparisons between brutal wartime kit and everyday civilian fashion. A small linguistic window into the dark humour of the trenches.