Street voices
Michael
·
United States
"Beanie is a type of snow hat, usually wool, something you would wear on a winter's day. For example, hey, it's snowing outside, don't forget to wear your beanie."
What it means
A beanie is that close-fitting knitted hat you pull on when it's proper cold and your ears are getting bullied by the weather. It's everyday winter kit across the US and plenty of other English-speaking places. Nothing fancy, just warm head, sorted life. You chuck one on for snow, wind, or a full bad-hair emergency.
Usage examples
"Yo, grab your beanie before we head out, it is snowing hard and that wind downtown is trying to slap everybody awake."
"The first frost hit overnight, so he dug out the chunky beanie his gran knitted and wore it pulled down over his eyebrows."
"It's freezing out, mate, stick your beanie on before your ears file a complaint."
"She rocked up in an oversized beanie and a hoodie, looking cosy as hell and fully unbothered."
"It's brassic out, I'm not stepping outside without my beanie unless you want to see my ears give up."
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Where it comes from
Beanie is recorded in American English from the early 1900s. The name links back to bean, a long-running slang word for head. It first got used for small close-fitting caps, then widened into the modern sense people know now, a soft knitted hat that sits snug on your head in cold weather.
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