To have multiple roles, responsibilities, or jobs, often simultaneously. Used to describe someone who performs various functions or duties.
This phrase emerged in the early 20th century from the literal practice of wearing different types of hats to signify different occupations or social roles. In earlier eras, hats were strong indicators of profession, status, and function in society.
The phrase perfectly captures modern work life where boundaries between roles blur constantly. Interestingly, it's one of the few idioms that became more relevant as society evolved - while we rarely wear literal occupational hats anymore, we metaphorically wear more 'hats' than ever before.
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