Meanings
present singular third person talks through one's hat · participle present talking through one's hat · participle past talked through one's hat · past talked through one's hat
- idiomaticTo speak lacking expertise, authority, or knowledge; to invent or fabricate facts.
"Mr. Pride said to me a moment ago that they spoke better English in Boston than any other place in the world." "Did he, though, Lady Lawless? That's good. Well, I guess he was only talking through his hat."
c. 1900, Gilbert Parker, At The Sign Of The EagleSynonyms: talk through one's ass
- idiomaticTo assert something as true or valid; to bluff.
No, sir, she yust standing pat, / And vonce more she tal her father, / “Yu ban talking tru yure hat!”
1905, “The Norsk Nightingale”, in Popular Mechanics, page 4781 more example
He's conceited and opinionative and argues all the time, even when he knows perfectly well that he's talking through his hat.
1922, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter 14, in Right Ho, Jeeves
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo speak lacking expertise, authority, or knowledge; to invent or fabricate facts.
More synonyms by meaning
verbspeak insincerely or without regard for facts or truths
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Attested from the late 19th century in the United States in the sense of “bluff”; the sense “speak without authority or knowledge” developed later. Although some people speculate a connection to a former requirement that British Members of Parliament wear hats, the connection is implausible.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Dutch lullen
- lullento speak lacking knowledge
Finnish puhua läpiä päähänsä, puhua vastoin parempaa tietoaan
- puhua läpiä päähänsäto speak lacking knowledge
- puhua vastoin parempaa tietoaanto bluff
French parler à travers son chapeau, parler à tort et à travers
- parler à travers son chapeauto speak lacking knowledge
- parler à tort et à traversto speak lacking knowledge
German keinen blassen Schimmer haben, wie der Blinde von der Farbe reden
- keinen blassen Schimmer habento speak lacking knowledge
- wie der Blinde von der Farbe redento speak lacking knowledge
- auf den Arm nehmento bluff
- einen Bären aufbindento bluff
- zum Narren haltento bluff
Polish mówić jak ślepy o kolorach
- mówić jak ślepy o kolorachto speak lacking knowledge
Spanish hablar por boca de ganso
- hablar por boca de gansoto speak lacking knowledge
Swedish prata i nattmössan
- prata i nattmössanto speak lacking knowledge
Cite this entry
talk through one's hat. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/talk%20through%20one's%20hat
“talk through one's hat.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/talk%20through%20one's%20hat. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “talk through one's hat,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/talk%20through%20one's%20hat.
Source: talk through one's hat on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.