(colloquial) beats or defeats (someone or something) completely; is of much higher
quality or
value than. A cocked
hat was a
type of three-cornered
hat worn in the eighteenth century. It was made by folding the
edge of the round
hat worn in the seventeenth century into corners. The
phrase first meant to
change something completely and later to defeat someone or something completely.
—PDC Volume 5 Approved Glossary