headn.¹

Brit.

/hɛd/, U.S.

/hɛd/

Forms: early Old English heasdes (Mercian, genitive singular, transmission error), Old English eafd- (inflected form, rare), Old English hæafd- (inflected form, rare), Old English hæfad- (inflected form, rare), Old English hafod (rare), Old English hafud- (in compounds, rare), Old English heafu (Northumbrian, transmission error), Old English heafut (Northumbrian, rare), Old English heafvd (rare), Old English hefid- (Northumbrian, in compounds), Old English heofd- (inflected form, rare), Old English heofed (rare), Old English heofud (Anglian), Old English heouod (rare), Old English hiafd- (inflected form, rare), Old English (rare)–early Middle English eafod, Old English (rare)–early Middle English hæfd- (inflected form), Old English (rare)–early Middle English hæfod, Old English (rare)–early Middle English heafad, Old English–early Middle English heafd- (inflected form), Old English–early Middle English heafed, Old English–early Middle English heafod, Old English (rare)–early Middle English heafoð, Old English (chiefly Anglian)–early Middle English heafud, Old English (rare)–early Middle English heauod, Old English (rare)–early Middle English hefd- (inflected form), Old English–early Middle English heofod, late Old English hæafud- (in compounds), late Old English hæuod, late Old English hauud, late Old English heæfd- (inflected form), late Old English heæfed, late Old English heæfod, late Old English heafð- (inflected form), late Old English (early Middle English in copy of Old English charter) æfd- (inflected form), late Old English (early Middle English in copy of Old English charter) hefod, late Old English–early Middle English hæued, late Old English–early Middle English heafd, late Old English–early Middle English heuod, late Old English–Middle English heaued, late Old English–Middle English hefd, early Middle English eaued, early Middle English eueth (in a Latin text), early Middle English eved, early Middle English hæfd, early Middle English hæfed, early Middle English hæfedd ( Ormulum), early Middle English hæfet, early Middle English hæffod (in copy of Old English charter), early Middle English hæfued, early Middle English hæhued, early Middle English hæuet, early Middle English hafd- (inflected form), early Middle English hafed, early Middle English hafedd ( Ormulum), early Middle English hafot, early Middle English hafued, early Middle English haphed (in a place name), early Middle English hauod, early Middle English heafet, early Middle English heafeð, early Middle English heafoded (probably transmission error), early Middle English heaheafde (plural, transmission error), early Middle English heauet, early Middle English heaueð, early Middle English heauot (in a Latin text), early Middle English heawed, early Middle English hefad (in copy of Old English charter), early Middle English hefet, early Middle English hefued, early Middle English heofd (in copy of Old English charter), early Middle English heueed, early Middle English heuet, early Middle English heueð, early Middle English hevod (in copy of Old English charter), early Middle English hewid, early Middle English hewit, early Middle English hued, Middle English efd, Middle English eued, Middle English hade, Middle English haued, Middle English haved, Middle English havede, Middle English heafodde (in copy of Old English charter), Middle English heauede, Middle English heauyd (in copy of Old English charter), Middle English heedd, Middle English hef, Middle English hefde, Middle English hefed, Middle English hefede, Middle English heifd (northern), Middle English heried (transmission error), Middle English het, Middle English heud, Middle English heue, Middle English heued, Middle English heuede, Middle English heuid, Middle English heuyd, Middle English heved, Middle English hevede, Middle English hevid, Middle English hevyd, Middle English hewed, Middle English hewede, Middle English hewyd, Middle English heyd (chiefly north-east midlands and northern), Middle English heyde (chiefly north-east midlands and northern), Middle English hide, Middle English hied (northern), Middle English hiede (northern), Middle English hiued, Middle English hude (northern, perhaps transmission error), Middle English hyfdes (plural), Middle English (1700s North American) had, Middle English–1500s hedd, Middle English–1500s hedde, Middle English–1500s heed, Middle English–1500s heede, Middle English (chiefly northern)–1500s (1900s– Irish English (northern)) heid, Middle English–1600s hede, Middle English–1600s (1800s Irish English (Wexford)) heade, Middle English–1700s hed, Middle English– head, late Middle English heuesde (transmission error), 1500s ede, 1500s ȝaed, 1500s headde, 1500s heydd, 1600s headd, 1800s 'ed (nonstandard), 1800s ed (nonstandard), 1800s haade (Irish English (Wexford)), 1800s ned (nonstandard), 1800s– 'ead (nonstandard), 1800s– ead (nonstandard); English regional 1700s– had, 1700s– yead, 1800s haid, 1800s hede (northern), 1800s heoad (Lancashire), 1800s heyde, 1800s hidd (East Anglian), 1800s– ad (chiefly midlands), 1800s– 'eead, 1800s– hade, 1800s– hed, 1800s– heead, 1800s– heeade, 1800s– heed, 1800s– heid (northern), 1800s– hid (East Anglian), 1800s– hod (Worcestershire), 1800s– hud, 1800s– yed, 1800s– yedd, 1800s– yeead, 1800s– yud, 1900s– yod (Worcestershire); U.S. regional (southern, chiefly in African-American usage) 1800s hade, 1800s– haid, 1900s– hai'd; Scottish pre-1700 ed, pre-1700 hade, pre-1700 haed, pre-1700 heade, pre-1700 hed, pre-1700 hede, pre-1700 heidd, pre-1700 heide, pre-1700 heuit, pre-1700 heved, pre-1700 hevid, pre-1700 hevyd, pre-1700 hevyde, pre-1700 hewid, pre-1700 hewide, pre-1700 hewit, pre-1700 hewyd, pre-1700 hewyde, pre-1700 heyd, pre-1700 1700s– head, pre-1700 1700s– heed, pre-1700 1700s– heid /hid/, pre-1700 1800s haid, 1700s hide, 1800s hehd (north-eastern).

Origin: A word inherited from Germanic.

Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian hāved , hād , Old Saxon hōvid (Middle Low German hȫvet ), Middle Dutch hōvet , hooft (Dutch hoofd ), Old High German houbit (Middle High German houbet , German Haupt ), Old Icelandic haufuð , Gothic haubiþ , apparently reflecting a variant or alteration (see note) of the Germanic base of Old Icelandic hǫfuð , Norn (Shetland) huge , Old Swedish hovudh , hovuþ (Swedish huvud ), Old Danish hovæth (Danish hoved ), Old Gutnish hafuþ < the same Indo-European base as classical Latin capit- , caput (see caput n.), probably < a base meaning ‘cup, vessel’; further etymology uncertain, perhaps < the Indo-European base of classical Latin capere to take, lift (see capture n. and compare heave v.); compare (with different suffix) Sanskrit kapāla cup, skull. With the semantic development from ‘cup, vessel’ to ‘head’ compare French tête (see tête n.) and German Kopf (see cop n.² and the discussion at that entry), both now only in sense ‘head’; compare cop n.¹ The diphthongized base seen in the West Germanic and some other forms probably shows secondary influence from another word; suggestions for this include the Germanic base of houve n. and the Germanic base of eye n.¹ Old English inflection. In Old English usually a strong neuter; a strong masculine accusative plural hēafdas is attested once. The word sometimes appears to show dative plural hēafdum in singular sense, especially in locative function, as in the phrase æt hēafdum . Similar constructions are occasionally found in Old High German and Old Icelandic. The origin of such forms is uncertain and disputed. It has been suggested that they reflect an old instrumental singular form or a former dual, but they may also have arisen secondarily in contexts such as quot. OE at sense 18a and be influenced by the dative plural ending of fōtum feet, with which the word is often paired or contrasted. The form hēafdum in quot. lOE² at sense 38a may also represent such a locative form, but the later use of the plural in sense 38a is probably unconnected. Old English forms. In Old English the word usually shows the long diphthong ēa in the first syllable, the regular reflex of Germanic au ; occasional forms such as heofud occur especially in Anglian sources in which the graphic distinction between the diphthongs ēa and ēo is not always clearly maintained. Forms such as hæfod, hafod, showing a monophthong in the first syllable, are occasionally attested, and have sometimes been interpreted as showing the reflex of Germanic a , but they are rare and relatively late. Late Old English forms such as hæfod in particular clearly reflect monophthongization of the earlier diphthong rather than an inherited monophthong. The vowel of the second syllable (originally u , in West Saxon usually o ) is liable to syncope in inflected forms, but also to analogical restoration; the precise phonological history is complex and disputed, and subject to much dialectal and diachronic variation (see further R. M. Hogg & R. D. Fulk Gram. Old Eng. (2011) II. §§3.56–7, 3.63–6, 3.72). In late Old English shortening in the first syllable is liable to occur both in trisyllabic inflected forms such as genitive singular hēafodes , nominative plural hēafodu , and also in disyllabic forms before the consonant group, such as hēafdes , hēafdu . Later form history. The Middle English forms show reflexes of both long and shortened vowels, the latter further reinforced by shortening of long open ē (or its reflex) before d (after loss of the intervening fricative) in late Middle English or early modern English (compare e.g. bread n., dead adj., red adj., etc.). Older Scots did not share the tendency to shorten open ē in this environment, and the usual modern form heid reflects a long vowel (subsequently shortened by the operation of Aitken's Law). The form ned at Forms shows metanalysis (see N n.). Notes on specific senses. Compare post-classical Latin caput (see caput n.) and also Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French chief , chef (see chief n.), which have a similar semantic range. With sense 6 compare Anglo-Norman teste head of a stag, antlers (both first half of the 14th cent.). Earlier currency of this sense is perhaps shown by the following Old English gloss of post-classical Latin brunda , an obscure word, probably of Messapian origin, meaning ‘head (or perhaps antlers) of a deer’. The ultimate source of the gloss is Isidore ( Origines 15. 1. 49), who cites brunda (which he considers a Greek word) as etymon of the classical Latin name of Brundisium (now Brindisi): ‘Brundisium autem dictum [est] Graece quod brunda caput cervi dicatur,’ ‘Brundisium is so called in Greek because brunda is the head of a deer.’ The word is glossed elsewhere both as ‘head of a deer’ and ‘antlers of a deer’ (with the latter compare the Middle English quots. below); it is impossible to know which sense was uppermost in the mind of the Anglo-Saxon glossator:OE Antwerp-London Gloss. (2011) 48 Brunda, heortes heafod.?c1475 Catholicon Anglicum (BL Add. 15562) f. 61 A harthorne, brunda, cornu cerui.?c1475 Catholicon Anglicum (BL Add. 15562) f. 65 A Horne, brunda..cornu. With sense 17 compare Old English hēafodlic headly adj. in its rare sense ‘situated at the top’, attested only with reference to the architrave or capital of a column (compare sense 19g). With use in reference to columns perhaps compare also the following attestation of the Old English compound hēafodstōl (compare head-stool n. at Compounds 4), ostensibly glossing post-classical Latin capitella , plural of capitellum capital of a column (see capitellum n.), although the gloss is perhaps more likely to reflect confusion of post-classical Latin capitellum with classical Latin capitōlium Capitol n.: eOE Cleopatra Gloss. in W. G. Stryker Lat.-Old Eng. Gloss. in MS Cotton Cleopatra A.III (Ph.D. diss., Stanford Univ.) (1951) 97 Capitella, heafedstol. With sense 32a compare Old English (Northumbrian) hēafodweard chapter, heading (see headward n.²). With senses 40a and 41 (and the related place names discussed below) compare pen n.¹ and its Brittonic etymon. With sense 54 compare Anglo-Norman a bon chef to a successful conclusion, a mal chef to an unfavourable conclusion, to a bad end (both late 12th cent.), etc., and the expressions cited at to bring to a head at Phrases 4b and to come to a head at Phrases 4c. Use in place names. The word is attested in place names in a number of senses, including ‘upper end of a valley’ (compare sense 37), ‘source of a stream’ (compare sense 38), and ‘headland of a field’ (compare sense 39). However, a significant number of early place names appear to show the word as second element in sense ‘projecting piece of ground’ (compare branch II.**); this use differs both from later sense 40a (‘promontory, cape’) in that it is not typically found in coastal areas, and from later sense 41 (‘summit’) in that it does not seem to refer to the highest part of a hill, but chiefly to hill-spurs and the like; compare e.g. Dunehefde , Somerset (1086, now Downhead), Duneheve , Wiltshire (1086; also to Dunheafdan in a 13th-cent. copy of a charter of 955; now Donhead), names probably to be interpreted as meaning ‘projecting end of a hill’ (compare down n.¹ 1). This sense of the word is not well attested in lexical use, although compare early Middle English westhēafod (c1155) in sense ‘western end of a hill’ in late copies of Anglo-Saxon charters; perhaps compare also the Old English phrase hlinces hēafod (and similar collocations, e.g. hlinces ende ) in charter bounds, probably in sense ‘end of a ridge or terrace’ (compare link n.¹, linch n.²). An unusually high proportion of place names of this type have the name of an animal as the first element; comparison of the shape of the hill-spur with the shape of the animal's head is probably sometimes implied, although other kinds of association between animal and hill are also possible. (An earlier theory connecting such names with early Anglo-Saxon practices of animal sacrifice is now usually discounted.) See discussion in M. Gelling & A. Cole Landscape of Place-names (2000) 175–6. Compare e.g. Gateshevet, Durham (1144–53, although earlier currency is implied by Bede's Latin translation as Ad Caprae Caput (731); now Gateshead), and compare also the following: OE Farm Accounts, Ely in A. J. Robertson Anglo-Saxon Charters (1956) 252 Twegen or[an wæ]ron to scipe & to net[tum] to Fearresheafde [i.e. present-day Farcet].OE Bounds (Sawyer 1329) in D. Hooke Worcs. Anglo-Saxon Charter-bounds (1990) 290 Of cynelde weorðe swa on þære lytlan mædwe, swa on swines heafde [i.e. present-day Swinesherd].

I. Senses relating to the part of the body.

* The literal sense, and directly connected uses.

a. The uppermost part of the body of a human, or the front or uppermost part of the body of an animal, typically separated from the rest of the body by a more or less distinct neck, and containing the brain, mouth, eyes, nose, and ears.

(a) With reference to humans.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > [noun]

nolleOE

headOE

topa1225

copc1264

scalpa1300

chiefc1330

crownc1330

jowla1400

poll?a1400

testea1400

ball in the hoodc1400

palleta1425

noddle?1507

costard?1515

nab?1536

neck1560

coxcomb1567

sconce1567

now1568

headpiece1579

mazer1581

mazardc1595

cockcomb1602

costrel1604

cranion1611

pasha1616

noddle pate1622

block1635

cranium1647

sallet1652

poundrel1664

nob1699

crany?1730

knowledge box1755

noodle1762

noggin1769

napper1785

garret1796

pimple1811

knowledge-casket1822

coco1828

cobbra1832

coconut1834

top-piece1838

nut1841

barnet1857

twopenny1859

chump1864

topknot1869

conk1870

masthead1884

filbert1886

bonce1889

crumpet1891

dome1891

roof1897

beanc1905

belfry1907

hat rack1907

melon1907

box1908

lemon1923

loaf1925

pound1933

sconec1945

nana1966

OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: John xiii. 9 Non tantum pedes meos sed et manus et caput : ne þæt an foet mino ah eæc ða hond & þæt heafut [OE Rushw. heofod, OE West Saxon Gospels: Corpus Cambr. heafod].

OE Cynewulf Juliana 295 Ic Herode in hyge bispeop [read bisweop] þæt he Iohannes bibead heafde biheawan.

a1200 (?OE) MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 205 (MED) He..hadde þornene helm uppen his holi hafde.

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 800 He gurde Suard on þat hæfd.

c1300 (?c1225) King Horn (Cambr.) (1901) l. 641 (MED) Þat heued i þe bringe Of þe maister kinge.

c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 398 Corineus..smot him anowarde þat heued [c1425 Harl. hed].

c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Matt. v. 36 Neither thou shalt swere by thin heued.

1450 W. Lomnor in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 36 Oon of the lewdeste of the shippe badde hym ley down hys hedde.

a1475 (?a1430) J. Lydgate tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Life Man (Vitell.) 12755 Hyr Eyen royllynge in hyr hed, Hyr fface colouryd was lyk led.

1535 Bible (Coverdale) Mark vi. 24 Ihon baptistes heade.

1546 J. Heywood Dialogue Prouerbes Eng. Tongue ii. vii. sig. K^v God sende that hed (saied she) a better nurs. For whan the hed aketh, all the body is the wurs.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) iii. ii. 35 Keepe a good tongue in your head .

1655 T. Fuller Church-hist. Brit. ii. 109 They pour not water upon the Heads of Infants, but immerge them in the Font.

1726 J. Swift Gulliver I. ii. viii. 163 I had like to have gotten one or two broken Heads for my Impertinence.

1752 London Mag. Dec. 556/2 They beat their heads and tore their hair.

1824 C. M. Sedgwick Redwood II. xx. 135 [She] averted her head to conceal her blushes and her tears.

1859 ‘G. Eliot’ Adam Bede II. iv. xxvii. 233 He'd leave his head behind him, if it was loose.

1900 Internat. Monthly 1 239 People of short stature, with rounded heads and dark hair.

a1935 W. Holtby South Riding (1936) viii. iii. 536 His pulses were leaping, his head ached, his whole body trembled in an ague.

1971 Daily Tel. 4 Mar. 15/4 A cashier who tried to ‘have a go’ was hit on the head with a gun butt.

2010 New Yorker 20 Sept. 102/2 The driver was wearing a helmet, while his passenger merely held hers over her head.

(b) With reference to animals.

ΚΠ

eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Otho) (2009) I. xxiii. 490 Ða sceolde cuman ðære helle hund ongean hine, þæs nama wæs Cerueruerus [read Ceruerus], se sceolde habban þrio heafdu.

OE Ælfric Old Eng. Hexateuch: Gen. (Claud.) iii. 15 God cwæð to ðære næddran:..heo tobrytt ðin heafod [L. caput tuum] & ðu syrwst ongean hire ho.

lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) anno 1012 Hine þa þær oftorfodon mid banum & mid hryðera heafdum[OE Tiber. B. iv hryþera neata heafedum].

a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 3151 Ilc man..Heued and fet [of roasted lamb]..Lesen fro ðe bones, and eten.

a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) i. l. 1536 He his horse heved aside Tho torneth.

a1450 in T. Austin Two 15th-cent. Cookery-bks. (1888) 9 Take fayre garbagys of chykonys, as þe hed, þe fete, þe lyuerys.

1587 J. Hooker Chron. Ireland 157/1 in Holinshed's Chron. (new ed.) II The great & venomous hydra was thus shortened of one of his heds.

1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 219 It is said..that if the head of a wolfe be hanged vp in a doue-cote, neither cat, Ferret, weasil, Stoate, or other noysome beast dare to enter therein.

1676 London Gaz. No. 1143/4 A little motled Bitch, with yellow motles from head to toe.

1737 J. Brickell Nat. Hist. N.-Carolina 168 The Tobacco-worm..has two sharp horns on its Head.

1769 T. Pennant Brit. Zool. (new ed.) III. iv. 249 This species is in some places called the bull trout, from the thickness and shortness of its head.

1810 A. von Sack Voy. Surinam App. 263 The bird is of a yellow colour; the head is ornamented with a comb of feathers.

1888 G. Rolleston & W. H. Jackson Forms Animal Life (ed. 2) 333 Coelomata... A shorter anterior region or head which is preoral, and a longer postoral region, the body.

a1933 J. A. Thomson Biol. for Everyman (1934) I. ii. 26 The head begins to come into its own for the first time in some of the bristle-footed marine worms.

1966 W. Percy Last Gentleman v. iv. 267 The dogs stuck their heads out the windows, grinning and splitting the wind.

1998 S. Lawrence Montenegro 108 He noted the thickness of the serpent, and the evil triangle of its head: a viper, no doubt.

2000 P. Moore Full Montezuma (2001) vii. 100 Our dog Sally would bail them [sc. snakes] up and I'd cut off their heads with a shovel.

