subs. (Australian).—A gold-digger working alone.
1881. A. BATHGATE, Waitaruna, p. 88. He is what they call a ‘HATTER,’ that is, he works alone.
1885. Chambers’s Journal, 2 May, p. 286. Some prefer to travel, and even to work, when they can get it, alone, and these are known to the rest as HATTERS.
1890. Illustrations, p. 158. The former occupant was what is known as a HATTER, i.e., a digger living by himself.
1890. MARRIOTT WATSON, Broken Billy. He was looked upon as a HATTER, that is to say, a man who has lived by himself until his brain has been turned.
WHO’S YOUR HATTER? phr. (streets’).—A catch-cry long out of vogue.
MAD AS A HATTER, phr. (colloquial).—Very mad.
1863. F. A. MARSHALL [Title of a farce]. MAD AS A HATTER.
