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- big hat, no cattle
big hat, no cattle
big hat, no cattle
All talk and nothing to back it up. “Big hat” is the Western ten-gallon variety; the term is often applied to ranchers. On the theory that if you're going to wear one, you'd better be a cowboy and not just dress like one, you should be able to produce a head or more of livestock. If you couldn't, you were just full of hot air.