Q&A
Why do we say ‘throw my hat in the ring’?
• SHORT ANSWER
There really was a hat and a ring
• LONG ANSWER
The phrase, an intention to take up a challenge, tends to be used by politicians. It has also been adopted as the motto of the US 94th Fighter Squadron. Yet it didn’t come from politics or air forces, but sports. Amateur boxers in the early 19th century declared they were ready for a bout by literally throwing their hat into the roped-off ring. The earliest-known mention comes from The Sporting Magazine in 1805: “Belcher appeared confident of success, and threw his hat into the ring, as an act of defiance to his antagonist.”