ENGLISH
REFERENCE

black hat

idiom
Meaning

A villain in a story, especially in a Western (a film or other work of the Western genre).


Origin

disputed origin

From the black stetsons (cowboy hats) traditionally worn by such villains.

Examples
SIMPLE

The man in the black hat is the villain.

CONTEXTUAL

In the old movie, the hero faces off against the black hat who terrorizes the town.

COMPLEX

The director subverted expectations by casting the protagonist as a black hat, blurring the traditional lines between morality and malice.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    all hat and no cattle

    Full of big talk but lacking action, power, or substance; pretentious.

  2. 02

    all hat and no cowboy

    Full of big talk but lacking action, power, or substance; pretentious.

  3. 03

    black babies

    Third-world charities, the missions.

  4. 04

    black day

    A day of great disaster, misfortune or unhappiness.

  5. 05

    black gold

    Raw petroleum; crude oil.

  6. 06

    black mark

    Something that negatively affects someone's reputation.

  7. 07

    black market

    Trade that is in violation of restrictions, rationing, or price controls.

  8. 08

    black out

    To censor or cover up by writing over with black ink.

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