hat trick

[ hat trik ]

noun

1. Cricket. the knocking off by one bowler of three wickets with three successive pitches.
2. Ice Hockey, Soccer. three goals scored by one player in one game:

   He was the only athlete in our school’s history to achieve a hat trick in both hockey and soccer.

3. Baseball. three like feats executed by one player in one game, especially three home runs:

   In last night’s game, Marley performed a most unusual hat trick, with his three unassisted double plays.

4. a series of three related successes or accomplishments, especially when achieved one after the other and in close proximity:

   Once again, Kay won the blue ribbons for dill pickles, bread-and-butter pickles, and pickled beets—her annual pickle hat trick!

hat-trick

noun

1. cricket the achievement of a bowler in taking three wickets with three successive balls
2. any achievement of three points, victories, awards, etc within a given period, esp three goals scored by the same player in a soccer match

hat trick

1. In some sports, such as ice hockey, three goals by one player in a single game: “Lemieux scores for the third time tonight; he finally has the hat trick he's been looking for all season.”

Notes

The phrase originally referred to a hat traditionally given to a cricket player who scored three wickets, or goals.

By extension, a hat trick is an outstanding performance by an individual, or a particularly clever or adroit maneuver: “She pulled off a hat trick with her presentation to the committee.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of hat trick¹

First recorded in 1865–70; so called because formerly such a cricket bowler was rewarded with a hat

Idioms and Phrases

An extremely clever or adroit maneuver, as in It looked as though the party was going to achieve a hat trick in this election . The term originated in cricket, where it refers to three wickets taken by a bowler in three consecutive balls, traditionally rewarded with the presentation of a hat. It later was transferred to ice hockey, soccer, and baseball, where it denotes three consecutive successes (goals, hits), and then to more general use.

Example Sentences

Completing last term’s pro-Trump hat trick, Chief Justice Roberts led the way in coming up with a decision granting the president the kind of immunity from criminal prosecution available to no other citizen in the United States.

From Salon

Hat Trick Productions, which makes the British version of “Have I Got News for You” will produce the CNN adaptation.

From Los Angeles Times

As a writer and director, Peele’s mastery of the art of the tease has helped deliver a hat trick of era-defining, genre-scrambling hits — 2017’s “Get Out,” 2019’s “Us” and 2022’s “Nope” — that have collectively grossed more than $680 million at the global box office and earned three Oscar nominations and one win for original screenplay.

From Los Angeles Times

Mbappé’s resume features winning the World Cup at 19, a World Cup final hat trick at 23, seven French leagues, four French Cups, and a proven prowess for dominating games with his scoring ability.

From Seattle Times

Four years later, he was one of only two players in history to score a hat trick in a World Cup final when France fell to Messi’s Argentina.

From Seattle Times