My hats off

[holbrookmotel]

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

 

[Rover_KE]

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

 

[freezeframe]

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.

 

[Barb_D]

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]

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