(c) figurative and in figurative contexts.Mainly in fixed phrases: see, for example, to bury (or hide) one's head in the sand at sand n.² 2d, to raise one's head above the parapet at parapet n. 1, to rear its (ugly) head at rear v.¹ 13e.

ΚΠ

OE Blickling Homilies 33 Cuþ is þæt se awyrgda gast is heafod ealra unrihtwisra dæda, swylce unrihtwise syndon deofles leomo.

OE Ælfric Homily (Cambr. Ii.4.6) in J. C. Pope Homilies of Ælfric (1967) I. 488 Se Hælend..astah þa ana, ac him æfter fyligdon his agene lima [i.e. the saints], up to ðam Heafde [i.e. Christ].

1563 N. Winȝet Certain Tractates (1890) II. 29 The auctoritie of the apostolik pouer put out the heid sua, that with maist hie seueritie it decretit.

1597 J. Norden Mirror of Honor 15 Let the two edged sword of faith and obedience cut off the head of sin in the head, that it may dye in the members.

1616 P. Simson Short Compend Hist. First Ten Persecutions III. viii. 152 This opinion of Transsubstantiation did no sooner put out its head, but assoone also contradiction was made vnto it.

1682 T. Otway Epil. Venice Preserv'd (single sheet) From the filthy Dunghil-faction bred, New-form'd Rebellion durst rear up its head.

a1752 T. Fitzgerald Winter's Evening in Poems (1781) 79 From the Year are all its Honours fled, And dull November rears his gloomy Head.

1865 P. H. Gosse Land & Sea 5 An envious sea curled up its green head right over the quarter.

1883 London Bicycle Club Gaz. 12 July 156/2 Rayleigh Hill, which has long defied the attempts of all Essex men, has at length been compelled to lower its head beneath the triumphant wheel of our Captain.

1905 J. B. Bury Life St. Patrick iii. 51 Their [sc. the heretics'] doctrine was compelled to hide its head in Britain for a few years to come.

1952 C. Day Lewis tr. Virgil Aeneid iv. 77 Rumour..soon puffs itself up, And walking upon the ground, buries its head in the cloud-base.

2005 D. Plotz Genius Factory ix. 167 As AID [= artificial insemination by donor] became more common..it started to poke its head out into the open.

b. The size or extent of a head used as a rough unit of measurement.

(a) In expressions indicating relative height, esp. as compared to the height of a particular person or of people in general, as taller by a (also the) head, etc.Cf. also head and shoulders at Phrases 3o(a)(ii) and to make shorter by a head at Phrases 6a.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > bodily height > [noun] > measurement used in

headc1400

the world > life > the body > bodily height > [adjective]

statureda1460

taller by a (also the) head1788

statural1968

c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 333 Þe stif mon hym bifore stod vpon hyȝt, Herre þen ani in þe hous by þe hede & more.

1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Kings x. E Whan he stode amonge the people, he was hygher by the heade then all the people.

1598 W. Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost v. i. 41 Thou art not so long by the head as honorificabilitudinitatibus.

?1624 T. Scott Vox Dei 5 A tall proper man, higher by the head then the common sort.

1663 A. Gray Great & Precious Promises vi. 139 That idol of self indulgence..is as Saul, the head higher then the rest of all your idols within you.

1704 Clarendon's Hist. Rebellion III. xiii. 315 Near the head higher than most tall Men.

1751 Proc. Old Bailey 16 Oct. 314/1 The man..was a country looking, short punched person, about my height... Note, About the whole head shorter than Dixon.

1788 H. Repton Variety 36 My father was but five feet high, and he was taller by a head than me.

1847 Ld. Tennyson Princess iii. 55 She stood Among her maidens, higher by the head.

1875 B. Jowett tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) I. 480 A is taller by a head than B.

1913 A. Blackwood Prisoner in Fairyland ix. 117 She towered above him by a head at least.

1991 J. Wolf Daughter of Red Deer i. iii. 32 The fact that he was a full head taller than she only exacerbated her temper.

2009 B. Mitchell tr. G. Grass Tin Drum iii. 432 I was nearly two heads shorter than Sister Gertrud.

(b) Originally Horse Racing. With reference to the amount by which one horse is ahead of or behind a rival in a race, or the margin by which it wins or loses. Later frequently figurative with reference to any narrow margin of victory. Chiefly in to win (also lose, etc.) by a head. Cf. neck n.¹ 4, nose n. 1d.See also short head n. (b) at short adj., n., and adv. Compounds 6a.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > horse racing > engage in horse racing [verb (intransitive)] > win

to win (also lose, etc.) by a head1743

(to win or lose) by a neck1791

to win in a canter1853

to win cleverly1881

1743 London Evening-Post 26 May The first Heat was won with great Difficulty by Mr. Greswood's Horse Badger, he not beating the Duke of Ancaster's Chesnut above half a Head.

1750 Penny London Post 20 June The second Heat was so nearly run, that Fancy won it by half the Head.

1794 Edinb. Mag. July 79/1 The second heat was gained by a head, the third by rather less, and the last by half a length.

1805 Sporting Mag. Aug. 270/2 He [sc. a racehorse]..won his race by a head.

1816 W. T. Moncrieff All at Coventry ii. 47 ‘Who's going to start now?’—‘Blucher and Boney.’..‘Boney has lost by half a head.’

1839 Amer. Turf Reg. Mar. 208 He ran four miles carrying 130 lbs. losing by a head only.

1873 K. King Lost for Gold II. vii. 181 ‘I am told Morton was fearful spoons on the same girl. Is it true?’ ‘True enough. I won by a head only.’

1913 Field 3 May 849/3 Louvois..passed Sanquhar and Fairy King, and going great guns..beat the favourite by a head.

1995 Racing Post 14 July 9/1 He..held on to win by a head.

2008 P. Robinson To Death 292 The colt had not won the Irish Derby, but had been beaten by a head in a photo finish.

c. Chiefly British colloquial. A headache. Cf. heady adj. 6b.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > ill health > pain > pain in specific parts > [noun] > in head

headwarkeOE

headacheOE

headachinga1400

sodac1540

sood1547

a sore (Sc. sair) headc1550

raging1561

cephalalgy1607

head1783

splitter1860

headachiness1862

1783 H. Mann Let. 18 Nov. in H. Walpole Corr. (1971) XXV. 441 It is become warm again, my habitual heads have ceased.

1869 A. Trollope Phineas Finn I. xxiii. 189 Don't you know how one feels sometimes that one has got a head? And when that is the case one's armchair is the best place.

1888 R. Kipling Thrown Away in Plain Tales from Hills 15 He found whist, and gymkhanas,..good; but he took these..just as seriously as he took the ‘head’ that followed after drink.

1889 St. James's Gaz. 10 Aug. 3/2 He is decidedly feverish, and, in the pleasing vernacular of the modern youth about town, he has a ‘head’ on him.

1928 R. Macaulay Keeping up Appearances xxv. 291 ‘God, I've got a head.’ ‘You look rotten..better go straight to bed.’

1961 J. Wade Back to Life xi. 164 I get one of those blinding heads.

2007 C. J. Pendergest Videls xvi. 97 Delany woke up with a bit of a head. He hadn't drunk Bacardi for a long time.

a. The head considered as the centre of mental activity; the seat of the faculties; a person's mind. Often contrasted with heart as the seat of the emotions (see heart n. 9); also sometimes contrasted with hands, representing manual labour.See also to get into one's head at Phrases 4d(b), to put into a person's head at Phrases 4n(a).to let one's heart rule one's head: see heart n., int., and adv. Phrases 6d.With quot. ?c1450 cf. to have an evil head at evil adj. 7a.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > intellect > [noun] > head as seat of intellect

headeOE

headpiece1581

the (also one's) upper storey (also storeys)1699

eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Hatton) (1871) xviii. 131 Ðæt heafod [L. caput] sceal wisian ðæm fotum, ðæt hie stæppen on ryhtne weg.

OE Maxims I 67 Hond sceal heofod inwyrcan.

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 6469 Þeȝȝ..fellenn dun..To buȝhenn. & to lutenn himm Wiþþ hæfedd. & wiþþ heorrte.

c1400 J. Wyclif On the Seven Deadly Sins (Bodl. 647) in Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) III. 134 Monnis hond helpis his heved.

a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1882) iii. l. 894 Discrecioun out of youre hed is gon.

?c1450 tr. Bk. Knight of La Tour Landry (1906) 22 Thei that haue an euell[e] hede and wold chide.

1559 W. Cuningham Cosmogr. Glasse 159 There is now an other dout entred into my hed.

1574 J. Baret Aluearie H 263 They remembred, or it came into their heads.

1577 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Serm. Epist. Ephesians xlii. f. 299^v If a woman haue a froward head of hir owne, so as shee must bee brawling euery minute of an houre, and wil not be subiect to hir husband.

1640 J. Mabbe tr. M. de Cervantes Exemplarie Novells iv. 187 A discreet designe which she had in her head.

1663 J. Goodwin Prelatique Preachers 63 A corrupt ambitious heart, and an head rank of wit, and learning.

1683 tr. F. Pallavicino Whore's Rhetorick 108 To..change her method as may make the deepest impression in the capricious head of that Man she is about to perswade.

1703 R. Neve City & Countrey Purchaser 46 To set their Heads to work at it.

1708 J. Swift Elegy on Partridge in Wks. (1755) II. i. 258 He had often had it in his head.

1748 S. Richardson Clarissa IV. lii. 314 These lines of Rowe have got into my head; and I shall repeat them very devoutly.

1753 N. Torriano tr. J. B. L. Chomel Hist. Diss. Gangrenous Sore Throat 76 Very odd in her Head, talking irrationally.

1801 M. Edgeworth Forester in Moral Tales I. 188 Accounts..which he kept in his head.

1814 J. Austen Mansfield Park I. i. 6 She could not get her poor sister and her family out of her head .

1863 E. C. Gaskell Sylvia's Lovers II. xiv. 259 Tell him, Sylvia..for my head's clean gone.

1866 Rural Amer. (Utica, N.Y.) 15 Dec. 370/2 One labors both with his head and hands, while the other discards all kinds of ‘book farming’..and leaves all to manual labor.

1912 F. M. Hueffer Panel i. iv. 109 You meant to get her out of your head.

1930 J. M. Gibbon Melody & Lyric vi. 55 Shakespeare may very well have had the old tune in his head when he wrote the words of the song we know.

1941 D. Thomas Let. 28 May (1987) 486 My head's been whirling with wondering how to get twopence.

1975 Jackie 15 Feb. 34/3 Your head usually rules your heart, but don't be surprised if you're swept off your feet one day!

2002 C. Newland Snakeskin vii. 76 I..willed Mrs Jenkins to use her head before it was too late.

b. Aptitude in a particular subject or sphere. Frequently in to have a (good, bad, etc.) head for.See also business head n. (b) at business n. Compounds 5.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > [verb (transitive)]

to have a (good, bad, etc.) head for1642

1642 R. Wright Speech in House of Commons 1 I shall not speake as a Lawyer, for I have no Head for Law.

1674 J. Dryden et al. Notes Empress of Morocco 70 A man should be learn'd in severall Sciences, and should have a reasonable Philosophicall, and in some measure a Mathematicall head.

1726 G. Crawfurd Lives Officers Crown & State Scotl. 381/1 He seems to have had..a good Head for Business.

1763 C. Johnstone Reverie (new ed.) II. xiii. 81 I can't tell how it is, I have a bad head for politics myself.

1832 J. B. Fraser Highland Smugglers III. x. 256 What..would you have done without Glenvallich's good business head?

1876 C. H. Webb Sea-weed & what we Seed 101 Do not let anything I may have said lead you to believe that my friend Briggs has not a great financial head.

1895 Windsor Mag. 2 509/2 I didn't rightly understand it, never having had a good head for figures.

1930 J. B. Priestley Angel Pavement vi. 301 You say I haven't a head for business.

1985 J. Kerman Musicol. 163 Since not everybody has a head for theory, a lot of fuzzy material of this kind is written by ethnomusicologists long past their student days.

1996 Flying Aug. 109/2 Justin, whose father is a pilot, has a good math head.

2007 C. Berg Flesh & Spirit iv. 35 Your explanations were very clear, and you've surely a good head for maps and scouting.

c. A person's ability to tolerate something.

(a) A person's ability to tolerate the effects of alcoholic drink or (in later use) other intoxicating substances. In early use with modifying word, esp. in strong head; in later use frequently with for. Cf. hardhead n.² 4.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > drink > drinking > [noun] > drinking capacity

lading1526

load1594

jag1678

heada1686

hardhead1794

bibosity1823

a1686 T. Watson Body Pract. Divinity (1692) 531 It must be a strong Head that bears heady Wine.

1748 R. Arnald Crit. Comm. Bk. Wisdom Jesus Son of Sirach xxxi. 165/1 Value not thyself upon a strong Head, much less affect the Character of a hard Drinker.

a1827 W. Hickey Mem. (1913) I. iv. 35 I replied that I could drink as much as the best of them, and..I had, for such a youngster, a tolerable strong head.

1919 E. O'Neill Moon of Caribbees 191 I've a head for strong drink, as ye know, but he hasn't.

1932 E. Bowen To North xiii. 131 Markie had a good head; if he had been very drunk he was not drunk now.

1990 C. Davis Dog Horse Rat ix. 102 He had a head for dope, he said, never lost himself entirely.

2000 C. McCullough Morgan's Run 164 Jimmy Price was a Somerset yokel with a poor head for rum.

(b) A person's ability to tolerate heights. Now frequently in to have a (good, bad, etc.) head for heights.

ΚΠ

1850 W. A. Bromfield Let. 7 Nov. in Lett. Egypt & Syria (1856) iv. 48 With by no means a strong head for climbing dizzy heights, I found I could look down from any part of the ascent without the least feeling whatever of giddiness.

1854 R. Curzon Armenia ix. 138 It requires much activity, and a good head for looking over a height, to attempt to come up with them [sc. wild sheep].

1900 C. E. M. Russell Bullet & Shot xv. 275 I have a very bad head for precipitous ground.

1954 I. Murdoch Under Net vi. 98 I..looked at the drop, and decided that I was not a daring fellow. I have no head for heights.

2001 Adventure Trav. July 27/2 You need a good head for heights on all climbing paths.

3. The head as a part of the body essential to life; (hence) one's life, esp. with reference to the fact or danger of being killed. Sometimes also more generally: a person's physical safety or well-being, esp. as entrusted to another person (chiefly in keeper of a person's head, after quot. a1382).Frequently in various idiomatic phrases involving the idea of beheading, and often with literal reference to this. See also to lose one's head at Phrases 4j, to make (also cut, etc.) shorter by a head at Phrases 6a, heads will roll at roll v.² Phrases 11.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > source or principle of life > [noun] > as possession

headOE

lifeOE

heart-blood?c1225

innocent blood1382

heart's-blood1562

fanny1936

ass1948

butt1964

arse1970

OE Laws of Edgar (Nero E.i) iv. xi. 212 Gif..þæt leas bið, sy he þeof & þolige heafdes & ealles þæs þe he age.

OE Seven Sleepers (Julius) (1994) 34 Gif man ahwer ofaxian mihte þæt hi [sc. the Christians] manna ænig on genere heolde, þæt se wære his heafdes scyldig.

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 14049 Min hafued [c1300 Otho heued] beo to wedde þat isæid ich þe habbe. soð buten lese.

a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1963) 1 Kings xxviii. 2 I kepere of myn heuyd schal puttyn þee alle daies.

c1425 Bk. Found. St. Bartholomew's (1923) 21 (MED) Hym I haue made and deputid keper of my hede and of all thyng that parteyneth to me.

a1450 (c1385) G. Chaucer Complaint of Mars (Tanner 346) (1871) l. 205 Somtyme if that ielousye hit knewe They myghte lyghtly ley her hede to borow.

c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 109 He yat rebellis to the prince..suld be the law of armes tyne the hede.

1559 W. Baldwin et al. Myrroure for Magistrates Clarence f. lxxvii The peril of my hed.

1620 Bp. J. Hall Contempl. V. O.T. xiv. 65 Achish dares trust Dauid on his side; yea, to keepe his head for euer.

1635 W. Jones Comm. Epist. St. Paul 520 She hazarded her owne life: if her house had beene searched, and the Spies found with her, it had cost her her head.

a1704 T. Brown Dialogue Oxf. Schollars in Wks. (1707) I. i. 4 I'le wager my Head against thee.

1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones II. v. iv. 135 Many's the Man would have given his Head to have had my Lady told.

1822 A. M. Porter Roche-Blanche II. x. 417 Yet will I give my head to the block, instead of his, if need come!

1859 Hebrew Rev. 16 Dec. 133/2 Thou art the keeper of my head, and the watcher of my health.

1887 Princess Christian tr. Mem. Wilhelmine 142 Proofs enough against this scoundrel, Fritz, to cost him his head.

1928 N. Richardson Mother of Kings iii. 181 Poor fellow—it cost him his head, this and his friendship for Dubarry.

1999 J. Wood Broken Estate 1 He [sc. Sir Thomas More] is also seen as..an English Cicero of the pre-Reformation who nobly gave his head to forces beyond his control.

a. A representation, figure, or image of a head.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > representation in art > [noun] > an artistic representation > of living thing > of human figure > of part of

handOE

headOE

heart1446

face1488

tongue1488

mask1790

OE Ælfric Homily: De Falsis Diis (Corpus Cambr. 178) in J. C. Pope Homilies of Ælfric (1968) II. 689 Þa wæs Dagones heafod æt þære dura forcorfen.., and Dagon læg heafodleas ætforan þam scrine, for þam þe hit ne gedafenode þære deofollican anlicnysse þæt heo wið þæt halige scrin swa healice stode.

lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough interpolation) anno 1070 Þa ut-laga..namen þa þe kynehelm of ure Drihtnes heafod eall of smeate golde.

c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig. A.xi) (1887) l. 6596 He..is kinges croune nom, & sette is vpe þe rode heued, & sede þat he alone Was worþe to croune bere.

a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) iv. l. 236 How besy that he was Upon clergie an Hed of bras To forge.

1415 in F. A. Page-Turner Bedfordshire Wills (1914) 28 A litil gilte ewer of a pynt stondynge opon ladys hed.

c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) ii. l. 696 Many gargoyl & many hidous hed.

a1500 (?a1325) Otuel & Roland (1935) l. 1226 Men Brouȝt hym an helm bryȝt..þere-on an adderes heued aplyȝt.

1585 T. Washington tr. N. de Nicolay Nauigations Turkie ii. iii. 33 The statue of a woman..certaine yeeres before the head had been taken away.

1616 T. Coryate Traveller for Eng. Wits 44 I haue a very curious white marble head of an ancient Heros or Gyant-like Champion.

1625 S. Purchas Pilgrimes II. viii. xi. 1356 He gaue him three Turkes heads in a Shield for Armes.

1705 J. Addison Remarks Italy 36 A Head of Titian, by his own Hand.

1782 H. Walpole Vertue's Anecd. Painting (ed. 3) IV. iv. 192 The Shrimp-girl, a head, by Bartolozzi.

1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. x. 650 William and Mary must be king and queen. The heads of both must appear together on the coin.

1866 Edinb. Rev. Oct. 519 It [sc. a cameo] represented..a profile head of Flora, in very high relief.

1921 G. C. Williamson Miniature Collector xi. 133 Cosway produced a Head of one of the Virtues done in chalk.

1982 A. D. Trendall & A. Cambitoglou Red-figured Vases of Apulia II. xxv. 808 The heads on these two vases..are somewhat cruder in style.

