On behalf of tsuwm - who no doubt will supply the etymology of the phrase as I've forgotten it - a hat trick being an English-English term for three consecutive events of some significance. Examples are an individual player getting 3 goals in a single match, a cricketer (bowler) getting three people out off consecutive balls, a team winning three matches in a row etc. A player or team is said to be "on a hat trick" if they've completed two events and have the potential to complete the third.

I think tsuwm is using the term moreso for its "pun-itive" value.

stales