Fraternity-Testvériség, 1960 (38. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1960-07-01 / 7. szám
26 FRATERNITY “MY HAT IS IN THE RING!” “My hat is in the ring;” That’s a phrase that has thrilled the American public for fifty years! Today it means only one thing: a politician has declared himself a candidate. In this election year, hats will fly into rings in every city, town and hamlet. Candidates will doff their Stetsons, ready to battle for the highest and lowest elective offices in the nation. Teddy Roosevelt popularized the expression for politicians in 1912, when he ran for president on the Progressive Party ticket. He was heading for Columbus, Ohio ... to address the convention . . . when news-hungry reporters stopped him in Cleveland. “Your friends want to know if you’re going to be a candidate”, they asked eagerly. He replied: “My hat is in the ring! The fight is on. I’m stripped to the buff.” Teddy Roosevelt, who taught Americans to “Speak softly and carry a big stick”, had given politicians another immortal expression. But Teddy didn’t coin the phrase “My hat is in the ring!” The old Rough Rider was familiar with cowboy slang, from which the expression derives. In the Wild West, a man volunteered to participate in a boxing match by literally throwing his hat into the ring.