2010 Art Q. Summer 5/2 A painting showing a head of Christ, which had hung unremarked for 70 years in a Bradford-on-Avon church.

b. In plural or (less commonly) singular. The side of a coin which bears the figure of a head (opposed to tail n.¹ 4h); the obverse. Chiefly paired with tails, esp. with reference to the practice of tossing a coin to determine a winner or to make a decision.Recorded earliest in heads or tails n., adj., and int. at Phrases 3r(b). See also heads I win, (and) tails you lose at Phrases 3r(c).

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > [noun] > obverse or reverse of coin

pilea1393

cross and pile1584

reverse1605

averse1655

ranverse1656

obverse1658

heads1675

tail1684

endorse1688

woman1785

mazard1802

man1828

mick1918

1675 T. Duffett Mock-tempest iv. ii. 37 I'le tell y'what, wee'l play heads or tails, who goes first, that's fair now, e'nt it?

1729 B. Wilson tr. J. A. de Thou Hist. Own Time I. iv. 207 The Inscription on the Head of the Farnesian Coin..was P. Alois. Farn. Parm. et Plac. Dux.

1756 Ladies' Diary 46 Suppose 12 Half-pence to be thrown up, and those that come up Heads to be taken away, and the remaining ones to be thrown up again.

1801 J. Strutt Sports & Pastimes iv. ii. 251 One person tosses the halfpenny up and the other calls at pleasure head or tail.

1834 T. De Quincey Sketches Life & Manners in Tait's Edinb. Mag. Mar. 86/2 ‘We tossed up’ to settle the question... ‘Heads’ came up.

1838 A. De Morgan Ess. Probabilities 82 In 100,000 tosses, between what limits is it 99 to 1 that the heads shall be contained?

1884 St. James's Gaz. 5 Dec. 6/1 A coin can be so ‘doctored’ as to fall almost invariably heads or tails at will.

1911 Collier's 7 Oct. 28/1 [They] lifted their fingers from the coins. ‘Four heads and two tails,’ said Nalakiel.

1931 P. A. Taylor Cape Cod Myst. viii. 120 I lost every bet I ever made in my life. If I called heads, it came tails.

1960 A. Rapoport Fights, Games, & Deb. (1961) vi. 117 A coin is tossed. If a head turns up, you win 1¢.

1980 A. J. Jones Game Theory iv. 177 Suppose on the toss of a fair coin one can win $20 on heads and lose $10 on tails. The expected value of the game is $5.

2005 V. Swarup Q & A 23 Time to make a decision. I take out my trusted one-rupee coin. Heads I cooperate with her. Tails I tell her ta-ta.

†c. British colloquial. A postage stamp; (sometimes) spec. a penny stamp. Obsolete (historical in later use).So called from the figure of the sovereign's head depicted on all British stamps. Cf. queen's head n. at queen n. Compounds 3b.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > correspondence > postal services > payment for postage > [noun] > postage stamp

postage stamp1829

stamp1837

label1839

head1840

queen's head1840

postage label1852

adhesive1854

sticker1863

1840 R. H. Barham Let. 30 July in R. H. D. Barham Life (1870) II. viii. 99 One of those abominable little heads which the wisdom of our Post Office people has invented.

1854 R. S. Surtees Handley Cross (new ed.) xix. 147 Take that to the Post, and mind you don't pick the 'ead off.

1872 Frank Leslie's Pleasant Hours 12 187/2 Would ye plaze put a red head on it (anglice, a postage-stamp).

1891 Lincs. Notes & Queries 2 251 Penny postage-stamps are still frequently called ‘heads’, the other kinds seem always to go by the name of stamps.

1927 G. Sturt Small Boy in Sixties i. 2 One very curious request would sometimes come from a villager; the man or woman asking for ‘a head’.

a. A person's hair; the whole mass or body of this. Now chiefly in head of hair.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > hair > hair of head > [noun]

lockeOE

faxc900

hairc1000

headOE

topc1275

toppingc1400

peruke1548

fleece1577

crine1581

head of hair1587

poll1603

a fell of haira1616

thatcha1634

maidenhair1648

chevelure1652

wool1697

toupet1834

nob-thatch1846

barnet1857

toss1946

OE tr. Medicina de Quadrupedibus (Vitell.) ii. 238 Genim þone camb þe heo ana hyre heafod [?a1200 Harl. 6258B heafad, L. capillos] mid cemde.

OE Monasteriales Indicia (1996) xcvi. 40 Ðonne þu þe..biddan wille þæt þu þin heafod þwean mote, þonne stric þu mid bradre hande on þin feax, swilce þu hit þwea.

a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 41 Summe bi þa fet..summe bi þe hefede [L. capillis].

?c1225 Ancrene Riwle (Cleo.: Scribe B) (1972) 310 (note) Hwa se wule ieveset, ah ha mot te oftere weschen & kemben hire heauet.

1340 Ayenbite (1866) 176 Ynoȝ þer is of ydelnesse aboute hire heaued, to kembe, to wesse, ine trossinge, an ine sseweres pouringe.

c1400 (?a1300) Kyng Alisaunder (Laud) (1952) l. 1999 (MED) His heued was crul and ȝeluȝ þe her.

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 662/1 I holde best to polle my heed.

1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus Sig. Gg2/2 Emissi crines,..heare cast abrode as a woman loosinge hir head.

1587 J. Hooker tr. Giraldus Cambrensis Vaticinall Hist. Conquest Ireland ii. xxxviii. 55/1 in Holinshed's Chron. (new ed.) II This head of haire they call a glibe.

1678 T. Duffett Psyche Debauch'd ii. iii. 28 Let him have shirt full clean, Let head be comb'd, and wash'd his face.

1717 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. 1 Apr. (1965) I. 327 I never saw in my Life so many fine heads of hair.

1775 R. B. Sheridan Rivals i. i. 4 He'll never forsake his bob, tho' all the college should appear with their own heads!

1809 W. Nicholson Brit. Encycl. V. at Peruke It appears that this term was originally applied to describe a fine natural head of long hair.

1832 J. Morier Zohrab III. iii. 73 A barber, whose good offices he had secured, to trim his head, beard, mustaches, and curls.

1882 Day of Rest 206/1 [His] frizzly, unkempt head of hair stood out..round his head like a halo.

1931 W. Faulkner Sanctuary ii. 18 She saw him..: a thin man in shapeless clothes; a head of thinning and ill-kempt hair.

1977 ‘J. le Carré’ Honourable Schoolboy xiii. 292 He looked into the ceiling mirror and caught the glitter of an electric-blue suit and a full head of black hair well greased.

2007 Nylon Feb. 131/1 A giant, wilting hat atop a head of shiny curls.

b. The hair as dressed in a particular (elaborate) style; esp. a style popular in the 18th cent., characterized by powdered or pomaded hair drawn up over a cushion or stuffing and dressed with gauze, ribbon, etc.; a removable wig or headdress in this style. Cf. high head n.², lace head n. at lace n. and adj. Compounds 2. Now historical and rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the hair > styles of hair > [noun]

headc1450

coiffure1633

tiff1703

cock1768

top1780

Madonna style1818

Madonna front1849

hairstyle1871

Madonna coiffure1890

haircut1895

do1918

hairdo1932

c1450 (?a1400) Quatrefoil of Love (BL Add.) (1935) l. 473 (MED) Denyvs damysels..With purfelle and peloure and hedys full hye.

1484 W. Caxton tr. G. de La Tour Landry Bk. Knyght of Toure xlviii. sig. d viii The remenaunt of their heedes was lyke two hornes.

a1513 R. Fabyan New Cronycles Eng. & Fraunce (1516) I. ccxxiiii. f. cxlvi For that tyme Clerkes vsed busshed and brayded hedys.

1580 J. Stow Chrons. of Eng. 490 Piked shoes, high heads, and long tayled gownes.

?1695 E. Ward Auction 15 Two of your Metropolitan Sash Window Cherubins, that er'e [sic] Cut out a Muslin Head on a Counter.

1696 London Gaz. No. 3199/4 A striped Muslin Head, laced with a fine small edging.

1712 J. Addison Spectator No. 323. ¶7 At my Toilet, try'd a new Head.

1731 Gentleman's Mag. Mar. 124/1 Her Majesty..wore a flower'd Muslin Head, and Edging.

1752 S. Johnson Rambler No. 191. ⁋9 Ladies..asked me the price of my best head.

1792 Northampton Mercury 20 Dec. The ladies now wear the lappets to their gauze heads worked with aces of spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs, and call them quadrille heads.

1828 ‘Mrs. Markham’ Hist. France II. xxxix. 447 I have seen caricatures of hairdressers mounted on ladders, dressing the ladies' heads.

1882 C. Hoey & J. Lillie tr. A. Challamel Hist. Fashion in France xv. 138 For thirty years those gigantic ‘heads’ held their place at Versailles, under the eyes of the old monarch who ‘protested in vain against towering head-dresses’.

1957 C. W. Cunnington & P. Cunnington Handbk. Eng. Costume 18th Cent. 375 These elaborate ‘heads’ were sometimes made to remain untouched for a month or more.

6. Hunting. The antlers of a deer. Cf. attire n. 5.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > male > [noun] > body and parts > antler > collectively

headc1400

rightc1425

attire1562

attirement1566

head of horns1626

stag-horns1663

head of antlers1839

antlery1849

rack1915

c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 1154 (MED) Þe herttez..with þe hyȝe hedes.

c1425 Twiti Venery (Vesp. B.xii) 151 He [sc. a hart] goth wexyng tyl he come to xxxij yere..his hed aftir that tyme wexith no furthere.

c1500 King & Hermit in M. M. Furrow Ten 15th-cent. Comic Poems (1985) 249 I saw a dere..So gret a hed as he bare, Sych one saw I neuer are.

1557 Earl of Surrey et al. Songes & Sonettes sig. A.ii^v The hart hath hong his olde hed on the pale.

1575 G. Gascoigne Noble Arte Venerie xviii. 46 If you geld an Hart before he haue an heade, he will neuer beare heade.

1615 G. Markham Countrey Contentments i. i. 29 Stags yeerely cast their heads in March, Aprill, May or June.

1674 N. Cox Gentleman's Recreation i. 34 The Rain-deer..intrapped with Nets..by reason of his great and spreading Head.

1718 G. Jacob Compl. Sportsman ii. 84 Having cast their Heads, the old Deer immediately withdraw to some Thickets.

1859 J. Conway Lett. from Highlands xii. 138 We are momentarily expecting Sandy to arrive with the two deer... If you like, I promise you one of my first two ‘heads’.

1892 Chambers's Jrnl. 14 May 318/2 The state of a deer's antlers, by which his age is known, is spoken of as his ‘head’.

1958 Times 4 Aug. 9/5 Local farmers..have watched the stags steadily grow their new ‘heads’.

1978 D. Hart-Davis Monarchs of Glen ii. 6 A good modern royal—a head of twelve points—would measure thirty-two or thirty-three inches.

1989 Country Life 22 June 174/2 One stag has grown a head of 18 points.

†7. A horse's headstall (headstall n.¹ 1). Usually coupled with reins. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > horse-gear > [noun] > halter or bridle > parts of

headstallc1330

trench1480

stalk1497

musrol1551

head-strain?1561

water-chain?1561

throat band1585

cavesson1598

mullen1598

nose bit?a1600

front-stall1601

ampyx1607

chain1607

fillet1607

cheek-band1611

cheekpiece1611

noseband1611

throat thong1611

headpiece1678

throatlatch1693

headband1704

trenchefil1730

bridoon1744

banquet1753

head1756

cheek1795

throat strap1803

frontlet1805

throat-lash1805

cheekstrap1834

brow-band1844

nosepiece1865

shank1879

1756 Gazetteer & London Daily Advertiser 4 May Heads, without Reins, 2s. 3d. each.

1834 Horse 44 The heads and reins will last much longer by..drawing them..through a clean oily rag.

1907 Army & Navy Co-operative Soc.: Rules & Price List 303/1 Ladies' or gentlemen's Weymouth heads and reins, with noseband, billeted, complete.

†8. Whaling. = head matter n. at Compounds 4. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > other animal raw materials > [noun] > material from sperm whale

spermaceti1471

parmacety1545

head matter1747

slobgollion1851

head1874

twitter1891

1874 C. M. Scammon Marine Mammals N. Amer. iii. 239 The oil taken from the case of the Sperm Whale is..when put into casks..known as head, or head-matter.

9. slang (originally U.S.). Oral sex; fellatio or cunnilingus. See also to give head at Phrases 4e(c).

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > oral sex > [noun]

head1941

oral1943

oral sex1958

plating1965

1941 G. Legman in G. W. Henry Sex Variants II. 1168 Head, a generic noun or predicative nominative referring to a fellator, as, e.g. ‘looking for head’. Term reported from Montreal in 1940.

1969 C. Major All-night Visitors 9 I now pop the question in the middle of all this intense gratification: ‘Some head, baby?’

1993 M. Gribble Ten go In 30 I still think we should..buy her a few schnapps and get some head.

2003 J. Nelson Sexual Healing iv. 44 We're selling sex, not relationships... Truth, justice, and great head.

** A person, animal, or group of animals.

10. In enumeration. See also per head at per prep. 1a.

a. An individual person. Frequently in a head: per person.

ΘΚΠ

the world > people > person > [noun] > individual person

headOE

polla1350

singular1420

specialc1450

individuala1500

particular1576

monad1855

the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > individual [phrase] > individually or separately > per person

headOE

per capita1621

per mana1687

per capita1834

per caput1856

per caput1911

a skull1922

OE Wulfstan Homily: Be Mistlican Gelimpan (Hatton 113) in A. S. Napier Wulfstan (1883) 170 Swa æt heafde peninc, swa æt heorðe peninc, swa æt sulhgange peninc.

?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) (1996) ii. 134 Þei..left..þe lond on a forward dere to pay ilk a hede a peny to þam bi ȝere.

c1450 King Ponthus (Digby) in Publ. Mod. Lang. Assoc. Amer. (1897) 12 95 They be made tributorye, and euery hede pays a besaunt of gold.

1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Chron. xiii. C This is the nombre of the heades harnessed vnto the warre, which came to Dauid vnto Hebron.

1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Chron. xxiv. C Counted after the nombre of y^e names heade by heade.

1679 P. Rycaut Present State Greek Church 92 From every Papa, or Priest, [he receives] a Dollar yearly per Head.

1716 B. Church Entertaining Passages Philip's War i. 45 The Captain with his Company..received their Praemium, which was Thirty Shillings per head, for the Enemies which they had killed or taken.

1748 H. Walpole Let. 11 Aug. in Corr. (1941) IX. 70 A play at Kingston where the places are twopence a head.

1847 M. M. Sherwood Life xxi. 355 An anna a head for each boy.

1869 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest III. xi. 57 Except by taking the votes not by heads, but by tribes, cities, or cantons.

1892 W. Besant London ix. 467 The quantity of tea imported about this time amounted to no more than three-quarters of a pound per annum for every person in the three kingdoms, whereas it is now no less than thirty-five pounds for every head.

1958 P. Berton Klondike Fever iii. 137 Soon she was shuttling passengers to St. Michael at one thousand dollars a head.

1992 Observer 29 Nov. 51/1 They suffered their sixth home loss in front of a crowd a few heads short of 20,000.

2000 Independent 8 June i. 5/1 Delegates will start the day with a ‘coffee, tea and danish’ at £5.95 a head.

b. An individual animal, esp. a herd animal.Usually with plural unchanged after a numeral or other quantifier.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > [noun] > unit in numbering animals

headOE

poll1494

headage1962

OE Manumission, Bath (Corpus Cambr. 111) in J. Earle Hand-bk. Land-charters (1888) 268 Leofenoð..hæfð geboht hine & his ofspring ut æt Ælfsige..mid fif oran & mid xii heafdon sceapa.

1472–3 Rolls of Parl.: Edward IV (Electronic ed.) Parl. Oct. 1472 1st Roll §38. m. 17 The said mysdoers come to Trelowya, and there fett .ix. ^xx hede of shepe.

1482 in T. Thomson Acts Lords Auditors (1839) 109/1 The awaytakin..of xiiij hede of nolt, that is to say three kye, thre oxin, viij twa ȝere aldis.

1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid viii. i. 96 Wyth thretty heyd..of grysis syne.

1533 in F. W. Weaver Wells Wills (1890) 105 x hed of shepe and lams.

1642 in New Haven Colonial Rec. (1857) 82 A peny a head for goates and kids, half to the bringer in of the cattell & half to the pound.

1677 W. Hubbard Narr. Troubles with Indians New-Eng. i. 92 They had killed twenty head of Neat Cattle.

1758 Case of Five Millions 23 At Cork, where Eighty-thousand Heads of Cattle have been slaughtered annually, for several Years.

1773 Ann. Reg. 1772 160/2 The low grounds were laid under water, and many head of cattle drowned.

1838 C. Gutzlaff & A. Reed China Opened II. xxvii. 549 If a person refuses to receive a traveller for the night, and he perishes with cold, the owner of the tent shall forfeit nine heads of cattle.

1866 A. Trollope Belton Estate II. v. 119 Every head of cattle about the place had died.

1900 Country Life Illustr. 1 Sept. 262/1 If they all..killed 30,000 head in a season, there would be 1,800,000,000 head of game killed in the year.

1948 Life 6 Sept. 28/2 Only an emergency pumping system kept 250 head of his cattle from dying of thirst.

2007 B. F. Noble & S. N. Kulshreshtha in B. D. Thraves et al. Saskatchewan xv. 357 Owners are charged a per diem for each head of livestock pastured.

11.

a. A person (of a specified type). Chiefly with modifying word indicating mental attitude or ability.

ΘΚΠ

the world > people > person > [noun] > as having character or qualities

thingc1225

headc1300

vesselc1384

soul1498

sprite?1507

spirit1559

stick1682

character1749

fish1751

hand1756

subject1797

person1807

good1809

specimen1817

a (bad, good, etc.) sortc1869

proposition1894

cookie1913

type1922

city1946

c1300 St. Thomas Becket (Laud) l. 871 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 131 (MED) Betere it were þat on heued In peril him brouȝte, Þane al-holie churche were..i-do to nouȝte.

c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) xviii. l. 85 Þorw werre and wrake and wycked hyfdes May no preiour pees make.

1551 T. Wilson Rule of Reason sig. Xv Some heades are very bolde to entre farther, then witte can retche.

1574 J. Baret Aluearie P 436 A pleasant companion; a mery head.

1579 E. K. in E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. Gen. Argt. Sauing the leaue of such learned heads.

1641 Naunton's Fragmenta Regalia sig. B^v Pestered through the admission of too many young heades.

1715 T. Burnet Second Tale of Tub Ded. p. xxii The Lower House of Convocation, where so many learned, ingenious, and I may add cool Heads, meet for the Benefit of our Ecclesiastical Constitution.

1795 G. Morris Diary 29 June (1888) II. xxxi. 94 Montesquiou (whatever may be his heart) is certainly one of their best heads.

1828 T. De Quincey Elements Rhetoric in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Dec. 900/1 Different crowned heads..bidding against each other.

1887 Princess Christian tr. Mem. Wilhelmine 281 Those wise heads came to the conclusion that there was hope.

1934 W. McDougall Relig. & Sci. of Life vii. 110 Is it not clear that you, the biologist Emperor, will call to your counsels all the wisest heads of your nation?

1998 Independent 25 May ii. 2/1 The flight of crowned heads after the Second World War.

2009 Sunday Independent (Ireland) (Nexis) 17 May Shrewd heads like Ed Mulhall..were saying..that the Late Late would not be a good move for her.

b. As the second element in more or less fixed compounds used (usually disparagingly or humorously) to denote a person having a mind or head of the sort specified by the first element. Also in compounds of this type used attributively to designate such a person (more or less equivalent to headed adj. 1a). Cf. pate n.¹ 1b.Recorded earliest in blockhead n. 2. See also hardhead n.² 2, hothead n., thick-head n. 1a, etc.

ΚΠ

1549 M. Coverdale et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. II. 1 Cor. xi. f. xxxi^v A blockeheade that hathe loste the iudgemente of nature.

