|
Head
(Latin, caput; Saxon, hedfod; Scotch, hafet;
contracted into head.)
Better be the head of an ass than the tail of a horse.
Better be foremost amongst commoners than the lowest of the
aristocracy; better be the head of the yeomanry than the tail of the
gentry. The Italians say, “E meglio esser testa di luccio che coda
di sturione.”
He has a head on his shoulders. He is up to snuff (q.v.); he
is a clever fellow, with brains in his head. He has quite lost his
head. He is in a quandary or quite confused.
I can make neither head nor tail of it.
I cannot understand it at all. A gambling phrase. Men with héads
beneath the shoulders. (See Caora.)
Men without heads.
(See Blemmyes.)
Off one's head.
Deranged; delirious; extremely excited. Here “head” means
intelligence, understanding, etc. His intelligence or understanding has
gone away.
To bundle one out head and heels.
“Sans cérémonie, ” altogether. The allusion is to a custom
at one time far too frequent in cottages, for a whole family to sleep
together in one bed head to heels or pednamene, as it was termed
in Cornwall; to bundle the whole lot out of bed was to turn them out
head and heels.
To head off.
To intercept.
To hit the nail on the head.
You have guessed aright; you have done the right thing. The
allusion is obvious. The French say, “Vous avez frappé au but ”
(You have hit the mark); the Italians have the phrase, “Havete dato
in brocca ” (You have hit the pitcher), alluding to a game where a
pitcher stood in the place of Aunt Sally (q.v.). The Latin, “Rem acu tetigisti ” (You have touched the thing with a needle),
refers to the custom of probing sores.
To keep one's head above water.
To avoid bankruptcy. The allusion is to a person immersed in water;
so long as his head is above water his life remains, but bad swimmers
find it hard to keep their heads above water.
To lose one's head.
To be confused and middle-minded. To make head. To get on.
Head Shaved
(Get your). You are a dotard. Go and get your head
shaved like other lunatics. (See Bath.)
Thou thinkst that monarchs never can act ill,
Gey thy head shaved, poor fool, or think so still.
Peter Pindar: Ode Upon Ode.
Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894 More on Head from Infoplease:
- Edith Head - Head, Edith Head, Edith, 1907–81, American costume designer, b. Los Angeles, Calif. She began ...
- Bessie Head - Head, Bessie Head, Bessie, 1937–86, South African writer. Born in South Africa to a white ...
- pumpkin head: meaning and definitions - pumpkin head: Definition and Pronunciation
- playback head: meaning and definitions - playback head: Definition and Pronunciation
- Phillips head: meaning and definitions - Phillips head: Definition and Pronunciation
|
24 X 7
Private Tutor
|
24 x 7 Tutor Availability |
|
|
Unlimited Online Tutoring |
|
|
1-on-1 Tutoring |
|
Atlas
Encyclopedia
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Day in History
