seinen Hut nehmen

Meaning: To resign or quit from a position.

Language: German

Literally: to take one's hat

Category: Daily Life

Origin: Historically, removing one's hat was a gesture of farewell or closure; the phrase pictures someone literally taking their hat as they exit.

More idioms — Daily Life

More German idioms

From our untranslatable words

  • Drachenfutter — A peace-offering gift brought home to a partner after staying out too late or doing somet…
  • Verschlimmbessern — To make something worse in a well-intentioned attempt to improve it.
  • Sturmfrei — The liberating feeling of having the house entirely to yourself — when parents or a partn…

Browse all untranslatable words →

← Back to Idioms