My father used to say this and I have inherited it. Love it and usually apply it to jobsworths. But where did it originate?
7 Answers
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I once heard an interview with Michael Caine, the English actor. He explained that when he was a lad in London in the 30s and 40s, some of the local toughs would sew razor blades into the bills of their hats to use as a weapon to slap others during fights. Out of that, claims Caine, came the phrase, if you can’t fight, wear a big hat.
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I heard a friend say it in the sixties. He was a bit the worse for drink and was approached by a policeman in the town centre who asked him to move on. He said “If you can’t fight wear a funny hat” I don’t know what happened after that as I ran away!!
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The only definite source I can find attributes it to George Santayana, the Spanish philosopher. That sounds a little tenuous to me. Probably the origin is not known, but the consensus seems to be that it’s a Spanish proverb. Do you have Spanish background?
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Never heard that one,and I have heard a lot of them.Good luck on finding out where it came from, and what does it mean,maybe your dad just said it because.
Sorry I couldn’t answer your question,but I had too say something about it. Again,good luck.
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It could be possibly be a Rounghead saying scorning Cavaliers !
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My dad also used to say this and I never really knew what he meant 🙂
His other classics were “suffering catfish” and ” well I ll go to the foot of the stairs”