hatfish

English

Etymology 1

hat +‎ fish

Noun

hatfish (plural hatfish or hatfishes)

1. (colloquial) Synonym of halibut
   • 1885, PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY:

     hanawasutt: hatfish or halibut

   • 1917, Railroad Men - Volume 31, page 137:

     Noah didn't realize when he stayed on the job-he was then about 600 years old and built the ark and drove the animals in two by two, the hatfish and the kangaroo ——he didn't realize he was laying the foundation for an occupation for old men in New York, several years later.

   • 2002, Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide, page 11:

     My Side of the River is a meditation on a sport and a region, a song of praise to the natural wonders of the Catskills — an angling Mecca where brook trout hide in "medicine places," and where "hatfish" and "blueberry trout" can reward the patient fisher.

Etymology 2

Blend of hat +‎ catfish

Verb

hatfish (third-person singular simple present hatfishes, present participle hatfishing, simple past and past participle hatfished)

1. To hide one's bald spot or bad hair under a hat in a profile picture for online dating.
   • 2017 August 23, Ben Yakas, “Extra, Extra: Liam Gallagher Ranks His Own Haircuts”, in Gothamist:

     If you've never seen the top of your Tinder date's head, he may be hatfishing you.

   • 2017 October 24, Gary Ogden, “'Hatfishing' is yet another dating trend – are you guilty of it?”, in Shortlist:

     So basically, if you've got a great job, then fucking hatfish all you want - doesn't matter, Jean will be up for it!

   • 2018 February 10, Lady Marmelade, “Things you probably shouldn't mention on your Tinder profile”, in Gauntlet:

     Looks aren’t everything — until you get on this app, where looks just happen to be everything. Be yourself and be honest. Filters and angles can help you look your best, but catfishing and hatfishing are real things.

   • 2018 April 3, Brittany Wong, “If You're On A Dating App, Chances Are You've Been Hatfished”, in Huffington Post:

     The inclination to hatfish makes sense, given how sensitive men can be about their hair.

   • 2018 December 5, “'Fuckboy' Daniel Day-Lewis is a late entry for best look of 2018”, in Dazed:

     You know he ain't hatfishing – there's a glorious grey mane under that woolen number.