knock something into a cocked hat 的意思是“把……打得不成样子,远胜于……”。比如:
- This design knocks everything else into a cocked hat.
这一设计令其他作品相形见绌。 - The lawyer knocked his opponent's story into a cocked hat.
律师把他的对手驳得体无完肤。
该表达可能出自九柱戏:其中三根小柱被放置成三角形,就像一个三角帽一样。如果除了三根小柱外,其他柱子全部被击倒,我们则可以说 the game could be said to have been knocked into a cocked hat,即局面十分不利。