bowler hat out en · VERB
Etymology
Reputed to be from the practice of turning Royal Air Force men out by giving them their bowler hat and telling them to go.
Meanings
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(UK, dated, qualifier:usually passive voice, slang) To eject (someone) from an organization.
"Bit of luck my being here," said the brigadier, with a smile, rather like a schoolboy who has done something and got away with it. "You see, I was bowler-hatted out there. Question of age. Then, when I came back they reconsidered things.
1946, Richard McMillan, Miracle Before Berlin:If an idea flopped, a subordinate would be bowler-hatted out of the gang; if the idea was successful, then it was Ted Donnell done it.
1958, P.H.H. Bryan, The Barford Cat Affair:Joe was bowler hatted out of the R.A.F. for misconduct.
His name was Bill Sulis and amazingly he had been bowler hatted out of the Royal Air Force for flying a monoplane upside down and pranging it.
1979, Oliver Reed, Reed All about Me: The Autobiography of Oliver Reed:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| bowler hats out | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| bowler hatting out | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| bowler-hat out | alternative | lexicographic | |
| bowler hatted out | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| bowler hatted out | Tense=Past | lexicographic |