A hatcord or hat cord is a circular cord around a hat at the junction of the crown and the brim. It originally served to stabilize and hold the hat on the head and to prevent the hat material separating. A hat band fulfils a similar function. Hatcords sometimes come in imaginative fashion-oriented designs.
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In the Middle Ages, the hat cord was also used as a unit of measurement to control the thickness of water pipes. In order to save water, the water pipe was not allowed to be thicker than a hatcord. According to Duden, it is questionable that the German saying: Das geht (mir) über die Hutschnur ("That exceeds the hatcord [as far as I'm concerned]") meant das übersteigt das Maß des Erlaubten ("that exceed the permitted amount"). [1]
