What is a hat-trick?
Quick Answer
A hat-trick is when a single player achieves three successes in one game, such as three goals in football or three wickets in consecutive balls in cricket.
The Full Story
The term originated in cricket in the 1850s, when a bowler who took three wickets with three consecutive deliveries was rewarded with a hat. The earliest well-known example involves H. H. Stephenson, who took three wickets in three balls in 1858 and was given a hat bought with money collected from spectators. The phrase later spread to football, ice hockey and other sports to describe a player scoring three times in one game. In ice hockey, fans traditionally throw hats onto the ice to celebrate. A 'perfect hat-trick' in football means scoring with the left foot, right foot and head.
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