1591 A. Fraunce Countesse of Pembrokes Yuychurch i. ii. iii. sig. D3 Trope-turned tale, or ryming ditty, deryued From foole-hardy Poets, or vaine-head Rhetoricasters.

1602 T. Dekker Satiro-mastix sig. I3^v To bite euery Motley-head vice by'th nose.

1825 Universal Songster I. 399 I say, old Bumble Head, give us a pen'orth of bread, and a ha'purth of small beer.

1828 W. Scott Fair Maid of Perth iii, in Chron. Canongate 2nd Ser. II. 90 The swaggering Smith, and one or two other hot heads.

1909 Z. Grey Short-stop vii. 119 In the dressing-room after the game the players howled about this one run that Chase's stupidity had given Wheeling. They called him ‘wooden-head’, ‘sap-head’, ‘sponge-head’, ‘dead-head’.

1915 Dial. Notes 4 iii. 205 My sister likes the country but she gets so tired of trying to make anything of the noddy-heads.

1952 J. Lait & L. Mortimer U.S.A. Confidential iii. xxviii. 355 Oscar Ewing, the blubber-head from the Bronx, sells the party along with his socialized medicine.

1994 R. Gunesekera Reef (1998) 9 Stupid idiot, you chicken-head bumpkin, you pumpkin-face. Have you no respect for property?

2011 Herald-Times (Bloomington, Indiana) 22 Aug. b4/2 ‘It's over, frizz-head,’ chanted hundreds of jubilant men and women.

12. A group or indefinite number of animals; esp. a stock or managed population of game or (now usually) fish.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > animals collectively > [noun]

peoplea1375

mouncela1500

troop1587

head1601

the world > animals > animals hunted > [noun]

preya1250

wildc1275

felon1297

wild beastc1325

gamec1330

venison1338

venerya1375

chase1393

waitha1400

quarryc1500

gibier1514

wild meat1529

hunt-beast1535

beasts of warren1539

outlaw1599

course1607

big game1773

head1795

meat1851

1601 A. Munday & H. Chettle Death Earle of Huntington sig. H3^v Howling like a head of hungry wolues.

1645 J. Vicars Gods Arke 155 They had rescued a head of cattle, which were driven away by the enemy toward Newcastle.

1795 W. Marshall Rev. Ess. i. iii, in Rev. Landscape 76 A head of deer, arranged in such close and regular order, as to give the idea of a spot, or a clump of meagre Scotch firs.

1833 Sporting Mag. Mar. 382/2 A plantation..in which he has been most particularly desirous to establish a head of pheasants.

1852 C. W. Hoskyns Talpa 5 Adapted for the..accommodation of a better and larger head of stock.

1894 Times 16 Apr. 7/3 Shooting tenants ought to be obliged to wire-in their woods where they kept a large head of rabbits.

1912 Forest & Stream 10 Aug. 163/1 Parts of the Balnagown estate have for centuries carried a superior head of deer.

1986 Trout Fisherman July 74/4 The water had been neglected and held a large head of coarse fish.

2010 Irish News (Nexis) 23 Sept. 61 The Erriff has been having a very good couple of weeks and there should now be a good head of fish throughout the river.

13. colloquial (originally U.S.).

a. With preceding modifying word: an addict, or (later) a habitual user of a particular substance (as alcoholic drink, a drug, etc.). Later also without modifying word: a drug addict or drug user.acidhead, crackhead, dopehead, hophead, meth head, pothead, etc.: see the first element.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > drug addiction or craving > [noun] > drug addict

head1856

narcotist1860

drugger1870

drug fiend1873

druggard1882

narcomaniac1888

dope-fiend1896

addict1899

dopehead1901

hypo1904

drug addict1905

drug abuser1915

junker1922

junkie1923

hype1924

needle artist1925

needleman1925

schmecker1931

dope-addict1933

ad1938

dopester1938

narco1958

pillhead1962

druggie1966

freak1967

drugster1970

1856 F. C. Adams Justice in By-ways xv. 171 They don't give them much to eat in jail I admit, but it is a great place for straightening the morals of a rum-head like Tom.

1915 Railway Conductor July 479/2 Those were good switchmen if they would only let the booze alone! But a ‘gin-head’ can't get along on a railroad these days.

1936 L. Duncan Over Wall i. 21 I saw the more advanced narcotic addicts.., laudanum fiends, and last but not least, the veronal heads.

1952 Time 7 July 19/3 Being a ‘head’, Marti feels, is being part of a whole new culture. ‘Everybody's a head now. One out of every five persons you meet on the street are [sic] heads.’

1958 M. Cooper High School Confidential 89 Laughing like a grasshead now, she made another determined lunge and this time successfully caught her hands around the wheel.

1969 It 11 Apr. 3/3 Berlin is alive with heads, dropping acid and STP in cinemas, parks, buses.

1991 Texas Monthly Dec. 48/1 The smoke-free world, where I could scowl at tobacco-heads and use little coughs to signal my disapproval and moral superiority.

2006 J. C. Oates Missing Mom 178 A crystal meth-head, the detective had called Ward Lynch. Desperate for cash, to feed his addiction.

b. Usually with preceding modifying word. A person who is very enthusiastic about a particular interest or activity; a devotee, an avid fan. Cf. addict n. 2.breadhead, metalhead, petrolhead, etc.: see the first element.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > love > [noun] > one who loves > devotee

worshipperc1450

votary1594

prostitute1624

devote1630

devotist1641

devotee1669

devotionary1671

devil1690

devoté1728

votarist1806

nut1915

addict1919

head1960

1960 ‘Lord Buckley’ Hiparama of Classics 7 The Reed Heads, the Lute Heads, and the Flute Heads.

1969 It 18 July 9/4 Nightride was taken from a spot so convenient to many music heads and put on at an awkward hour.

1987 K. Lette Girls' Night Out (1989) 152 Mum and Dad are trying to pair me off with Costa. He's a total soccer-head.

1999 Kred Nov. 24/4 One for the masses and heads alike.

2012 Atlantic Jan. 44/2 Michael Stipe [is] a profound Patti-head—he once described his encounter with her 1975 album, Horses, as ‘an epiphanal discovery’.

14. North American colloquial (a) A fellow, a guy. (b) A young woman.

ΘΚΠ

the world > people > person > man > [noun]

churla800

werec900

rinkeOE

wapmanc950

heOE

wyeOE

gomeOE

ledeOE

seggeOE

shalkOE

manOE

carmanlOE

mother bairnc1225

hemea1250

mother sona1250

hind1297

buck1303

mister mana1325

piecec1325

groomc1330

man of mouldc1330

hathela1350

sire1362

malea1382

fellowa1393

guestc1394

sergeant?a1400

tailarda1400

tulka1400

harlotc1405

mother's sona1470

frekea1475

her1488

masculinea1500

gentlemana1513

horse?a1513

mutton?a1513

merchant1549

child1551

dick1553

sorrya1555

knavea1556

dandiprat1556

cove1567

rat1571

manling1573

bird1575

stone-horse1580

loona1586

shaver1592

slave1592

copemate1593

tit1594

dog1597

hima1599

prick1598

dingle-dangle1605

jade1608

dildoa1616

Roger1631

Johnny1648

boy1651

cod1653

cully1676

son of a bitch1697

cull1698

feller1699

chap1704

buff1708

son of a gun1708

buffer1749

codger1750

Mr1753

he-man1758

fella1778

gilla1790

gloak1795

joker1811

gory1819

covey1821

chappie1822

Charley1825

hombre1832

brother-man1839

rooster1840

blokie1841

hoss1843

Joe1846

guy1847

plug1848

chal1851

rye1851

omee1859

bloke1861

guffin1862

gadgie1865

mug1865

kerel1873

stiff1882

snoozer1884

geezer1885

josser1886

dude1895

gazabo1896

jasper1896

prairie dog1897

sport1897

crow-eater1899

papa1903

gink1906

stud1909

scout1912

head1913

beezer1914

jeff1917

pisser1918

bimbo1919

bozo1920

gee1921

mush1936

rye mush1936

basher1942

okie1943

mugger1945

cat1946

ou1949

tess1952

oke1970

bra1974

muzhik1993

the world > people > person > young person > young woman > [noun]

daughterOE

maidenOE

young womanOE

mayc1175

burdc1225

maidc1275

wenchc1290

file1303

virginc1330

girla1375

damselc1380

young ladya1393

jilla1425

juvenclec1430

young person1438

domicellea1464

quean1488

trull1525

pulleta1533

Tib1533

kittyc1560

dell1567

gillian1573

nymph1584

winklota1586

frotion1587

yuffrouw1589

pigeon1592

tit1599

nannicock1600

muggle1608

gixy1611

infanta1611

dilla1627

tittiea1628

whimsy1631

ladykin1632

stammel1639

moggie1648

zitellaa1660

baggagea1668

miss1668

baby1684

burdie1718

demoiselle1720

queanie?1800

intombi1809

muchacha1811

jilt1816

titter1819

ragazza1827

gouge1828

craft1829

meisie1838

sheila1839

sixteenc1840

chica1843

femme1846

muffin1854

gel1857

quail1859

kitten1870

bud1880

fräulein1883

sub-debutante1887

sweet-and-twenty1887

flapper1888

jelly1889

queen1894

chick1899

pusher1902

bit of fluff1903

chicklet1905

twist and twirl1905

twist1906

head1913

sub-deb1916

tabby1916

mouse1917

tittie1918

chickie1919

wren1920

bim1922

nifty1923

quiff1923

wimp1923

bride1924

job1927

junior miss1927

hag1932

tab1932

sort1933

palone1934

brush1941

knitting1943

teenybopper1966

weeny-bopper1972

Valley Girl1982

1913 J. P. Buschlen Canad. Bankclerk xii. 202 Willis is one of the decentest heads around this dump.

1941 A. J. Liebling in New Yorker 26 Apr. 24/1 There are lady heels, too, but if they are young Morty calls them ‘heads’..which has the same meaning as ‘broads’ or ‘dolls’.

1943 R. Chandler High Window xxxi. 200 ‘Gents like Alex Morny..don't like private detectives.’ ‘Morny's a good head,’ Eddie Prue said coldly.

1972 Ski Nov. 86/3 Crouch was not a bad-looking head, but somehow I couldn't see taking her out late to the Blue Whale.

1995 L. Stavsky et al. A 2 Z 46 I knew there'd be trouble when I saw the ride full of heads pull over.

II. A thing or part of a thing resembling a head in form or position; a position analogous to that of the head.

* The top, upper, or principal part or end of something. (In the case of physical objects typically differentiated from the rest of the object by projecting or by having a distinctive shape.)

15. With reference to plants and fungi.

a. A bulb of garlic. Also: the bulb of various related plants, as onion and leek (now rare).

ΚΠ

eOE Bald's Leechbk. (Royal) (1865) ii. xxxii. 234 Genim garleaces þreo heafdu & grene rudan twa handfulle.

lOE Recipe (Vitell. C.iii) in T. O. Cockayne Leechdoms, Wortcunning, & Starcraft (1864) I. 376 Nim þes leaces heafda & dryg swiðe.

Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 232 Heed of garlek, lely, or oþer lyke [c1500 Harl. 2274 or of a leke], bulbus.

1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry ii. f. 61 Garlicke groweth both of the head & the seede, as the Onyon and other of this kinde dooth.

a1697 J. Aubrey Wiltshire (1862) 198 The mowers..have always a pound of beefe and a head of garlick every man.

1753 J. Lind Treat. Scurvy ii. iv. 233 They should..eat a bit of raw onion, or a head of garlic, in a morning before they are exposed to the rains and the washings of the sea.

1769 S. Cooke Compl. Eng. Gardener 134 To destroy Moles. Take a head or two of garlic, onion, or leek, and put it into their holes.

1839 Army & Navy Chron. 14 Mar. 171/1 It is pretended that a head of garlic will preserve a child from witchcraft.

1923 Times 25 July 10/1 A roast leg of mutton..is improved by two heads of garlic near the bone.

1977 Bakersfield Californian 27 July 56/1 One reason we prize the Wolfert recipe is that it uses the 40 cloves (about three heads of garlic) unpeeled.

1998 N. Lawson How to Eat (1999) 70 Reckoning on half a head of garlic and 125g of shallots per person, peel the shallots and put them in a tray in the oven.

b. The rounded leafy top of a tree or shrub.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > part of plant > part of tree or woody plant > [noun] > tree-top

cropa1300

heada1387

tree-crop14..

tree-copc1425

treetop1530

crownet1578

crown1589

coma1870

stag-horn1879

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 61 (MED) Schroysbury is a citee..isette vppon þe coppe of an hill..Britouns cleped hit somtyme Pengwern, þat is þe heed of a faire [?a1475 anon. tr. firre; L. abietis] tree.

?1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Husbandry f. xliii And euery boughe woll haue a newe heed.

a1599 E. Spenser Canto Mutabilitie vii. viii, in Faerie Queene (1609) sig. Ii Most dainty trees; that..Seeme to bow their bloosming heads full lowe.

1676 M. Cook Manner of raising Forrest-trees xxxv. 119 If a Tree be blasted in part, or the whole head, cut all that is blasted or dead close off to the Quick, and take out all dead boughs.

1712 J. James tr. A.-J. Dézallier d'Argenville Theory & Pract. Gardening 157 Your Trees..should be cut..by taking off their Heads.

1794 W. Cowper Needless Alarm 11 Oaks..that had once a head.

1861 A. Pratt Flowering Plants & Ferns Great Brit. V. 80 A large tree..with a bushy head.

1917 J. E. Rogers Trees Worth Knowing 78 The wind breaks the branches, destroys the symmetry of the tree's head.

2007 M. J. McGroarty Easy Plant Propagation 21 These multiple buds will form the head of the tree, and you need to prune them.

c. The rounded seed pod of various plants, esp. a poppy. Cf. poppy head n. 2.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > part of plant > reproductive part(s) > seed > seed-vessel or pericarp > [noun] > capsule

heada1398

boll?a1500

bladder1578

bollen1578

bullion1589

bob1615

hive1665

seed box1677

capsule1693

amphora1821

pyxis1821

pyxidium1832

pore capsule1878

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xvii. cxxviii. 1023 Popy..haue grete hedes as a pomgarnat and þerinne is the seed yclosed.

1649 N. Culpeper Physicall Directory 112 Take the heads of white Poppies and black, when both of them are green, of each six ounces.

1699 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 21 119 Lychnis's, Poppies, Antirrhinum's, and many others have their seeds in heads, which when ripe, are open at top.

1798 Trans. Soc. Encouragem. Arts, Manuf., & Commerce 16 374 A small Instrument..used by the Natives of Hindoostan for scarifying the Heads of Poppies.

1831 G. Don Gen. Syst. Gardening & Bot. I. 131/2 From the white-seeded variety [of poppy]..opium is obtained from the heads by incision and sometimes by expression.

1907 Pharmaceut. Jrnl. 7 Sept. 836/1 White poppy is the one richest in opium, and women and children are set to work gathering the heads.

2010 J. Wright Hedgerow 35 If necessary leave them a few days to ripen and when the heads rattle with their seeds turn them upside down and shake.

d. The compact round or conical mass of leaves characteristic of certain types of cabbage, lettuce, etc.; (also) the closely packed overlapping leaf stalks of the celery plant and similar vegetables.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > part of plant > head or heart > [noun] > head or top

cropa700

top?1523

head1577

headlet1577

come1578

pome1658

cyma1706

cyme1725

capitulum1791

1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry ii. f. 56 The great Cabbedge, with brode leaues and a great head.

1620 T. Venner Via Recta vii. 135 The great, hard, and compacted heads of Cole, commonly called Cabbage.

1693 J. Evelyn tr. J. de La Quintinie Reflect. Agric. xiii. 59 in Compl. Gard'ner Onions are formed within the ground almost after the same manner as the Heads of Cabbages and Lettuces are on the surface of it.

1736 C. Carter Compl. City & Country Cook (ed. 2) 1 Put in a Head of Celery, and some Parsly Roots. Boil it very tender about an hour.

1786 J. Abercrombie Gardeners Daily Assistant 39 Borecole..is of the cabbage or colewort tribe, with a large curly-leaved open head, and tall stem.

1824 J. C. Loudon Encycl. Gardening (ed. 2) ii. iv. 439 Preserving heads or leaves of vegetables is effected in cellars or sheds.

1885 Times 25 Apr. 14/2 Retail prices:—..celery, 2d. to 6d. per head.

1949 L. P. DeGouy Soup Bk. iv. 146 Shred 1 medium-sized head of fresh green cabbage.

2009 M. Bittman Kitchen Express 168 Core and thinly slice a head of fennel.

e. The (usually stalked) seed-containing structure of a cereal plant, as an ear of wheat, oats, etc., or a cob of maize.

ΚΠ

1589 J. Sparke in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations iii. 541 For the Indians with the head of mayis roasted, will trauel a whole day.

1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics i, in tr. Virgil Wks. 62 Bearded Grain: While yet the Head is green.

1725 R. Bradley Surv. Anc. Husb. 106 The..Hexastichum of Columella..grows like the former, both in Stalk and Ears, only differing in having..more Rows of Grains upon one Head.

1784 J. F. D. Smyth Tour U.S.A. I. xxxviii. 195 The male flowers..appear something like to the heads or ears of rice.

1822 New Monthly Mag. 6 23/1 The top of each head of corn was bare of seeds.

1898 Jrnl. Agric. & Industry Nov. 316 Wheats do not readily cross-fertilise, but the best and largest heads should be selected year after year, and be cultivated separately.

1914 H. F. Macmillan Handbk. Trop. Gardening & Planting (ed. 2) 233 The unripe tender heads or cobs are..considered by most persons a delicious vegetable.

1947 Science 24 Oct. 398/1 The oats produce heads, but instead of ripening to a normal yellow color, these heads tend to have a whitish-green color, and very little grain is produced.

2011 D. Chapman Walking Penwith 50/1 The statuesque, shapely nodding heads of barley.

f. Any of various kinds of compound inflorescence, as the mass of closely packed flower buds in cauliflower or broccoli, or a dense cluster of flowers arranged in a corymb, umbel, etc.; = capitulum n. 3a.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > forward movement > [noun] > against some opposing force

head1597

society > authority > lack of subjection > rebelliousness > insurrection > [noun]

arising1340

rebeltyc1384

rebellion1409

rebela1425

insurrection1459

commotion1471

mutationa1513

revolting1539

mutine1560

head1597

sollevation1605

sublevation1612

liftinga1662

insurgence1863

the world > plants > part of plant > reproductive part(s) > flower or part containing reproductive organs > inflorescence or collective flower > [noun]

crowna1350

knop1398

tuft?1523

coronet1555

crownet1578

head1597

seed head1597

truss1688

capitulum1704

glome1793

glomerule1793

glomus1832

flower-head1839

inflorescence1851

1597 J. Gerard Herball ii. xxxvi. 246 Cole Florie, or after some Colieflorie, hath many large leaues sleightly endented about the edges,..in the middest of which leaues riseth vp a great white head of hard flowers closely thrust togither.

1652 N. Culpeper Eng. Physitian (new ed.) 217/1 At the tops hereof [sc. stalks of scabious] which are naked and bare of Leaves for a good space, stand round Heads of Flowers, of a pale blewish colour set together in a head.

1704 J. Harris Lexicon Technicum I Capitulum, in Botanicks, is the Head or Flowring Top of any Plant, being composed of many Flowers and Threads (or Stamina) closely connected in a Globous, Circular or Discous Figure.

1785 T. Martyn tr. J.-J. Rousseau Lett. Elements Bot. vi. 70 An aggregate or capitate flower, or a head of flowers.

1830 J. Marcet Conversat. Veg. Physiol. xxxi. 344 The head of a cauliflower has..much the appearance of a blossom, but it consists only of numerous ramifications of the peduncles.

