“Hat Trick” Meaning, Origin and Examples

Last updated on October 17, 2024 by Liam Daniel

The term ‘hat trick’ is heard regularly in English conversation but what is the meaning of this saying? Let’s take a look at the answer to this question and find out how this term can be used in our day to day conversations. We will also look at where the term came from in the first place.

“Hat Trick” Meaning, Origin and Usage

Key Takeaways

  • The term “hat trick” originally comes from sports, particularly hockey and soccer, where it refers to a player scoring three goals in a single game. The phrase has since been adopted in other contexts to denote achieving three successes or completing three significant tasks or accomplishments.
Hat Trick
Hat Trick – Created by 7ESL

“Hat Trick” Meaning

The term “hat trick” originally comes from the sport of hockey and refers to a player scoring three goals in a single game. Over time, it has been adopted in other sports and contexts to describe any achievement of three successes or accomplishments in a row.

Examples:

  • “He scored a hat trick in the championship game, leading his team to victory.”
  • “She completed a hat trick of awards at the annual ceremony.”

Origin of This Idiom

Although the phrase is most commonly used in football (soccer) its roots can in fact be found in the game of cricket. In the 1800s during a game of cricket, a player cleared the wickets three times and his opponent then gave him his hat. As he did this, he said the words ‘that trick is worthy of a new hat’ and so the phrase was born.

Usage of “Hat Trick”

  • In a sports context:

“The forward scored a hat trick during the championship game, securing their team’s victory.”

  • Talking about achievements:

“After landing three major clients in one month, she celebrated her hat trick in sales.”

  • In a casual conversation about success:

“He managed to get a hat trick by finishing three projects ahead of schedule.”

  • During a discussion about a performance:

“The comedian pulled off a hat trick, making the audience laugh three times in a row with his jokes.”

Related Terms to “Hat Trick”

  • Triple – referring to three of something, often used in various contexts to indicate a set of three achievements.
  • Three-peat – a term used in sports to describe a team or individual winning three consecutive championships or titles.
  • Triad – a group or set of three related elements or achievements.
  • Triple play – in baseball, a play where three outs are made in one continuous action.
  • Trifecta – originally from horse racing, it refers to a situation where a person successfully predicts the first three finishers in a race, but has also come to mean achieving three successful outcomes in any endeavor.
  • Treble – in music, it refers to a threefold increase or three-part harmony, but can also denote three achievements in other contexts.
  • Threefold – indicating something that is three times as much or as many; can describe an increase or achievement.
  • Three’s company – a phrase suggesting a group of three, sometimes used in informal contexts to emphasize the significance of a trio.
  • Triple crown – a term used in various sports and competitions to describe winning three significant titles or awards.
  • Trinity – often used to describe a group of three closely related or interconnected things.

Other Ways to Say the Phrase

If you want to refer to the meaning of the term ‘hat trick; but using different wording, here are some examples of how you can do that.

  • A series of three
  • Triple goals

“Hat Trick” Examples

Examples in Statements

This is an example of a statement made by a sports reporter after a game of football.

  • ‘Ronaldo scored a hat trick during the first half of the game, it was incredible.’

Here is a statement made by a father about his son.

  • ‘Daniel scored a hat trick at the game today, the crowd went wild.’

Other examples:

  • Saunders scored a hat trick in the final game of the series.
  • Ted Gilmour was the star man for the B team, claiming a hat trick of victories.
  • Rocastle has got to do the business, score a hat trick or something.

Conversation Examples

The phrase ‘hat trick’ may appear in several conversations, here are some examples of how that might look.

The first conversation is between two people discussing a recent football match.

  • Person 1: “Did you see the football match last night?”
  • Person 2: “I did, it was one of the best games I have ever seen.”
  • Person 1: “I agree, when Messi scored the hat trick, I was lost for words.”

This is a conversation between two friends.

  • Person 1: “Are you still playing for your local football team?”
  • Person 2: “Yes I am and last week I scored a hat trick for the first time.”
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