The Bowler Hat Was Designed to Survive Low Branches
A bowler is a hat, a cricketer or a person who bowls. The hat was commissioned as protective headgear for gamekeepers.
A bowler is a hard felt hat with a rounded crown, and also anyone who bowls. The hat was made to order in 1849 for a British aristocrat who wanted gamekeepers protected from low branches while riding. It was designed by the Bowler brothers, hatters, and the story ends with the customer stamping on the prototype to check it held.
- A hard round hat. *A black bowler.*
- A cricketer who bowls. *A fast bowler.*
- Someone who plays bowls or bowling. *A ten-pin bowler.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | bowler | An opening bowler. |
| Plural | bowlers | Spin bowlers. |
| Verb | bowl | Bowl the over. |
| American hat name | derby | A brown derby. |
| Related | umpire | The umpire signalled. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The bowler took five wickets.Cricket.
- He wore a bowler and carried an umbrella.The City of London uniform for decades.
- Americans call it a derby.Same hat, different name.
Cricket bowling types
- Fast — pace and bounce
- Medium pace — accuracy and movement
- Off spin — turning the ball in to a right-handed batter
- Leg spin — turning it away
- Swing — the ball curving in the air rather than off the pitch
The hat is named after Thomas and William Bowler, who made the first one in 1849. The cricket sense comes from *bowl*, from Latin *bulla*, a bubble or round object.
Bowler or derby?
Bowler is British, derby American. The hat is the same, and both names date from the nineteenth century.
Why was the bowler invented?
To protect gamekeepers' heads from low branches while on horseback. It was commissioned as practical safety equipment.