Definition of "hardhat" [hardhat]

• A lightweight protective helmet, usually of metal or reinforced plastic, worn by workers in industrial settings. (noun)
• Informal A construction worker. (noun)
• Slang An ultraconservative. (noun)
• Slang An extremely patriotic person with a conventional, usually unquestioning sense of morality. (noun)
• Relating to heavy industry, construction, or demolition. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "He was wearing a big yellow helmet he thought of as a 'hardhat' and a fake moustache."
• "You're the one who chose to wear the 'hardhat' and make the hourly pay."
• "Beaming, the cows pull out a spade, a hardhat and an excavator."