Englishtalk through one's hat
Meaning: To speak without authority on some topic; to talk nonsense.
Example: “He's talking through his hat; he's never been to Peru.”
Equivalents in other languages
German: wie ein Blinder von der Farbe reden Literally: Like a blind man speaking of color
Polish: co ślina na język przyniesie Literally: Whatever saliva brings to the tongue
Origin: American slang from the late 1800s, with clear examples in print by the 1880s and 1890s, including in Stephen Crane's 1896 novel The Third Violet. No documented practice or real event connects the phrase to any actual hat-related behavior, and that absence appears to be the entire point: a hat sits well above a person's mouth, nowhere near where actual speech comes from, making "talking through" one deliberately, almost comically nonsensical as a literal image. The phrase describes speaking with false confidence about something the speaker doesn't actually understand, and its own manufactured absurdity mirrors exactly the kind of confidently delivered nonsense it's used to call out.
More English idioms
- talk to someone like a Dutch uncle To give someone frank, firm advice, as a caring relative would.
- tall order Something difficult to accomplish.
- tan someone's hide To spank a child's bottom as punishment.
- through thick and thin In good times and bad times; steadfastly and loyally.
- throw down the gauntlet To challenge someone to fight or argue.
- throw the book at someone To give someone the harshest penalty or punishment allowed by law, or to impose any sever…
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