1880 A. Gray Struct. Bot. v. 147 A Head or Capitulum is a globular cluster of sessile flowers, like those of Red Clover.

1915 H. H. Thomas Bk. Hardy Flowers 457 The flat heads of flowers are a pretty pink shade.

1975 Times 18 Jan. 11/1 Trim the cauliflower and if a whole head is used, cut into medium sized sprigs.

2001 C. Whitehead John Henry Days i. 69 The pliable tang of overcooked heads of broccoli.

2004 S. Morhardt & E. Morhardt Calif. Desert Flowers 29 Asteraceae members have tiny specialized flowers in a tight cluster called a head that usually resembles a single flower.

g. Any of various rounded non-floral structures of a plant or fungus, as the rounded root of a vegetable, the cap or pileus of a fungus, or the rounded end of a trichome (cf. head cell n. at Compounds 4); = capitulum n. 3b, 3c.

ΚΠ

1665 R. Hooke Micrographia 128 Resembling the head of a mushroom.

1714 J. Gay Shepherd's Week vi. 56 How turnips hide their swelling heads below, And how the closing coleworts upwards grow.

1834 Paxton's Mag. Bot. 1 63 The manner in which the stamens are spread out renders them incapable, without some assistance, of casting their pollen on the head of the stigma.

1928 New Phytologist 27 265 The greater portion of the inner wall is supplied with trichomes in which the head is divided into four cells.

1964 Amer. Biol. Teacher 26 101/1 In those mosses where the sexes are separated, the antheridia often occur in great numbers in flat-topped flower-like heads.

1985 Plant Physiol. 79 1029/2 Brushing removed the vast majority of heads from trichomes but apparently left most of the stalk cells intact.

h. A flower, esp. one growing at the end of a stem.See also deadhead n.¹ 6.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > part of plant > reproductive part(s) > flower or part containing reproductive organs > [noun]

flower?c1225

woman?1440

floscle1599

head1704

1704 Dict. Rusticum Pendulous-heads, thus Botanists call those Flowers that hang downwards, the Stalk not being able to stand upright.

1787 H. Blair Lect. Rhetoric (ed. 3) I. xvii. 439 Such are the Similies of a hero to a lion, of a person in sorrow to a flower drooping its head.

1842 Floricultural Cabinet Aug. 189 Fuchsira corymbiflora, six feet high, with numerous pendant heads of its splendid flowers, produced a brilliant show.

1889 R. Broughton Red as Rose (new ed.) v. 36 How much pleasanter to be out of doors, tweaking off dead rose heads.

1902 Garden 19 Apr. 254/1 S[axifraga] apiculata is just now at its best, looking very bright with its pale sulphur-coloured heads of flower.

1970 D. Tangye Cornish Summer iv. 44 The daffodil is now picked as soon as the head has dropped.

2012 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 14 July 7 Deadhead bush roses to prolong flowering. Remove heads along with a short piece of stem.

16.

a. The striking or cutting part (as distinct from the shaft or handle) of various weapons and tools, as axes, spears, arrows, hammers, clubs, etc.axe, club-, spearhead, etc.: see the first element.In quot. OE: the striking part of a battering ram.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > cutting tool > [noun] > cutting part of

headOE

bit1594

web1600

cutting edge1825

society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > sharp weapon > [noun] > head

headOE

society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > missile > arrow > [noun] > head of arrow

headOE

arrowhead1384

bolt-head1483

arrow point1655

OE Riddle 53 9 Nu he fæcnum wæg [read weg] þurh his heafdes mæg[en] hildegieste oþrum rymeð.

c1300 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Otho) (1978) l. 11868 Me tok him..ane saft..þar was in þan eande an hefd [c1275 Calig. spærere] swiþe hende.

a1399 in W. G. Benham Oath Bk. Colchester (1907) 7 (MED) Un xij Lancez with heds, ob.; withowtyn heds 1/4 d.

c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Sir Thopas (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 171 His spere was of fyn Cipres..The heed ful sharp ygrounde.

c1440 (?a1400) Sir Perceval (1930) l. 2023 The clobe wheyhed reghte wele..The hede was of harde stele.

a1450 (?a1300) Richard Coer de Lyon (Caius) l. 2213 in K. Brunner Mittelengl. Vers-roman über Richard Löwenherz (1913) 199 (MED) Kyng Rychard..Let hym make an axe..The heed was wrought ryght wele, Therin was twenty pounde of stele.

c1515 Ld. Berners tr. Bk. Duke Huon of Burdeux (1882–7) viii. 19 A spere with a sharpe hed.

1545 R. Ascham Toxophilus ii. f. 12 A shaft hath three principall partes, the stele, the fethers, and the head.

1556 in W. H. Turner Select. Rec. Oxf. (1880) 248 The hedd of the mase fell of.

1611 Bible (King James) Deut. xix. 5 A stroke with the axe..and the head slippeth from the helue.

a1646 D. Wedderburn Vocabula (1685) 38 Baculi caput, the head of the Club.

1723 D. O'Connor tr. G. Keating Gen. Hist. Ireland 238 The Head of the Spear struck against a Stone, and, by the Force of the Blow, the Point of it was bent.

1771 Gentleman's Mag. Mar. 118/1 The handle of a hammer is fixt in its head.

1826 C. Fletcher David i. 26 Six hundred shekels weigh'd the weapon's head.

1857 J. G. Swan Northwest Coast 84 The head of the spear, made like a salmon spear..was attached to a line thirty fathoms long.

1932 Pop. Sci. Monthly Mar. 10/2 When we put the hatchet..through the same blow test, the handle flew off after thirty-five blows... The claws cracked and chipped away before the head came off.

1971 N. Brown Antarctic Housewife vii. 61 The big whale-gun stood in readiness with the head of the harpoon projecting from the barrel.

2001 Sentinel (Stoke-on-Trent) (Nexis) 20 Aug. 5 He accepted he used it but said he hit with the shaft and not the head of the hammer.

b. Mining. In a stamp mill: a block, typically of iron, for crushing ore; each of a number of such blocks which together form the battery (battery n. 7); = stamp n.³ 9a.Recorded earliest in stamp-head n. (a) at stamp n.³ Compounds 2.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > equipment for treating ores > [noun] > for crushing ore > for gold

gold mill1683

head1758

1758 W. Borlase Nat. Hist. Cornwall 178 The lifters..are armed at the bottom with large masses of iron..called Stamp-heads.

1848 Mem. Geol. Surv. Great Brit. II. ii. 678 In the newest erected set, the ‘head’ of cast-iron, weighs 260 to 280 lbs.

1896 Daily News 11 Mar. 11/5 The new ten heads are running well, but the old 10-head mill has been giving trouble.

1946 V. N. Wood Metall. Materials viii. 221 Mottled and white irons..find application for articles where resistance to abrasion is the primary factor, as in chilled rolls, plough shares, crusher heads, grinding balls [etc.].

1954 Official Year Bk. Commonw. Austral. xviii. 794 A ten-head battery is situated on the Maranboy tin-field and crushes ore for all parties.

2011 S. Lawrence & P. Davies Archaeol. Austral. since 1788 Uncovered vii. 155 The Garfield waterwheel..drove a 15-head stamp battery.

c. A part of a machine that contains a (detachable) tool or device for performing a particular action, as cutting, grinding, etc.; the tool or device itself. Frequently with preceding modifying word.cutter-, grooving-, micrometer, shower head, etc.: see the first element.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > other parts > [noun] > other specific parts

armOE

button?1561

running gear1663

relax1676

collar1678

drumhead1698

long arm1717

drum1744

press cloth1745

head1785

absorber1789

bearing plate1794

crown1796

rhodings1805

press box1825

alternator1829

cushion1832

saw tooth1835

shoe1837

keyboard1839

returner1839

cross-head1844

channel shoe1845

baster1846

water port1864

shifter1869

magazine1873

entry port1874

upsetter1875

mechanism1876

tapper1876

tension bar1879

buttonholer1882

take-up1884

auger1886

instrument panel1897

balancer1904

torsion bar1937

powerhead1960

1785 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 75 448 The division answering to the index on the head of the micrometer was carefully noted.

1856 Jrnl. Franklin Inst. 3rd Ser. 31 282 The rotating head of the machine..had but a single cutter to each moulding, and the dividing saw tooth.

1874 Manufacturer & Builder Nov. 246/1 Matchers, with two driving-pulleys, upper and lower feed-rolls, with tonguing and grooving heads.

1949 Our Industry (Anglo-Iranian Oil Co.) (ed. 2) ii. 36 The hole is drilled by the rotating action of a cutting head.

1951 F. Whiteley Gear Manuf.: Bk. 3 ii. 23 A spiral milling attachment or universal milling head is also necessary to obtain the required angular movement of the cutter.

1991 Mech. Engin. Sept. 28/1 Model E3W2 consists of a light source, a sensing head, and a compact controller.

d. The forward end of a shell, torpedo, or similar projectile; the part of a missile containing the explosive or otherwise harmful material. Cf. warhead n. at war n.¹ Compounds 4.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > missile > ammunition for firearms > [noun] > bullet or shell > shell > parts of shell

head1853

nose cap1916

1853 Mech. Mag. 12 Feb. 123 The inventor has improved upon it by extending the cavity a towards the nipple c, into the head of the shell.

1898 F. T. Jane Torpedo 19 The explosive head (war head)..is only fitted when the torpedo is to be used in earnest: for practice, a collapsible head is fitted.

1900 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 12 May 1156 With regard to the head of the bullet, the..type which offers..least resistance is that known as ogival.

1917 Pop. Mech. July 82/1 The head of the projectile continues in advance, followed by the diaphragm, powder tube, etc., and the spread of scattering shrapnel.

1982 Pop. Sci. Oct. 78/1 A sensor in the head of the missile detects laser light reflected off the target.

2012 DNA (Nexis) 23 June The victims are understood to have picked up the unexploded missile head and were playing with it when it exploded.

e. The flammable mass forming the tip of a match; = match-head n. at match n.² Compounds 2.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > fuel > material for igniting > [noun] > match, spill, or taper for lighting > specifically ignited by friction > part of

coal1590

matchstick1791

head1856

match splint1880

match-head1898

1856 A. Albright Brit. Patent 2249 (1857) 1 The use of flour paste to cause the materials of which the head of the match is composed to adhere to the splint of wood.

1900 Weekly Underwriter 16 June 424/2 Matches of this type readily ignite when the heads are picked with the point of a knife.

1937 Pop. Mech. Dec. (Advertising section) 38/1 A newly patented match package has an inner flap which covers the heads of the matches.

1978 R. H. Stone & D. W. H. Tripp Chemistry (ed. 2) iv. 44 The original substances, both in the head of the match and on the side of the box, contain potential energy in chemical form.

2003 E. B. Basilici Legacy of Hero v. 24 He..fumbled a match out of the box on the shelf. He scraped the head against the iron stove and cupped the light.

(a) In playing or making a gramophone record: a component for converting the physical motion of a stylus into variations in an electrical signal, and vice versa; spec. such a component mounted at the end of a record player's pickup arm.

ΚΠ

1931 Pop. Sci. Feb. 139/1 The weight of the pick-up head you are using.

1962 L. Deighton Ipcress File xxvii. 172 He laid a huge shiny L.P. on the..turntable and delicately applied the diamond head.

1973 Daily Tel. 12 Oct. (Colour Suppl.) 29/2 The recording head that drives the cutting stylus.

2010 W. Newton Mistress of Abha (2011) 71 As I entered he lifted the head off the record.

(b) In an audio, video, or computer system: a component for converting variations in an electrical signal into variations in magnetization or some other property, and vice versa, allowing recording to or reading from a storage medium. Frequently with preceding modifying word.erase, record, tape head, etc.: see the first element.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > record > recording or reproducing sound or visual material > sound recording and reproduction > sound recording or reproducing equipment > [noun] > head

head1948

1948 C. Chu in Theory & Techniques Design Electronic Digital Computers III. xxvii. 6 The dimensions of the elementary magnets recorded on the medium..also depend on the crosswise length of the gap of the head.

1964 F. L. Westwater Electronic Computers (ed. 2) iv. 68 Each track must have its read/write head.

1983 Listener 18 Aug. 34/3 Now you can get a music centre with two audio-cassette heads to facilitate the copying of cassettes as well as discs.

2003 Build Perfect PC (Maximum PC) 55 There are two separate heads in a hard drive head assembly for reading and writing data.

17. In general use: the topmost part of something; the top. Frequently opposed to foot.With reference either to a component or portion of an object, or to a position at or near its uppermost point.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > high position > [noun] > highest point or top

headOE

copa1000

heightOE

topc1000

highestlOE

crest1382

coperounc1400

summita1425

summity?a1425

toppet1439

altitude?a1475

upperest1484

principala1533

pitcha1552

supremity1584

culm1587

period1595

spire1600

upward1608

cope1609

fastigium1641

vertex1641

culmen1646

supreme1652

tip-top1702

peak1785

helm1893

altaltissimo1975

OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Luke xvi. 17 Facilius est autem caelum et terram praeterire quam de lege unum apicem cadere : eaðor is uutedlice þæt heofon & þæt eorðo þætte foregeleore ðon of æ an merce uel stæfes heafud gefalla.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 16577 (MED) Apon þe hefd o þis rode, ouer-thwart was don a brede.

1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Kings x. 19 Y^e heade of the seate was rounde behynde.

1543 R. Record Ground of Artes ii. sig. T.iiii^v 30 is represented by the ioynynge together of y^e headdes of the foremost fynger and the thombe.

1630 Proclam. Charles I New Buildings London 16 July 4 The Iambes, Heads and soyles of the Windowes shall be of Bricke.

1631 J. Rous Diary (1856) 60 [She] fell..at the head of a payre of staires.

1659 T. Willsford Architectonice 30 A post with a turn'd or carv'd head.

1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 115/1 Swash Letters, are Italick Capitals, which have generally long dashing squanging stroaks in them, either at the head or foot.

1708 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 26 71 A well polish'd Piece of Amber..which was the Head of my Cane.

1711 W. Sutherland Ship-builders Assistant 114 The upper Part is called the Head of the Sail.

1721 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. at Bowl A round space at the Head of the Mast for the Men to stand in.

1742 J. Martyn & E. Chambers tr. Philos. Hist. & Mem. Royal Acad. Sci. Paris III. 24 That the whole force [of the rammer]..may fall on the head of the pile which is to be driven.

1794 Repertory of Arts 1 233 Carried round upon trucks, like the head of a windmill.

1827 J. F. Cooper Red Rover II. ii. 53 Wilder was standing on the head of the capstan.

1886 S. Baring-Gould Court Royal II. xxxii. 181 Captain Otley..put the silver head of his cane to his mouth.

1900 Orig. Papers Norfolk & Norwich Archæol. Soc. 14 117 The head of the crosier, which is of oak, has been preserved as a relic.

1951 Rotarian May 58/2 I was able to make small lightning by holding the ball close to the head of the machine.

1974 S. King Carrie (1975) 12 She..had gone to the head of the stairs.

1995 M. Lawrence et al. Which? Guide Home Safety & Security ii. 97 The bolt passes into a hole in the head and sill of the door frame.

2003 J. R. Stilgoe Lifeboat ix. 218 He slid the tiller from the head of the rudder.

18.

a. The end of a bed, grave, etc., at which a person's head lies. Opposed to foot. Cf. bed-head n. 2, headboard n. 2.In quot. OE apparently in plural (see etymological note).

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > end or extremity > [noun]

endc825

headOE

finea1300

nolla1387

extremityc1400

hinder end?1523

extreme1570

termininea1593

exit1615

outmost1634

terminus1704

knobhead1793

terminal1865

OE West Saxon Gospels: John (Corpus Cambr.) xx. 11 Heo..geseah twegen englas sittan..anne æt þam heafdon & oðerne æt þam fotum þær ðæs Hælendes lic aled wæs.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 17288 + 219 (MED) Þat one at þe fote of þe graf, þat other at the hede.

c1405 (c1387–95) G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 295 For hym was leuere haue at his beddes heed Twenty bookes.

?c1430 (c1400) Rule St. Francis (Corpus Cambr.) in F. D. Matthew Eng. Wks. Wyclif (1880) 49 Vndir here beddis hed.

a1500 (?a1390) J. Mirk Festial (Gough) (1905) 14 When he was buryet, at þe hed of þe tombe sprong a well of oyle.

1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry IV f. xxxii^v He caused his crowne to be set on the pillowe at his beddes heade.

1622 J. Mabbe tr. M. Alemán Rogue i. 232 The Vrinall..stood at his beds head.

1712 J. Swift Jrnl. to Stella 9 Jan. (1948) II. 461 I hide my purse in my thread stocking between the bed's head and the wainscot.

1759 Universal Mag. Oct. 172/1 The survivor plants a rose-tree at the head of the deceased's grave.

1851 H. R. Schoolcraft Hist. & Statist. Information Indian Tribes U.S. I. 356 At the head of the grave a tabular piece of cedar, or other wood..is set.

1871 Daily News 18 Mar. 5/6 She stands fast by the head of the stretcher, while the rest give ground at the mandate of the surgeon.

1917 A. G. Empey Over Top 314 Two pieces of wood in the form of a cross placed at the head of a Tommy's grave.

1995 J. L. Singman & W. McLean Daily Life Chaucer's Eng. v. 87 Across the head of the bed was a long bolster..covered with a headsheet of linen.

b. The position at a table (usually at one end) occupied by the person presiding over a meal or other event, or by the person regarded as most honoured or important. Also (with no reference to the status of the occupant): the position at the end of a table. Cf. senses 26a, 36. See also table head n. at table n. Compounds 1a(a).

ΚΠ

a1500 (?c1450) Merlin xx. 322 (MED) The thre kynges and Merlin satte to-geder at the hede of the deyse.

1604 J. Fraser Offer maid to Gentilman of Qualitie 176 We perceaued an honest man..sitting at the head of the table.

1656 P. Heylyn Extraneus Vapulans 340 [He] placed him at the head of the board, above all the Ministers.

1745 E. Haywood Female Spectator III. 32 Tho' Eudosia kept her Place at the Head of the Table, yet nothing was served up to it but what was ordered by Laconia.

1786 F. Burney Diary 17 July (1842) III. 14 I was offered the seat..at the head of the table.

1813 Ann. Reg. 52 The Duke of York gave the toast; it was announced from the head of the table by a flourish of trumpets.

1877 M. Leathes Manor House Stories in Girls of Bredon ii. 201 The four little ones were ranged round the table with Susan at the head.

1928 P. O'Donnell Islanders v. 32 He could make out Susan at the head of the table winding a cut of yarn.

1951 S. H. Bell December Bride ii. xii. 171 The young Andrew sat at the head of the table in his grandfather's great rope-bottomed chair.

2000 H. Simpson Hey Yeah Right (2001) 126 There was William at the head, well into the next bottle, blearily inaccessible.

2007 M. Richards Growing Wild on Exmoor 19 During her long visits, my mother would give up to her mother-in-law the place she shared with my father at the head of the table.

19. The upper or principal extremity of various things, esp. when projecting, distinct, removable, or of some special shape.

a. The pus-filled portion of an abscess, boil, or spot; the highest and thinnest point of this, at which it is likely to burst and discharge its contents. Also in figurative contexts (cf. sense 54).Frequently in to bring to a head (see Phrases 4b), to come to a head (see Phrases 4c).Cf. blackhead n.² 2, whitehead n.¹ 5.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > suppuration > [noun] > a suppuration > abscess > head of

headlOE

pointing1766

lOE Metrical Charm: Against Wen (Royal 4 A.xiv) 5 Wenne..þu scealt..to þan nihgan berhge, þer þu hauest, ermig, enne broþer. He þe sceal legge leaf et heafde.

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. vii. lix. 418 In þe hed of þe posteme brediþ a whelke oþir a bleyne.

?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 22^v When forsoþ þu seest som liȝtnez & cesyng of akyng..& þat þe heued is sharped..þan wite þat þer is sanie or quitour.

