head spacen.
/ˈhɛd ˌspeɪs/, U.S. /ˈhɛd ˈspeɪs/ 1. An empty space or margin at the top of a page, column, etc.; spec. one on ruled paper. Cf. head n.1 32a.
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1804 Edinb. Weekly Jrnl. 5 Dec. 1/3 (advt.) Each partition can be Ruled in a different manner, with distinct Head Spaces, which gives unusual neatness to the Book, and saves much labour and expence.
1909 H. P. Gillette & R. T. Dana Cost Keeping & Managem. Engin. viii. 191 The pages are ruled with a column at the left for the date, then a head space for the description of the order. Beyond this is a column for the order number.
1929 Type Faces (Frederic Nelson Philips) 521/2 The space left at the top of pages, for margin, is called head space, while that left between pages, for binding, is termed gutter space.
1990 in J. S. Cotter Coll. Poems 106 The ring-binder manuscripts are in what remains of a two-ring binder, written in pencil on both sides of ten leaves of blue-ruled white paper (236.5 x 188 mm, 25 mm head space).
2. Space or clearance overhead; = headroom n. 2a.
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the world > space > [noun] > unobstructed space > for passing or being clear of something > overhead
head heighta1652
headway1735
headroom1762
head space1856
1856 Belfast News-Let. 24 Sept. 4/6 Passengers being all accommodated on the main 'tween decks, which has a head space of fully nine feet from floor to beam.
1887 Inst. Mech. Engineers: Proc. 453 These centre divisions have a clear head space of 27 feet.
1912 C. Hose et al. Pagan Tribes of Borneo I. v. 55 The roof itself is low, giving little head space.
1965 Pop. Sci. Mar. 143/1 The collar beams in your attic may be so low that there doesn't seem to be sufficient headspace to add a room.
1986 Ebony May 165/1 The majestic entrance..features doors with plenty of head space to spare for the athlete's 7-foot-2 frame.
2011 West Austral. (Perth) (Nexis) 28 Dec. 4 The station wagon has extra headspace over the back seat due to its extended roofline.
3. Firearms. The distance from the breech face to the part of the chamber that prevents further forward motion of the cartridge as a gun is fired.Insufficient head space can cause difficulty with placing the cartridge in the chamber; excessive head space can cause the cartridge to crack or rupture on firing.
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1895 Ann. Rep. Chief Ordinance to U.S. Secretary War 1894 18 By making a slight change in the head space of the rifle in connection with variations in the primer manufacture, the primers now made by the Department are fairly satisfactory for the .30-caliber rifle.
1951 Pop. Mech. Apr. 256/2 The result is more constant ‘head space’, the old bugaboo of almost any type of firearm.
1975 Field & Stream Nov. 121/2 (advt.) Naturally, closer head space tolerance means greater accuracy.
2009 Law Enforcem. Technol. (Nexis) June 76 The floating bolt aids in a more consistent cartridge placement in the chamber, minimizing the headspace.
4.
a. The gas or empty space above the contents of a sealed container.
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1912 H. A. Baker in Orig. Comm. 8th Internat. Congr. Appl. Chem. 18 39 The gases in the head space of these ‘Springers’ [sc. cans] are never more than three; Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen and Hydrogen.
1964 Radiation Res. 22 23 Anoxia was produced by passing purified tank nitrogen through the headspace of the irradiation flasks.
1989 M. Kramer Making Sense of Wine ii. 38 Oxygen comes from three sources: the headspace found in nearly every barrel or cask; the topping-up procedure,..and racking.
2011 Gazette (Montreal) (Nexis) 5 Oct. c2 Pour the jelly into hot jars, leaving a ¼-inch (6 mm) head space.
b. A technique for determining the chemical compounds responsible for a particular odour, in which a flower, fruit, etc., is sealed in a jar and the surrounding air extracted for further analysis. Usually attributive, esp. in headspace technology.
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1994 South China Morning Post (Hong Kong) 10 Oct. 23/2 A new sort of fragrance, which is extracted from fruits (such as peaches and raspberries) and flowers, and created with a novel technique called ‘headspace’ technology.
2006 L. Turin Secret of Scent 57 The field of floral smells has been revolutionized in recent years by the invention of a technology called ‘headspace’ or ‘living flower’.
2011 Vogue (Nexis) Nov. 198 The cool relief of its..calm-inducing scent—captured from an endangered South American Laelia flower using headspace technology.
5. colloquial.
a. Originally North American. A (temporary) state of mind; a mindset. Frequently with in.
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the mind > mental capacity > disposition or character > [noun] > state of mind
intentc1386
mindc1460
spiritc1480
head space1972
mind frame1982
1972 Lethbridge (Alberta) Herald 26 July 35/4 They're used to having people who..groove on their own on stage, and if the audience is in the same head space, they get off on it.
1977 Amer. Motorcyclist Dec. 42/3 I was really in kind of a bad head space because I knew I didn't need to win.
1995 Evening Post (Wellington, N.Z.) 30 Sept. 13 The..show's depiction of the issue, emphasising the different headspaces of trampers and bikers, angered some bikers.
2012 K. Hubbard Wanderlove i. 7 We just don't think you're in the right headspace to take a trip.
b. Space or time to think or to be free from mental pressures.
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the mind > mental capacity > thought > [noun] > time for thinking
thinking time1668
thinking-while1668
thought life1855
head space1989
1989 Sunday Mail (Queensland) 25 June (TV Scene) 9/3 Tom found it hard to adjust to society when he came home from Africa. He needed some head space.
1993 B. Hampton Prisons & Women iv. 76 You can't lock your own door, you can't shut them out... You had no privacy, no head space.
2003 R. Cusk Lucky Ones iv. 152 Josephine had said she needed some head space.
2010 Irish Independent (Nexis) 22 Nov. Did he need some head-space before he faces into our coldest winter of discontent?
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, June 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1804