bell-topper

noun

bell-topper

noun

Etymology From bell, referring to its shape + topper (“top hat”).

1

Australia, Dated top hat; chimney-pot hat

  • “Now, you long ghost with the bell-topper, what did you pay for that coat? It's a Houndsditcher!” The sally was greeted with laughter from all who heard it.1903, William Craig (of Invercargill, N.Z.), My Adventures on the Australian Goldfields (page 11)
  • There was a surprise awaiting them at Tooraloo, for the moment they arrived two persons in bell-toppers and long-tailed coats ran out from behind a fence[.]1918, Norman Lindsay, The Magic Pudding, page 132:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.