1 into a cocked hat | Definition of into a cocked hat

into a cocked hat

idiom

Definition of into a cocked hat

old-fashioned, informal
1 US : into a state of confusion, ruin, etc. The discovery has knocked/thrown all our old assumptions into a cocked hat.
2 British used to say that one person or thing is much better than another The old design was good, but this new one knocks/beats it into a cocked hat.