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Thread: My hats off

  1. #1
    holbrookmotel is offline Newbie
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    Default My hats off

    Can a woman say to her man that "my hats off to a wonderful man"?

  2. #2
    Rover_KE is offline Moderator
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    Default Re: My hats off

    Welcome to the board, holbrookmotel.

    It's usually a man who raises his hat in appreciation or respect.

    A woman can say it, but in my experience she never would.

    Rover

  3. #3
    freezeframe is offline Key Member
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    Default Re: My hats off

    Quote Originally Posted by Rover_KE View Post
    Welcome to the board, holbrookmotel.

    It's usually a man who raises his hat in appreciation or respect.

    A woman can say it, but in my experience she never would.

    Rover
    Here in Canada, I would and do say it. While I'm aware of the origin of the phrase, I use it purely figuratively.

  4. #4
    Barb_D's Avatar
    Barb_D is offline Moderator
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    Default Re: My hats off

    I believe I usually just hear "Hats off..." but if the sentence were "My hats off" it should be with an apostrophe s -- My hat is off, My hat's off, not *My hats off.
    freezeframe likes this.
    I'm not a teacher, but I write for a living. Please don't ask me about 2nd conditionals, but I'm a safe bet for what reads well in (American) English.

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    freezeframe is offline Key Member
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    Default Re: My hats off

    The actual idiom is "hats off" = hat in plural.

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