knock into a cocked hat

ˈnɒk ˌɪntuː ə ˌkɒkt ˈhæt

2 definitions

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#1·3h ago

(transitive, originally, US, colloquial, dated) To beat up or seriously injure (a person); to badly damage (a thing).

Tho' I'll tell ye what, stranger, I'm none your mealy mouthed fellows, and I'm little jubus [dubious] that you're one of them there [[w:John Quincy Adams

Origin: A cocked hat is one with the brim turned up to form two or three points (a bicorn or tricorn). The may refer: * to someone or something being knocked or hit out of shape like such a hat, or a person having a cocked hat forced on to their head; or * to a person knocking down all but three pins in a game of ninepins, or to the similar game called “cocked hat” in which only three pins are set up in a triangle, although these may simply be allusions to the shape of a tricorn. It has been pointed out that evidence linking these games to the verb is lacking. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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#2·3h ago

(transitive, chiefly, Britain, colloquial, figuratively) To completely demolish, nullify, overthrow, or otherwise defeat (a person; an argument, idea, or proposition; or a thing).

I jumped up and told Tom a short horse was soon curried, and I'd knock him into a cocked-hat if he said another word. And that broke up the conversation.

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