Etymology of old-fashioned phrases: 'old hat'

[chicken]

The other day at work, I referred to some programming practice as being "old hat" and my co-worker didn't know what this meant.

I have frequently been caught using old-fashioned phrases that make me sound like someone's grandma. This is because my parents were born during/before the Depression, and had me when they were in their late 30's/early 40's. So they use(d) phrases and vocabulary that were popular during the Depression and during WWII (and well before, because they speak they way THEIR parents spoke, turn of the century).

However, I just don't feel that "old hat" is really so "old"-fashioned. It seems very ordinary to me. However, I have no frame of reference, because I grew up hearing things that sound normal to me, and weird to other people my age.

Do other people have a familiarity with this phrase?

Is it truly old-fashioned?

Comments

[vrya.livejournal.com]

My parents are from the same era as yours, so I'm probably not the best person to answer, but "old hat" sounds perfectly normal to me. Come on, people still wear hats, and like new things better than old things, how dated could the expression be? Not to mention pretty obvious in meaning from context... do we need to change it to "last year's i-pod" in order for the whipersnappers to get the idea?

[chicken-cem.livejournal.com]

last year's iPod! I imagine that might catch on ... :-)