Put One's Name In The Hat Meaning

Example : 1996, Lillian Smith, How Am I to Be Heard?: Letters of Lillian Smith, Margaret Rose Gladney (ed.), ISBN 9780807845806, p. 118:  [H]e would not embarrass his friends by running. So they rose up and put his name in the hat—which is exactly what I expected them to do.2006 May 14, Brian Wise, "A Free Ride at Yale? Where Do I Sign Up?," New York Times (retrieved 16 June 2011):  "Most students now think to themselves: ‘How can I not apply to Yale?’" he said. "You just have to put your name in the hat."2009 Oct. 17, "Astros interview ex-manager Garner for vacancy," USA Today (retrieved 16 June 2011):  "That's why I decided to put my name in the hat and see if there's a fit here."