1538 T. Elyot Dict. sig. C.iii^v/1 Caput facere, to gather a soore to a heed.

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Aboutir, to wax ripe, or draw to a head, as an impostume.

1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 117 To launch the Sore: And cut the Head.

1725 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Œconomique Abouting, a term used by the French Gardiners to denote that the Trees are budded; as it signifies, in regard to Animals, the making a kind of a Head or Abscess.

1896 New Rev. Dec. 695 The essence of fact..never lay in the displacement of an arrow-point; no, nor in the head of a boil.

1948 N. Cassady Let. 23 July (2005) 87 The carbuncle bursts, the boil, reaching a head, pulsates its grey-fear fluid outward and all that remains is the sac scar.

2005 D. B. Jacoby et al. Encycl. Family Health (ed. 3) 256/1 (table) Don't squeeze a boil before the head has formed.

b. The rounded, knobbed, or flattened end of a pin, nail, screw, or bolt, opposite to the point.to hit the nail on the head: see nail n. Phrases 1b; how many angels can dance on the head of a pin: see angel n. Phrases 3.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > shape > bluntness > [noun] > blunt part or side

headc1300

platc1395

backc1440

poll1603

flat side1727

c1300 St. Francis (Laud) l. 396 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 65 (MED) Þe nailes weren blake i-nouȝ, þe hauedene rounde and grete.

c1392 Equatorie of Planetis 26 Set the fix point of thy compas..in the hed of the nail.

a1472 in J. J. Wilkinson Receipts & Expenses Bodmin Church (1875) 18 (MED) Item for nailis with v strok hedes ij s.

1535 in H. M. Paton Accts. Masters of Wks. (1957) I. 127 ii^c xlviii of gret tynnit nalis with schorne hedis.

1542–3 Act 34 & 35 Hen. VIII c. 6 Pinnes..such as..haue the heads soudered fast to the shanke.

1644 J. Winthrop Hist. New Eng. (1826) (modernized text) II. 195 It struck against the head of a bolt in the cut-water of the Dartmouth ship, and went no further.

1679 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. ix. 163 That the Head of the Rivet be on the outside.

1733 J. Tull Horse-hoing Husbandry xxii. 153 This Holding-Screw has a pretty broad Head.

1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth VII. 153 Little protuberances..as large as a pin's head.

1826 Repertory Patent Inventions 2 184 A pinion is fixed on the head of the screw, which turns round a toothed wheel.

1879 W. Thomson & P. G. Tait Treat. Nat. Philos. (new ed.) I: Pt. i. §424 Measured by means of a divided head fixed perpendicularly to the screw at one end.

1909 Proc. Royal Soc. Queensland 22 6 The travellers were compelled to cross very stony basalt country, which..wrenched the heads off the horse-shoe nails.

1997 Pract. Householder Oct. 36/2 Drill a pilot hole for the screw thread..and add a countersink for the head if you're using a countersunk screw.

2007 C. Gloman & R. Napoli Scenic Design & Lighting Techniques iii. 84 Finish hammers..have a claw-shaped peen to grab the head of an errant nail and yank it out.

†c. The nipple of a breast. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xix. lxiii. 1325 Some women haue mylk oonliche in þe heed [L. cono] of þe tete.

a1425 Medulla Gram. (Stonyhurst) f. 47^v Papilla, an hed of a pappe.

1615 H. Crooke Μικροκοσμογραϕια 710 When an Infant is layde to the breast, hee suddenly with a kinde of Naturall force laps his tongue about the head of the breast.

1672 G. Sinclair Hydrostaticks 179 The Air that guardeth the head of the Pap is removed, and so the Air, that presseth the parts about, and without, squeezes out the milk.

d. The rounded part forming the end of the penis; the glans. In later use also: the corresponding part of the clitoris.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > secretory organs > gland > specific glands > [noun] > glans penis

heada1400

nut1565

glans1650

knobc1890

bell end1961

cockhead1964

dickhead1969

a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 19 (MED) Ficus, þat is superfluyte þat growen vp on þe skyn of þe pintils hede wiþoute.

a1593 C. Marlowe tr. Ovid Elegies in J. Davies & C. Marlowe Epigr. & Elegies (c1599) sig. G She..vsde all speech that might prouoke and stirre, Yet..It mocked me, hung downe the head and sunke.

1693 T. Urquhart & P. A. Motteux tr. F. Rabelais 3rd Bk. Wks. xviii. 151 They [sc. women] did begin to flay the Man..at that Member;..yet have they not of that small part alone flayed any more till this hour but the Head.

1756 Mem. Oxf. Scholar 99 [My] fingers sought the inflamed head of my exercised member.

1801 R. Hooper Compend. Med. Dict. (ed. 2) at Penis It [sc. the penis] is divided by anatomists into the root, body, and head.

1880 ‘Lady Pokingham’ in Pearl Apr. 123 I took that long prick in my hands,..whilst I just titillated the ruby head with my tongue.

1904 Lustful Mem. Young & Passionated Girl 39 He got on top of her then placed the head of his champion between the lips of her monkey.

1975 B. Benderson Kyle v. 89 Holding my cock in his fist, he rubbed the head around his asshole.

1990 J. M. Reinisch & R. Beasley Kinsey Instit. New Rep. Sex (1991) ii. 29 Contrary to popular myth, the head of the clitoris is not some type of ‘magic button’ for all women.

2011 Men's Health Big Bk. of Sex ii. 19/2 The head is covered by a sheath of skin called the foreskin.

e. Anatomy. The end of a muscle that remains relatively stationary when the muscle contracts; (also) each of two or more parts into which this end of certain muscles is divided; = origin n. 2b. Cf. tail n.¹ 2e.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > structural parts > muscle > parts of muscle > [noun]

wella1400

fontanelle?a1425

head?a1425

belly1591

venter1615

tail1719

myotome1857

sclerotome1857

myomere1868

muscle spindle1894

spindle1894

Z line1916

Z band1950

dyad1957

triad1957

?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 52 (MED) Wondez..made in þe heuedez [L. capitibus] of þe musculez wher þe neruez beþ ynoȝ nakened..ar mortale.

1597 P. Lowe Whole Course Chirurg. vi. iv. sig. T3 Contusion happeneth in the fleshie partes, and attrition is done in the head and ende of the muscles.

1694 W. Salmon tr. Y. van Diemerbroeck Anat. Human Bodies (new ed.) i. 116/2 These two Kidneys are seated behind the Ventricle and Guts,..at the head of the Psoa Muscle.

1750 S. Sharp Crit. Enq. Surg. 56 In both sexes it lies between the two anterior Heads of the Triceps Femoris.

1877 I. Rosenthal Gen. Physiol. Muscles & Nerves (1881) 13 The ends are spoken of as the head and tail, of the muscle.

1922 Anat. Rec. 23 219 The muscle is much larger than in the left foot, especially its transverse head.

2003 Muscle & Fitness Jan. 35/2 To fully develop and attain bolder shoulders, you must learn the art and science of training the three main heads of the deltoid muscles.

f. Chemistry. In an alembic: the upper part or cover of the cucurbit (cucurbit n.¹ 1), where the vapour condenses to a liquid; the part of any apparatus for distillation where condensation occurs. See also still-head n.²

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > still > [noun] > vessel of > cover for

heada1475

mitre1605

blind-head1662

a1475 Bk. Quinte Essence (1889) 4 A distillatorie of glas..wiþ an hoole a-boue in þe heed, where þe watir schal be putt yn.

1594 H. Plat Diuers Chimicall Concl. Distillation 3 in Jewell House Let the bucket, or cooler in the head containe as much more colde water, as our ordinarie Limbecks doe.

1660 R. Boyle New Exper. Physico-mechanicall xxii. 176 We see in the Heads of Stills..how quickly such vapors are even by a very little cold recondensed into Water.

1730 P. Shaw tr. G. E. Stahl Philos. Princ. Universal Chem. 153 The Operation..is most commodiously perform'd in an Iron Cucurbit, with an alembic-head, and Pipe.

1758 A. Reid tr. P. J. Macquer Elements Theory & Pract. Chym. I. ii. §́1. 230 Fill therewith a crucible..heat it till it melts: then set it on fire, and when its whole surface is lighted place it under a large glass head.

1806 W. Henry Epitome Chem. (ed. 4) i. i. 7 An alembic..consists of two parts; the body..and the head.

1827 J. Story Public & Gen. Statutes Congr. U.S.A. III. 1570 Twenty-three cents for each gallon of the capacity of every such still, including the head thereof.

1920 Sci. Monthly Sept. 207 The vapors are condensed in the head of the alembic.

1949 G. R. Fessenden Preserv. Agric. Specimens in Plastics ii. 33 This apparatus should include a three-neck flask.., a short vertical column packed with glass beads, and distilling head.

1960 F. G. Mann & B. C. Saunders Pract. Org. Chem. (ed. 4) ii. 73 Use a ground-glass flask..with a distillation-head.

2009 B. Owens & A. Dikty Art Distilling Whiskey ii. 34 (caption) Artisan pot still: the shape of the helmet ‘head’ of the still influences the flavor of the distillate.

g. The (distinct) upper part of a pillar or column; the capital (capital n.¹ 1). See also pillar head n. at pillar n. Compounds 2.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > column > [noun] > capital

capital?c1335

coronala1400

chapiterc1425

heada1500

coronet1555

chapitel1682

cap1870

a1500 Gloss. John of Garland in T. Wright Vocabularies (1857) 137 (MED) Epistilium, the hede of the pyler.

1539 Bible (Great) 2 Chron. iii. f. lxxxvi/2 He made chaynes of wrethen worke for the quere, and put them on the heedes of the pyllers.

1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Heade or chapiter of a pyller.

1560 Bible (Geneva) Exod. xxvii. 11 The heades of y^e pillers and the filets shalbe siluer.

1611 E. Aston tr. J. Boemus Manners, Lawes, & Customes ii. i. 58 The porches and galleries also bee vnderpropped with great pillars, the heads whereof are siluer and gold.

1651 P. Armin tr. F. Glisson et al. Treat. Rickets xiii. 122 If therfore you shal fasten in a wedge on the right side between the stones AB through the line FD, the Head of the Pillar; Namely, the stone A will of necessity be bended towards D.

1778 G. Baretti Dict. Spanish & Eng. (ed. 2) at Carton The scroll on the head of the column of the Ionic order.

1818 M. Vasi New Picture Rome v. 269 Three thick fluted marble pillars, with Corinthian heads.

1907 Country Life 30 Nov. 783/2 This hall of plain panels, with the Corinthian heads of its pilasters for all ornament.

2003 R. Taylor How to read Church 30 Doric columns tend to be plain, with simple rounded heads, or capitals.

h. The membrane or piece of skin stretched over a drum, forming the surface struck by the drumsticks or hands; = drumhead n. 1a.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > percussion instrument > drum > [noun] > drumhead

head1567

swash-head1574–5

drumhead1580

skin1615

batter-head1704

tympanum1908

1567 A. Golding tr. Ovid Metamorphosis (new ed.) xii. f. 155 As a man should pat Small stones vppon a dromslets head [L. tympana].

1607 J. Marston What you Will iv. sig. F2 His face lookes like the head of a taber.

1622 tr. Iournall Siege Berghen-up-Zoome 35 Three Spaniards playing at Dice vpon the head of a Drumme.

1691 J. Ray Wisdom of God 185 A Membrane..stretched like the head of a Drum.

1752 Masquerade No. 3. 91 I..caper'd like a parch'd-pea upon the head of a kettle-drum.

1841 Manch. Times 24 July One of the horses, plunging at the crowd, sent its fore-feet into the head of our big drum.

1929 E. A. Powell Last Home of Myst. x. 197 There are huge bowl-shaped drums, as high as a man, with heads of tightly stretched leather.

1996 G. Nicholls in P. Trynka Rock Hardware 92/1 1960s session giant Hal Blaine kept the calf skin head on his kick drum throughout most of his career.

i. On a lute, violin, or similar stringed instrument: the part above the neck (neck n.¹ 6c), on which the tuning pegs are mounted.In some instruments, notably viols, this may be carved in the likeness of a (sometimes grotesque) human head.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > stringed instruments > lute- or viol-type parts > [noun] > head

head1595

pegbox1883

1595 A. Copley Wits Fittes & Fancies vi. 183 One seeing an other thrust out his head..said, it was like the head of a Gittern.

1603 T. Robinson Schoole of Musicke sig. Bij The first string or Treble, stopped in the first fret, by the head of the Lute with the forefinger.

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Ioug,..the head of a Lute, Violl, etc.

1682 T. Shadwell Lancashire-witches ii. 22 Thy Face, I never saw so deform'd a thing on the head of an old Lyra violl.

1748 T. Smollett Roderick Random I. xix. 160 Grinning like the head of a bass viol.

1784 European Mag. & London Rev. Mar. 180/2 This constant grin is no more the indication of true mirth in the Frenchman, than it is in the head of a bass viol.

1836 Repertory Patent Inventions 6 175 Giving to the head of the Spanish guitar the lyre form..in place of the common head heretofore used.

1879 G. Grove Dict. Music I. 524/2 Its [sc. a fingerboard's] width is about 1 inch nearest to the head of the violin and 1¾ inch at the bridge-end.

1905 Sunset Mag. May 77/2 She..designed the scroll of the violin head.

1966 A. C. Baines European & Amer. Musical Instruments 46 The head is of guitar type, with rear pegs.

2002 Fine Woodworking Mar. 84 (caption) The fingerboard and turned head [of the mandolin] are inlaid with gold mother-of-pearl.

j. Astronomy. The part of a comet comprising the nucleus and coma (coma n.² 2), as distinguished from the tail; (also) the nucleus itself.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > constellation > comet or meteor > comet > [noun] > head

head1619

1619 J. Bainbridge Astron. Descr. Late Comet 10 That the Comets taile is nothing else but an irradiation of the Sunne through the pellucide head of the Comet.

1675 E. Sherburne in tr. M. Manilius Sphere App. 192 He likewise conceives the Head of a Comet to consist of divers minute Bodies Homogenial.

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Comet Their Tail is a very thin, slender Vapour, emitted by the Head, or Nucleus of the Comet.

1771 Philos. Trans. 1770 (Royal Soc.) 60 132 Its tail passed directly over ε Orionis and might be traced about as far beyond it, as that star was from the head of the comet.

1868 J. N. Lockyer Elem. Lessons Astron. §291 The brighter part of the comet is called the head, or coma, and sometimes the head contains a brighter portion still, called the nucleus.

1898 Appleton's Pop. Sci. Monthly Apr. 8572 Cassini's observation was of a comet, the head of which was not visible to him.

1929 Pop. Sci. Sept. 49/1 Jets of gas are shot from the comet's head and go to form the tail.

2011 T. Koupelis Quest Solar Syst. x. 288 The tail of a comet does not necessarily follow the head through space.

†k. A swollen end or bulb at one end of a glass tube. Cf. bolt-head n. 2. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > shape > curvature > curved three-dimensional shape or body > [noun] > sphericity or globularity > sphere > spherical or globular object > bulb at end of glass tube

head1664

bulb1833

1664 H. Power Exper. Philos. ii. 120 Take a long Tube, with a Head like a Weather-Glass, onely open at both ends.

1665 R. Hooke Micrographia Pref. sig. C^v I prepare a pretty capaceous Bolt-head..with a small stem about two foot and a half long..and then fit the whole..that almost half the head..may lye buried in a concave Hemisphere cut into the Board.

l. The thick end of a chisel or wedge, opposite the edge or point.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > cutting tool > chisel > [noun] > thick end

head1678

1678 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. ii. 17 With the Hand Hammer in your right hand strike upon the head of the cold Chissel.

1721 R. Wodrow Hist. Sufferings Church of Scotl. I. ii. xiii. 513 He gave Nine Strokes upon the Head of the Wedge.

1734 J. T. Desaguliers Course Exper. Philos. I. iii. 110 Experience shews, that a Blow upon the Head of a Wedge, makes it enter easily into a hard Body.

1842 Chambers's Information for People (new ed.) II. 24/2 Here the wedge is seen to taper from a thick end or head..to a thin edge or point.

1890 Jrnl. Amer. Med. Assoc. 13 Sept. 402/2 The hammer..slipped from the head of the chisel, and he received a sharp blow on the thumb of his left hand.

1916 Railway Rev. 27 May 762/1 Sledge blows on the head of the wedge serve to give the desired friction between the wedge and the yoke.

2008 R. Underhill Woodwright's Guide ii. 20 The intent is to keep the mallet face square to the chisel head at the end of the stroke.

m. Music. In musical notation: that part of a note which determines its position on the stave, as distinct from the stem or tail.In modern notation the head is round or oval, whereas formerly it was often rectangular or diamond-shaped.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > written or printed music > notation > [noun] > character in notation > note > part of note

tailc1325

head1724

hook1782

stem1806

pennant1890

1724 W. Turner Sound Anatomiz'd 16 The Second [Note] is called a Crotchet; marked like the Minim with the Head filled up.

1793 Trans. Soc. Arts (ed. 2) 5 125 The ledger or occasional lines, drawn through the heads of the notes.

1803 A. Gunn Introd. Music 24 The Crotchet is a black head with a stem.

1876 J. Troutbeck & R. F. Dale Music Primer for Schools (ed. 2) i. 8 Quaver ♪, a note with a close or black head, and a stem with one hook.

1914 K. W. Gehrkens Music Notation & Terminol. v. 18 A tie is a curved line connecting the heads of two notes that call for the same tone.

1960 E. Bodky Interpr. Bach's Keyboard Wks. viii. 245 The musical line is organized in such a way that a line drawn through the heads of the notes ascends and then descends.

2009 H. Bauer Young People's Guide Classical Music ii. 17 Staccato is normally indicated..by placing a small dot above or below the head of the note, on the opposite side from the stem.

n. A (folding) cover or canopy for a carriage or (in later use) motor vehicle, usually one which forms a permanent part of the vehicle rather than being detachable. Cf. drophead n. 4.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > cart, carriage, or wagon > carriage for conveying persons > [noun] > parts of > roof or hood

top1617

head1768

mantle1794

calash1844

imperial1870

1768 Gazetteer & New Daily Advertiser 5 Mar. (advt.) A neat exceeding good crane-neck phaeton, with a head and harness for two horses.

1791 J. Purbeck William Thornborough II. vii. 103 He threw back the head of the phaeton, which had been put up to keep him from the rain.

1851 Voy. to Mauritius v. 174 A ‘bogy’—a gig with a head but no back.

1860 Mrs. H. Wood East Lynne in New Monthly Mag. July 283 The head was down to-day, but it was found convenient in rainy weather.

1904 A. B. F. Young Compl. Motorist (ed. 2) iv. Plate facing p. 103 Lanchester touring car, with detachable brougham head.

1955 U.S. Patent 2,707,129 An open-type motor-car body of the kind having a head, with a flexible covering, which can be folded to lie in a stowage compartment.

1987 Carriage Driving Spring 25/4 Both the front and rear heads (or hoods) fold right down, enabling the occupants to be seen clearly.

o. Bookbinding. The upper edge of a book or page. Cf. tail n.¹ 4k, fore-edge n.; cf. also earlier headband n. 2.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > book > parts of book > [noun] > top

head1818

1818 H. Parry Art of Bookbinding 2 Kettle-stitch, the stitch at head and foot of the book, independent of the bands, to tack or fasten the sheets together.

1835 ‘J. A. Arnett’ Bibliopegia 26 The book is now taken between the hands and well beaten up at the back and head on a smooth board, to bring the sheets level and square.

1876 Encycl. Brit. IV. 43/1 The object of the binder in this operation is to make every page of uniform size, presenting a smooth and equal ‘head’, ‘tail’, and ‘fore-edge’.

