To pull something out of the hat
Feifei has a nice surprise for Rob—tickets to see their favourite singer. It's an unexpected surprise but where did she get them from? Rob uses an expression which leads to some confusion. Maybe this programme will pull an explanation out of the hat?!
Feifei
Hello and welcome to The English We Speak. I'm Feifei and I'm waiting for Rob… I have some good news for him!
Rob
Oh hi Feifei. You're looking very pleased with yourself.
Feifei
Yes, I am. You know that new singer we really really like and wanted to go and see?
Rob
You mean Justin Timberriver?
Feifei
Yes him. And you know that his world tour is a sell-out—there are no tickets left?
Rob
Yes, sadly.
Feifei
Well, look at these!
Rob
Wow! Two tickets to see Justin Timberriver in London tomorrow! That's amazing, how did you manage to pull those out of the hat?
Feifei
Err Rob—I didn't pull them out of anyone's hat—I used my own money to buy them from a friend.
Rob
No Feifei—if you 'pull something out of a hat' it means you produce something unexpectedly—by surprise—and solves a problem.
Feifei
OK, I see! So these tickets are an unexpected surprise?
Rob
Yes—I thought we would never get any. Let's hear some more examples while I calm down!
Examples
We thought we'd never complete the project on time but somehow, Javeed managed to pull it out of the hat.
Our team has had a bad season but they still managed to pull a cup victory out of the hat by the end of it.
Feifei
So, if you pull something out of a hat, you do something that is not expected and it makes a bad situation better. You can also say 'to pull something out of thin air'. So it's like magic?
Rob
Yes. It's just like how a magician pulls a rabbit out of a hat—I don't suppose you could do that could you?
Feifei
No Rob. But maybe you could pull something out of the hat for me?
Rob
Oh, what's that?
Feifei
The tickets cost £100 each—could I have the money now please?
Rob
£100? Where am I going to find that?
Feifei
Look inside that silly hat you're wearing.
Rob
It's not silly.
Both
Bye!