hat trick

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

the achievement of three successes of the same kind within a single contest, performance, or defined period, most famously three goals scored by one player in a football or hockey match, or three wickets taken by one bowler in three consecutive deliveries in cricket; the phrase derives from the nineteenth-century cricket tradition of awarding a new hat to a bowler who took three wickets in three balls, a feat so rare it merited a special prize; in broader usage, a hat trick describes any three consecutive or closely associated achievements, from three wins in a row to three successful business deals; the phrase conveys both the rarity and the impressiveness of the triple achievement