1930 Godfrey's Catal. No. 134. 26/1 Folio, old sheep (roughly repaired at head and heel).

2011 J. Stein Adventures in Bookbinding 24 Stand the text block on its fore edge with the head facing you.

p. On the bow of a stringed instrument: that part of the tip or point (point n.¹ 19d) which separates the hair from the stick. Also occasionally: the point itself.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > stringed instruments > bowable instrument > [noun] > bow > nut or head

nut1659

point1722

head?1820

?1820 J. Paine Treat. Violin i. 10 What part of the bow shall I begin from? Within two inches of the head of the bow.

1848 J. Bishop tr. J. A. Otto Treat. Violin App. 50 The bow consists of the stick, into the upper part of which, called the head, one end of the hair is fastened.

1879 G. Grove Dict. Music I. 265/1 The hair..is inserted in the head..and the nut of the bow.

1965 D. Bowden Hist. Violin Playing 46 This difficulty was settled..by making a ‘head’ which held the hair away from the bow stick at the point.

1975 New Scientist 10 July 105/2 The maximum weakness is..the point or head of the bow.

2008 E. Klein Compl. Idiot's Guide to Playing Fiddle i. 52 It's an inexpensive fix that will save the head of the bow.

q. Mechanics. A plate or structure closing the end of a cylinder in an engine; spec. (in an internal combustion engine) a piece that sits on top of some or all of the cylinders, against which the pistons compress their contents for combustion. See also cylinder head n. at cylinder n. Compounds 2a.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > pump > [noun] > other parts of pumps

pump box1422

pump-staff1422

pump-tree1617

branch1659

pump rod1731

pear-gauge1753

barometer-gauge1783

bucket-door1797

head1824

balance-bob1838

suction primer1875

cup-leather1889

airline1893

society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > machines which impart power > engine > internal-combustion engine > [noun] > parts of > other parts

thermo-siphon1834

crank-case1878

manifolda1884

hot tube1889

sump1894

hit-and-miss governor1897

engine pit1903

retard1903

head1904

gasket1915

gravity tank1917

cylinder block1923

transfer case1923

swirl chamber1934

manifolding1938

ignition switch1952

catalytic converter1955

small block1963

cat1988

1824 London Lit. Gaz. 31 July 491/2 The pressure of the air on the piston-head again forces it down on the head of the cylinder.

1829 Amer. Jrnl. Sci. 16 317 Heads are put upon the outer cylinder, secured to it by flanches.

1904 A. B. F. Young Compl. Motorist iv. 111 The body of the cylinder proper is a cast-iron liner... The head—containing the vertical valves and ignition-plug—is a separate casting.

1947 Princ. Automotive Vehicles (U.S. Dept. Army) iv. 33 Communicating passages permit the coolant to circulate around the cylinders and through the head.

1965 P. H. Smith High-speed Two-stroke Petrol Engine xiii. 258 On air-cooled engines, non-detachable heads are generally confined..to the simplest and cheapest industrial engines.

2006 SuperBike June 38/1 The surface for the cam cover and the head surface itself are..counter-bored for the valve guides and seats.

20.

a. An accumulation of foam or froth on the top of certain drinks, esp. beer.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > ale or beer > [noun] > froth on ale or beer

barmc1275

yeastc1430

head1545

barm-froth1606

collar1945

1545 R. Ascham Toxophilus ii. f. 8 Newe ale..wil sone lease his pith, and his head afore he be longe drawen on.

1603 S. Harsnett Declar. Popish Impostures xxi. 34 The ale in the fat would neuer haue good head.

1664 N. Henshaw Aero-Chalinos i. 10 The small Particles of air..gently ascend to the top of the Mass, where they make that frothy head or scum observable in Sider, Wine, Beer, and other liquors.

1707 J. Mortimer Whole Art Husbandry (1708) i. 574 Stirring of it twice a day, and beating down the Head or Yeast into it.

1772 J. Adams tr. A. de Ulloa Voy. S. Amer. (ed. 3) I. 50 Palm-wine..bears a greater head than beer, and is of a very inebriating quality.

1810 B. Silliman Jrnl. Trav. II. lxix. 218 The porter drinkers of London reject the liquor unless it foams, or has a head, as they call it.

1886 Pall Mall Gaz. 13 Sept. 10/2 The head or foam [on ginger-beer] is produced either by white of egg or by quillaia bark.

1909 Amer. Bottler 15 Aug. 27/2 Swats..had the color of mild ale, with a fine creamy head, a good ‘body’ and quite a nice aroma.

1951 J. R. Carlson Cairo to Damascus xix. 348 He poured some [coffee] in one demi-tasse cup, then in another, evenly distributing the frothy head.

1997 Scotsman (Nexis) 11 Mar. 2 The party will change a law that at present allows a ‘reasonable head’ to form part of a pint.

2006 Daily Tel. 3 May 15/1 Glycol alginate, added to help maintain a beer's head, even after months on a shelf.

b. The cream which accumulates on the top of milk. Cf. top of the milk n. at top n.¹ and adj. Phrases 5b. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > dairy produce > [noun] > cream

reameOE

cream1332

raw creama1450

head1684

top of the milk1942

dairy cream1962

1684 S. Pordage tr. T. Willis Of Feavers in Pract. Physick (rev. ed.) i. 51 The flowering or head of the Milk [L. flori lactis].

1775 J. Ash New Dict. Eng. Lang. Cream, the head of milk, the oily part of milk.

1796 Monthly Mag. 2 Suppl. 935/2 Loaronon, cheese, head of milk.

1848 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 9 ii. 480 The extent of surface in the large milk-pans produces a large ‘head’ of cream.

1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. (at cited word) In reply to an application for milk in the forenoon, a farmer's wife's usual reply is—I ont break my head vor nobody—meaning that now the head or cream has begun to rise, I will not disturb it.

1917 Jrnl. Dairy Sci. 1 297 The layer of the cream in the pan is crinkled, and appears as a ‘blanket’ or ‘head’ of cream on the surface of the milk.

1988 L. R. Lind tr. G. Zerbi Gerontocomia xxvii. 186 That part of milk which the shepherds call the head of the milk..the famous Latin physicians call cream.

21. An amplifier unit (esp. one used to amplify an electric guitar) which does not contain a speaker, and is connected to one or more separate speaker cabinets. Also more fully amp head. Cf. cab n.⁵The head is typically placed on top of the speaker cabinet(s) in an arrangement known as a stack (see stack n. Additions). This arrangement is contrasted with a combination amplifier (or combo amp) in which the amplifier and speakers are contained in a single cabinet.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > audibility > sound magnification or reproduction > [noun] > amplifier

power amplifier1920

buffer amplifier1933

preamplifier1934

amp1945

power amp1947

logarithmic amplifier1954

preamp1955

head1968

1968 Daily Independent-Jrnl. (San Rafael, Calif.) 5 Apr. 25/3 (advt.) Amp head. 240 watts. Solid state. $175.

1971 Arizona Republic 7 Nov. c26/4 (advt.) Fender Bassman amp... Marshall head w/new Gibson speaker cab for bass or P.A.

2005 D. Hunter Guitar Amp Handbk. iv. 94 The amp is available as a head or 2x12 combo.

** The front or leading part or end of something.

22.

a. Originally: a ship's figurehead. Later also: those components of a ship which are fitted forward of the stem, or of the main body of the bows, regarded collectively, including the figurehead, rails, and the knee of the head (see knee n. 7a). Now historical.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > parts of vessels > body of vessel > fore part of vessel > [noun] > any part in front of stem

headOE

main-piece1850

society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > parts of vessels > body of vessel > fore part of vessel > [noun] > any part in front of stem > figure-head

figurehead1766

head1804

headpiece1807

family head1835

galley-nose1867

OE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Tiber. B.iv) anno 1063 Wearþ Griffin kync ofslangen [read ofslagen]..& man brohte his eafod to Harolde eorle, & Harold hit þam kynge brohte, & his scipes heafod & þa bone þermid [L. caputque nauis ipsius cum ornatura].

1653 in C. T. Atkinson Lett. & Papers First Dutch War (1912) V. 293 The Assurance hath lost her head and bowsprit. She is now upon the ground tallowing and the head building.

1676 London Gaz. No. 1130/4 A square stern'd Sloop with a Deck, a small Head, and the Figure of a Cat thereon.

1703 London Gaz. No. 3968/1 The Privateer..carried away her Head and Boltsprit.

1711 W. Sutherland Ship-builders Assistant 161 Head of a Ship, that part which is fasten'd to the Bow or foremost part of the Ship without-board.

1804 A. Duncan Mariner's Chron. Pref. 19 A Head is an ornamental figure erected on the continuation of a ship's stem.

1850 J. Greenwood Sailor's Sea-bk. 123 Head..particularly applied to all the work fitted afore the stem, as the figure, the knee, rails, etc.

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Head,..in a confined sense that part on each side of the stem outside the bows proper which is appropriated to the use of the sailors for wringing swabs, or any wet jobs.

1902 J. Hall Viking Tales 201 Something to merely illustrate Norse work; for instance, a carved ship's-head, or a copper shield, or a wrought door-nail.

1909 Rudder Sept. 186 (caption) Half Moon [sc. a ship], showing the head and bowsprit.

1977 J. T. Noonan Antelope ii. 26 An hermaphrodite brig painted black,..no head, a bowsprit without elevation, sails which were old and patched.

2007 G. de L. Marshall Ships' Figureheads in Austral. 5 ‘Shield and scroll’ is a not uncommon designation for a ship's head on some registers.

b. More generally: the front or front part of a ship, boat, or other vessel; the bows.Recorded earliest in boat-head n. at boat n.¹ Compounds 2.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > parts of vessels > body of vessel > fore part of vessel > [noun]

foreshipc1000

stam1336

bilynge?a1400

forestam?a1400

boat-head1485

head1485

prore1489

forecastle1490

steven1512

forepart1526

nose1538

prow1555

stem1555

forebow1569

beak-head1579

galion1604

bow1626

fore-beaka1656

forebudding1811

prora1847

snout1853

forward1892

sharp end1948

1485 in M. Oppenheim Naval Accts. & Inventories Henry VII (1896) 50 Sheves of Iren in the bote Hede.

1568 T. Hacket tr. A. Thevet New Found Worlde xxii. f. 35 Costing the Ile of S. Laurence, guiding the head of the ship to Weast or Southweast.

1627 J. Smith Sea Gram. ix. 41 Put the Helme a weather, and it will bring her head where her sterne is.

1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis vi, in tr. Virgil Wks. 362 They turn their Heads to Sea; their Sterns to Land.

1795 Ld. Nelson in Dispatches & Lett. (1846) VII. p. xxx We are getting on very fast with our caulking; our head is secured.

1836 M. Scott Cruise of Midge vi. 97 We were riding with our head up the river.

1849 G. Grote Hist. Greece V. ii. xxxviii. 24 They were moored by anchors head and stern.

1902 J. Masefield in Pall Mall Gaz. Apr. 530 Her masts were gone, 'n' afore you knowed She filled by the head 'n' down she goed.

1984 P. O'Brian Far Side of World (1992) iii. 91 Then, the ship's people being sickly, they turned her head south.

1996 Times 3 Feb. 23/8 The ship's head was paying off the whole time, making it extremely dangerous for the lifeboat.

(a) Nautical. An on-board toilet, originally one situated in the bows. Also in plural in same sense.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > sanitation > privy or latrine > [noun] > in a ship

head1712

roundhouse1805

1712 W. Rogers Cruising Voy. 34 He begg'd to go into the Head to ease himself.

1748 T. Smollett Roderick Random I. xxviii. 253 The madman..took an opportunity, while the centinel attended him at the head, to leap over-board.

1826 W. N. Glascock Naval Sketch-bk. II. 28 None o' your long-winded lawyers, like Paddy Quin the sweeper, or Collins the ‘captain o' the head’.

1886 Rep. Surgeon-General, U.S. Navy 48 We have the ship's ‘heads’ forward on both sides of the gun-deck.

1938 ‘C. S. Forester’ Ship of Line 21 You'll clean out the heads of this ship every day.

1958 W. King Stick & Stars 42 Each visit to the heads [in a submarine] entails an important sequence of valve operations.

2004 C. Montgomery Last Heathen 215 The floor was a slippery paste of oil, spit, crushed insects, and a disturbing slurry that seeped from the ship's head.

(b) U.S. colloquial. A lavatory.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > sanitation > privy or latrine > [noun] > water-closet or lavatory

closet1496

water closet1736

water closet1747

throne room1787

W.C.1815

netty1825

convenience1841

Johnny1847

lavabo1852

restrooma1856

small room1858

cloakroom1865

lavatory1874

bathroom1883

toilet1886

can1900

place1902

lav1913

washroom1919

head1920

lavvy1922

dike1923

smallest room1930

John1931

khazi1932

loo1940

biffy1942

Wa1953

shitcan1954

commode1958

cludgie1961

1920 War Expenditures: Hearings before Subcomm. No. 3 of Comm. Expenditures War Dept. (U.S. House of Representatives, 66th Congr., 1st & 2nd Sess., Serial 4) I. 104 You..called the sentry and asked him for what you wanted—if you wanted to go to the ‘head’, or anything.

1947 T. Williams Streetcar named Desire iii. 59 I'm going to the ‘head’. Deal me out.

1980 P. McHugh Search for Goodbye-to-Rains ix. 163 He had to go to the head pretty bad.

2001 R. Russo Empire Falls xxi. 332 When you spun off your stool to go to the head, you were liable to spill the beer of the man standing behind you.

23.

(a) The front of an army, procession, or the like; the vanguard.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > front > [noun]

foremostc1275

headc1275

foreparty1398

forepartc1400

foresidec1400

devant1411

fronture1417

fore-endc1425

frontierc1430

forefront1488

forehead1525

frontc1540

vaunt1589

proscenium1648

frontside1697

van1726

fore-piece1788

façade1839

fore1888

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 4325 Þer com Iulius teon. forn aȝæien heore hæued [c1300 Otho heued].

a1450 ( tr. Vegetius De Re Militari (Douce) (1988) f. 31^v And þis warde..is þe heed warde of þe legioun, and þis is þe firste warde þat is ordeyned as hede of al þe legioun when þe bataille schal begynne.

1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) ix. 615 Schyr Edwardis cumpany Set stoutly in ye heid agayne.

1588 E. Aggas tr. F. de La Noue Politicke & Mil. Disc. xviii. 201 The last ranckes..are sooner amazed then they that be at the head and in all the daunger.

1597 H. M. tr. J. Du Bec-Crispin Hist. Tamerlan 112 The Prince had not seene [him] in eight dayes, because he ledde the head of the armie.

1607 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Serres in tr. Gen. Inuentorie Hist. France ii. 700 The foure commaunders march euery one in the head of his troupe.

1676 tr. G. Guillet de Saint-Georges Acct. Voy. Athens iv. 396 At the head of the Procession were ten Trumpets, and as many Bag-pipes playing and sounding before him.

1709 J. Addison Tatler No. 100. 2/1 She had so ordered it, that Men of the greatest Genius and the strongest Sense were placed at the Head of the Column.

1796 Instr. & Regulations Cavalry 152 If gradual and inconsiderable changes of direction are to be made during the march of the column, the head will, on a moveable pivot, effect such change.

1838 Extra Globe (Washington, D.C.) 2 Aug. 304/1 At precisely half past ten o'clock, the head of the procession debouched from Pall-mall towards Charing-cross.

1863 A. W. Kinglake Invasion of Crimea I. xiv. 261 The head of the vast column of troops.

1908 Pacific Monthly Mar. 324/2 The herdsman who rides at the head of a straggling herd of cattle on the march.

1986 E. Amadi Estrangement v. 76 The head of the..procession turned right.

1996 N. Maraire Zenzele iv. 56 By the time we reached the hut, we were a full procession. At the head was Chipo.

(b) The front of a queue; the person, vehicle, etc., in this position. Also figurative.

ΚΠ

1852 Manch. Examiner & Times 3 Mar. 2/1 The elector at the head of the queue, which is formed to prevent confusion, delivers the card which attests his identity.

1928 Boys' Life Nov. 12/1 The instructor sent the head of the line over the jump.

1950 Washington Post 29 July 8/8 Another truck came along and rammed into the back truck.., which in turn banged into the car at the head of the line.

1996 J. E. Harrigan & P. R. Neel Executive Architect iv. 106 We must be at the head of the line when we compete for contracts; that is, we want clients to come to us first.

2008 Northern Echo (Nexis) 17 Jan. 2 At the queue's head, among the radio microphones and reporters' notebooks, fans mixed shivers with soundbites.

b. Chiefly Military. The front, outer, or projecting part of a fortification, encampment, etc.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > front > [noun] > projecting

nose1538

head1684

society > armed hostility > defence > defensive work(s) > [noun] > part nearest enemy

head1684

society > armed hostility > military organization > logistics > quartering > [noun] > encamping > camp > part of camp nearest enemy

head1684

1684 tr. J. Donneau de Visé Diary Siege of Luxembourg 36 [He] caused himself to be carried to the Head of the Trenches [Fr. la Teste de la Tranchée], that he might there be nearer at hand to give his Orders.

1694 E. D'Auvergne Hist. Campagne Spanish Netherlands 88 Our Cannon and Mortars began to play with more force from all our Batteries; that of St. Leonard fired perpendicular upon the Head of the Fort Picard.

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) Head of the Camp, is the Front, or fore-most Part of the Ground, an Army is incamped on; or that which advances most towards the Campaign, Field, or the Enemy.

1780 Compl. Syst. Mil. Art at Retirade After the first defence is ruined, and the besieged are obliged to abandon the head of the work, without quitting it entirely.

1839 Jrnl. Royal Geogr. Soc. 9 336 Taking possession of the village of Nizib, and the head of the camp, [they] opened a fire upon the line of fugitives and troops.

1901 H. P. B. Lynch Armenia I. i. 21 The point at which you pause is at the head of the fortification, beneath the soaring escarpment of the square tower.

1964 V. S. Naipaul Area of Darkness vii. 174 The silver rods which..were displayed in a lighted tent at the head of the camp.

2010 D. Hirst Beware of Small States v. 111 The hotels constituted the head of a Phalangist salient that projected deeply into Muslim West Beirut.

24.

a. The front part, or (in earlier use) the share-beam, of a plough; = plough-head n. Cf. tail n.¹ 4d.Recorded earliest in plough-head n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > tools and implements > ploughing equipment > [noun] > plough > part bearing share

heada1325

stock1578

tongue1591

a1325 Gloss. W. de Bibbesworth (Arun.) (1857) 168 (MED) Le chef e le penoun [glossed] the plou-heved [a1425 All Souls hede] and the foot.

?c1475 Catholicon Anglicum (BL Add. 15562) f. 97^v A plugh hede, dentale.

1613 G. Markham Eng. Husbandman: 1st Pt. Former Pt. iv. sig. C2^v If your Plough-Irons forbeare and will not bite on the earth at all, then it is a signe that you hang too heauy on the Plough hales, raising the head of the Plough from the ground.

1756 T. Hale et al. Compl. Body Husbandry vi. xxviii. 293/2 The Length of the additional Coulters, particularly of the fourth, or that next the Head of the Plow, would be a great Inconvenience in this Machine.

1793 J. L. Buchanan Trav. W. Hebrides vi. 153 The head of this plough is four feet long, with an iron sock, and with a handle of six feet long.

1844 Loudon's Encycl. Agric. 391 The materials with which ploughs are constructed is, generally, wood for the beam and handles, cast iron for the head.

1890 Trans. Royal Sc. Arboricultural Soc. 12 192 The head of the plough is attached to the axle of two wooden wheels, whereby the depth of the furrow is regulated.

1902 H. A. Robertson & J. Fraser Erromanga vi. 117 The head of the plough, trailing after them, would sometimes bound right up in the air.

