Throw your Hat in the Ring

What it means

Declare yourself a candidate or challenger, publicly enough that backing out would cost something.

Where it comes from

Prize fighters accepted a challenge by throwing a hat into the ring. Theodore Roosevelt used the line when announcing his candidacy in 1912, and politics has kept it since.

The puzzle it came from

Throw your Hat in the Ring was the answer to the Phrasicle of July 2, 2025. The clue read ____ your ____ in the ____, and the words came out of a grid where every neighbouring pair makes a two-word phrase.

Play today's Phrasicle Play the July 2, 2025 puzzle

Phrases like this one

• At the Drop of a Hat
• Keep it Under your Hat
• Ring a Bell
• Ring the Alarm
• Throw a Fit