When a gentleman "dons" his hat to leave or "doffs " his hat to a lady, his actions are being described by two British colloquialisms that come from contractions of the phrases "do on" meaning "to do", and the Middle English "doffen", which became "don off" meaning" to do off"! Hats are tipped, (or doffed) slightly lifting the hat off your forehead, when meeting a lady (remove your hat if you stop to talk), or to "say" to anyone, male or female – thank you, excuse me, hello, goodbye, you're welcome or how do you do.
当一位绅士戴上（dons）帽子离开，或向一位女士脱（doffs）帽，他的行为可以用两句英国口语形容来说明：“dons”是“do on”的缩写，意思是要去做，“doffs”是中古英语“doffen”的缩写，意思是去做完。见到女士时，稍稍举帽，（或）将帽轻微脱离前额（如果没有讲话就要摘去帽），或向任何男性或女性“说”谢谢你、对不起、嗨、再见、欢迎你或你好。
Tipping of the hat is a conventional gesture of politeness. This hat tipping custom has the same origin as military saluting, which came from the raising of medieval Knights face visors to show friendliness . Hats are worn less now, but at the turn of the 20th century, all adults wore hats whenever they left the house. It was a matter of good personal hygiene , since hats were a protection from industrial dirt.
稍稍举帽是传统的表达礼貌的姿态，这个风俗和军人敬礼一样来自中世纪，骑士将护面提高，以表示友好。现在很少人戴帽了，但在19、20世纪之交，无论何时离开屋子，所有的成年人都戴帽。这表示绅士讲究良好的个人卫生，因为帽可以隐藏个人的污垢。