1978 A. Fenton Northern Isles xxxviii. 296 The thick, rear end curved downwards, with a mortice..for a piece of wood, the head of the plough, that held the sock.

b. On a saddle: = pommel n.¹ 4a. See also leaping-head n. at leaping n. Compounds 2.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > horse-gear > [noun] > saddle > parts of saddle

saddle-boweOE

arsonc1300

saddle skirt1361

saddle-tree1364

skirtc1400

saddle panel1465

stock-tree1470

stock1497

pommela1500

tree1535

pillion cloth1540

port1548

saddle stock1548

pilch1552

bolster1591

cantle1591

shank-pilliona1599

pillowc1600

pad1604

crutch1607

sivet1607

saddle crutcha1614

saddle eaves1663

saddle tore1681

burr1688

head1688

narve1688

saddle seat1688

sidebar1688

torea1694

quarter1735

bands of a saddle1753

witherband1764

withers1764

peak1775

pillion-stick1784

boot-housing1792

saddle flap1798

saddle lap1803

fork1833

flap1849

horn1849

skirting1852

hunting-horn1854

head-plate1855

saddle horn1856

cantle bar1859

leaping-horn1859

straining1871

stirrup-bar1875

straining-leather1875

spring tree1877

leaping-head1881

officer-tree1894

monkey1911

monkey-strap1915

thigh roll1963

straining-web-

1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. iii. 93/2 The Single Head, hath one bow in the middle of the forepart of the tree. The Double Head side Saddle, is with two bows.

1796 Repertory of Arts 4 9 The near side head or horn, of a woman's saddle-tree, is made or constructed to move, fall, or drop down.

1850 S. C. Wayte Equestrian's Man. vi. 166 There are people who say no to the off head being cut off, as if in case a lady is nervous she cannot steady herself so well as when the head is left on.

1891 A. T. Fisher Through Stable xiii. 117 In some provincial, but nowadays in no well-made London saddles, the head of the saddle is cut back towards the seat.

1963 E. H. Edwards Saddlery xiv. 96 The head and gullet are strengthened with steel plates and there is also a steel reinforcement laid on to the underside of the tree from the head to the cantle.

1986 Your Horse Sept. 49/2 The saddle has a cut back head.

2005 C. Paolini Eldest (2007) 288 A series of broad ties on either side of the head of the saddle caught Eragon's attention.

†c. On a bicycle or tricycle: the hollow tube enclosing the steering column; the head tube; = headpiece n. 8. See also Compounds 2c. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicle propelled by feet > [noun] > cycle > parts and equipment of cycles > frame and parts of

frame1869

fork1871

headpiece1877

head1881

frameset1899

dropout1923

crossbar1966

1881 Househ. Words 10 Sept. 396/1 The excessive ‘rake’ imposes a greatly additional strain upon the head, and renders the steering somewhat difficult.

1902 Captain 7 82/1 That going from the head to the crank bracket is made duplex.

1904 G. F. Goodchild & C. F. Tweney Technol. & Sci. Dict. 282/2 Head (Cycles), the socket or hollow tube through which the tube carrying the front fork runs.

*** An end or terminal part of something, not necessarily uppermost or foremost in position or importance.

25. Either of the flat ends of a barrel, cask, or similar container, esp. the one regarded as the top.Recorded earliest in barrel-head n. at barrel n. Compounds 2.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > receptacle or container > vessel > barrel or cask > [noun] > end

head1390

barrel-head1841

1390–1 in L. T. Smith Exped. Prussia & Holy Land Earl Derby (1894) 41 Hans Couper pro barelhedes et pro imposicione eorundem in dictos barellos, v scot.

a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) ii. l. 1212 He let devise..To sette a tonne..Wherof on hed was taken oute.

1428 in J. Raine Vol. Eng. Misc. N. Counties Eng. (1890) 2 He opend ye heued of ye other barell.

a1500 Brut (Rawl. B. 173) 453 (MED) vj buttes, the which the hedes were smyt oute of.

1583 T. Stocker tr. Tragicall Hist. Ciuile Warres Lowe Countries iii. f. 84 Upon the head of which barrell was nayled a peece of paper written with these wordes.

1659 T. Willsford Scales of Comm. 159 The diameter at the bung 30, and at the head or either end 21 inches.

1719 Hist. Reg. No. 14 153 A crowned B shall be burnt on the Head of each Barrel.

1792 T. Forrest Voy. Calcutta 80 Dowling the planks together, as coopers do the parts that form the head of a cask.

1834 F. Marryat Pacha I. ii. 35 I was directed to take the head out of the cask.

1860 E. G. White Spiritual Gifts II. 47 Your theory of faith is as empty as a flour barrel with both heads out.

1951 R. S. Harper Lincoln & Press xxxi. 276 The head of the keg was knocked in and a train of powder poured to a point near the house.

2012 Gazette (Montreal) (Nexis) 7 Mar. f8 They start by breaking apart the barrel and removing the metal hoops, separating the heads and pulling apart the staves.

26.

a. An end of a room or building, esp. the end regarded as more important, prestigious, etc. Cf. sense 18b.In quot. 1420: one of the entrances to a mansion.

ΚΠ

1420 in J. Raine Vol. Eng. Misc. N. Counties Eng. (1890) 16 (MED) At the hall head to the kyrkward, the heirs..sall bryng furthe..thayre water into the foresayd gutter.

c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 28^v At the tother hede of þe halle was..A wondurfull werke.

1685 G. Sinclair Satans Invisible World Discovered Postscript sig. ¶¶6 There being..a Window or shot at the head of the Room, that gave them light.

1703 R. Neve City & Countrey Purchaser 29 If a Barn consist of a Floor, and 2 Heads, where they lay Corn, they say a Barn of 2 Bays.

1786 J. Pinkerton Anc. Sc. Poems II. 374 The place at the head of a hall, where the floor was raised higher than the rest, and which was the honourable part.

1887 Times 22 Nov. 13/2 At the head of the Cathedral is the ‘Baptismal Font’.

1896 Every Sat. 17 Mar. 298/1 At the head of this chamber there was a kind of altar.

1918 Independent 18 May 281/2 Every night after dinner the younger officers gathered about the piano at the head of the darkened hall.

1991 National Geographic Traveler Nov. 72/1 At the head of the room,..the fabled 45.5-carat Hope Diamond.

b. Either end of a bridge. See also bridgehead n. 1.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > means of travel > route or way > other means of passage or access > [noun] > bridge > parts of

pierlOE

bridge foota1450

heada1450

staddling1461

foota1500

bridge end1515

jowel1516

causey1523

starling?c1684

rib1735

spur1736

icebreaker1744

jetty1772

cutwater1776

roadway1798

sleeper1823

water-breaker1823

centrya1834

stem1835

suspension-tower1842

cantilever1850

semi-beam1850

pylon1851

half-chess1853

span1862

sway-bracing1864

needle-beam1867

ice apron1871

newel1882

flood-arch1891

needle girder1898

sway-brace1909

trough flooring1911

a1450 (c1410) H. Lovelich Merlin (1932) III. l. 19175 (MED) And to þe hed of þe brigge they gonnen drawe.

1539 R. Morison tr. Frontinus Strategemes & Policies Warre ii. xiii. sig. Hv He hym selfe standynge before the head of the brydge, kepte of his ennemies, and at length.

1595 tr. A. Banchieri Noblenesse of Asse sig. F2^v Among the ruines of Aquileia..is to be seene part of a most sumptuous Bridge, at the head whereof, stands a huge Asse of very pure marble.

a1661 Earl of Monmouth tr. P. G. Capriata Hist. Wars Italy (1663) xvii. 707 They..fortified the heads of the Bridge better.

1735 J. Price Some Considerations Stone-bridge Thames 4 A House on each Head of the Bridge..to receive the Toll.

1809 tr. Ess. Theory & Pract. Art War I. 148 Whenever rivers are to be crossed, care should be taken that the two heads of the bridge be intrenched, and well furnished with troops.

1842 T. B. Macaulay Horatius in Lays Anc. Rome 61 As that great host, with measured tread..Rolled slowly towards the bridge's head.

1902 G. S. Whitmore Last Maori War ix. 142 The Europeans..effected the passage of the swamp, the last arriving at the head of the bridge at 4 a.m.

1988 J. Rykwert et al. tr. L. B. Alberti On Art of Building iv. vi. 109 The embanking abutments..must remain completely stable, in order..to support the heads of the bridge.

2008 ‘R. Young’ Fall of Templars (2009) xiv. 143 From the head of the bridge a causeway ran across these boggy fields.

27. Anatomy. A rounded end or articular surface of a bone. Cf. capitulum n. 1.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > structural parts > bone or bones > parts of bones > [noun] > rounded end

knucklec1375

whirl-bone1398

head?a1425

roundel?1541

condyle1634

capitulum1661

?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 9 (MED) Wt þe flesh & þe ligament þat goþ out fro þe heued [L. a capite] of þe bone of þe spalde it maketh a muscle aboue þe middes of þe adiutorie.

1578 J. Banister Hist. Man i. f. 33 This same head [of thigh bone]..is almost wholly affourmed by an orbicular Appendaunce.

1684 tr. S. Blankaart Physical Dict. 80 Cotyle..is the Cavitie of the Huckle-bone, which is appointed to receive the head of the Thigh-bone.

1793 J. Bell Anat. Bones, Muscles, & Joints i. v. 122 The head of each rib has..a small articulating surface.

1871 T. H. Huxley Man. Anat. Vertebrated Animals 155 Head of the hyomandibular which articulates with the skull.

a1933 J. A. Thomson Biol. for Everyman (1934) II. 1302 These three bones, ilium, ischium, and pubis, all contribute to make the deep cup or acetabulum in which the globular head of the femur works.

2007 Ultra Fit No. 5. 65/2 The hamstrings..insert into the upper end of the tibia bone in your lower leg, with the biceps femoris also inserting into the head of the fibula.

28. Bricklaying. Either of the ends or smaller faces of a brick or other piece of building stone; esp. one exposed in the face of a wall. Cf. header n. 5a.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > end or extremity > [noun] > of a line or of a length of something

enda1250

head1791

society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > disposition of stones or bricks > [noun] > surface(s) of stone or brick

bedding1401

bed1700

face1703

head1827

1791 J. Smeaton Narr. Edystone Lighthouse ii. i. 43 The long pieces or Stretchers were retained between two Headers or bond pieces; whose heads being cut dovetail-wise, adapted themselves to and confined in the stretchers.

1827 P. Nicholson Treat. Masonry & Stone-cutting (1828) iv. 70 The heads of the stones in the wall..form a portion of the concave surface [of the arch].

1846 Loudon's Encycl. Archit. (new ed.) Suppl. 1300/1 Headers showing only the narrow part or head of the bricks.

1899 Clay Worker Dec. 441/2 The problem was to round off the corners at the ends, or heads, of the brick.

1919 A. F. Greaves-Walker Clay Plant Constr. vii. 71 The head of the brick towards the fire will start shrinking before the head that is away from the fire.

2004 A. Bridgewater & G. Bridgewater Brick Projects for Landscape 28 The end or head of the brick is centered on the middle of the stretcher in the course below.

III. That which comes first in a sequence, series, etc.; the beginning.

29. The beginning of a word, sentence, text, etc.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > morphology > morpheme > [noun] > stem or base > letter or sound at beginning or end of

headeOE

stem-final1949

stem-initial1949

eOE (Mercian) Vespasian Psalter (1965) xxxix. 8 In capite libri scriptum est de me ut faciam uoluntatem tuam : in heafde boec awriten is bi me ðæt ic doe willan ðinne.

a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Psalms xxxix. 8 In the hed of the boc [L. in capite libri] it is write of me, that I do thi wil.

a1400 (?a1325) Medit. on Supper of our Lord (Harl.) (1875) l. 320 To do þy wyl, y seyd y go; Yn þe bokes hede hyt ys wryte so.

a1425 (a1400) Prick of Conscience (Galba & Harl.) (1863) l. 486 (MED) E. es þe first letter and þe hede Of þe name of Eve.

1567 T. Harding Reioindre to M. Iewels Replie against Masse ix. f. 149 The head of the sentence you haue lopped of.

1597 Bp. J. King Lect. Ionas xxxix. 528 By his placing of it [sc. faith] in the heade of the booke, that is in the beginning of the whole narration.

1613 J. Floyd Purgatories Triumph ouer Hell 47 Looking into the English redition I found, As Razis, insteed of but Razias, and that he made As the head of the name, wherof it is the last part.

1738 W. Benson Lett. conc. Poet. Transl. i. 2 When several Relatives, each at the head of a separate Sentence, are governed by one Antecedent.

1789 tr. Accts. MS in Libr. King of France I. 396 All the articles..are distinguished only by a capital letter with red ink, which we see at the head of the word that begins the article.

1835 J. Hodgson Hist. Northumberland: Pt. III III. Pref. p. lxi The dash — at the beginning of entries in this article stands for the name or designation of the proprietor at the head of the paragraph that precedes it.

1902 F. Manley & W. N. Hailmann Eng. Lang. i. xxxiv. 228 We frequently find a conjunction standing at the head of a sentence or a paragraph, not so much to connect sentences as to show that the thought is continued.

1921 N. L. Redfield & F. d'Olivet Hebraic Tongue Restored i. iii. 101 The initial syllable em..is found at the head of the word em-place-ment.

2011 J. L. Kugel In Valley of Shadow 212 This is not to say..that moving an item from the very end of a sentence to its head never happens.

30. Astrology and (formerly) Astronomy. The beginning of a sign of the zodiac, i.e. the point at which the sun begins to pass through it. See sign n. 6.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > celestial sphere > zone of celestial sphere > [noun] > Zodiac > sign of zodiac > commencement

headc1400

c1400 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Cambr. Dd.3.53) (1872) i. §17. 9 In this heued of cancer is the grettest declinacioun northward of the sonne.

?1562 W. Ward tr. R. Roussat Most Excellent Bk. Doctour & Astrologien Arcandam sig. B.ii The fyrst Chapter which is the head of Aries, being the fyrst particuler signe celestiall is called Aluathay.

1651 J. F. tr. H. C. Agrippa Three Bks. Occult Philos. ii. xxxiii. 286 His beginning is from the head of Aries of the eighth sphere; it causeth discords, and journies.

1703 J. Harris Descr. & Uses Celestial & Terrestr. Globes 44 The first Star in the Head of Aries will be rising about an hour after.

1786 B. Hancock Astron. Comets ii. 51 The small Star in the head of Aquarius.

1816 W. Scott Antiquary II. vi. 157 When she [sc. the moon] is in her fifteenth mansion, which mansion is in de head of Libra.

1915 L. W. de Laurence Bk. Magical Art (rev. ed.) vi. 190 The seven last mansions completing the last quarter of Heaven..beginning from the head of Capricorn.

2007 S. Sela tr. A. I. Ezra Bk. Reasons ii. ii. 187 The end of Virgo is the head of Libra and the end of Taurus is distant from Aries.

31. A chief or principal point or division of a discourse, subject, etc.; each of a set or succession of such points or divisions; (more generally) a point, a category, a topic, a matter.In later use influenced by sense 32, and frequently understood as referring to something that could constitute a notional heading, esp. when preceded by under.

ΚΠ

c1500 Melusine (1895) xxiv. 185 This gentylman thanne reherced to them fro hed to hed..all thauenture of theire vyage.

1563 Ressoning Crosraguell & Knox f. 31^v Vnto you it alwayes aperteineth (and if euer we meit againe vpon that head, it wilbe yet iudged to aperteine to you) to proue that [etc.].

1593 R. Cosin Apol. for Sundrie Proc. (rev. ed.) iii. xi. 146 This..falleth vnder that head of his Sophisticall deuise of such differences, as touch not the very point in controuersie.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Timon of Athens (1623) iii. vi. 28 As if they labour'd To bring Man-slaughter into forme, and set Quarrelling Vpon the head of Valour.

1632 J. Story tr. Short Surv. Sweden sig. A3 The Contents or principall heads handled in this whole Discourse.

1652 T. Gataker Antinomianism 5 We were acknowledged to agree in those two heds.

1667 N. Fairfax Let. 29 May in H. Oldenburg Corr. (1966) III. 421 The following observations come under ye head of Idiosyncrasis or ye By roads of Nature.

1725 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Œconomique Pearl, a Disease in an Horse's Eye, under which Head we shall comprehend Pins, Spots, Webs, &c.

1773 O. Goldsmith She stoops to Conquer ii. 29 Make yourself easy on that head.

1838 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece (new ed.) IV. xxxii. 241 The accusation comprised several heads.

1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 306 The expenditure under this head must have been small indeed.

1868 A. Helps Realmah II. xv. 212 I have very little to say upon this head.

1911 Classical Philol. 6 294 In addition to orthographical differences easily recognized as such, I believe that we may also classify the following readings under that head.

1969 I. Berlin Four Ess. Liberty (new ed.) p. x The main issues between my serious critics and myself may be reduced to four heads.

2008 D. Weber By Schism rent Asunder (2009) vii. 79 Mahntayl had begun to entertain a few delusions upon that head.

32.

a. Originally: the top of a page or piece of text. Later also: a title or other piece of text placed at the top of a page or section; a heading.Not always clearly distinguishable from sense 29.running head: see running adj. 25.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > writing > written text > layout > [noun] > first part or line

head1560

fronta1568

society > communication > writing > written text > layout > [noun] > heading

superscriptiona1382

head1560

chief1605

supertitle1818

heading1849

society > communication > printing > printed matter > arrangement or appearance of printed matter > [noun] > heading

head1560

lemma1616

heading1754

capitular1846

capitulary1846

caption1848

subtitle1907

society > communication > printing > printed matter > arrangement or appearance of printed matter > [noun] > first part or line

head1560

fronta1568

society > communication > book > matter of book > [noun] > chapter or section

capitleeOE

chapter?c1225

pacea1325

chapitle1340

passa1400

capitalc1460

titlec1460

spacea1500

section1576

head1610

tract1662

passus1765

screed1829

subtitle1891

1560 Bible (Geneva) sig. *** iiii^v We haue set ouer the head of euery page some notable worde or sentence which may greatly further aswel for memorie, as for the chief point of the page.

1586 A. Day Eng. Secretorie To Rdr. sig. **2^v Peruse but the head of euerie page, and..you shall finde what in the same Page is contained.

1610 J. Healey tr. St. Augustine Citie of God xviii. xxiii. 703 We haue laid it together, distinguishing it onely by the heads of the chapters, if the transcriber haue the care to obserue and follow vs.

1659 T. Willsford Scales of Comm. 58 Being stated (as in the head of the table).

1682 J. P. tr. H. Ludolf New Hist. Ethiopia To Rdr. He..made the heads of the Chapters, the Sections, the Index, and Translated the Ethiopic into Latin.

1712 J. Addison Spectator No. 273. ¶2 Without seeing his Name at the Head of it.

1774 T. Warton Hist. Eng. Poetry I. xii. 347 The heads of the chapters are adorned with rude wooden cuts of the story.

1825 Cobbett's Weekly Reg. 1 Oct. 28 Let us take the title of the last chapter of Peter Macculloch's book; I mean the head of the chapter.

1919 M. B. Orvis Applic. Commerc. Advertising Methods University Extension 31 This command, which is the main head, is printed in red, as is the university signature at the bottom of the poster.

2007 Marketing Direct (Nexis) 1 May 34 Four of the five letters..run to two pages, start with a head and run second-colour sub-heads through the text.

b. A headline in a newspaper.

ΘΚΠ

society > education > teaching > teacher > schoolteacher or schoolmaster > [noun] > head teacher

rector1434

provost1442

headmaster1576

regent1583

gymnasiarch1682

headmistress1730

headteacher1758

principal1827

archididascalus1844

head1889

society > communication > journalism > journal > parts and layout of journals > [noun] > headline

headline1791

head1889

top line1906

1889 T. Campbell-Copeland Ladder of Journalism ii. 12 A careful reporter is soon noticed by the City Editor, who feels..he can put a head on the article and send it straight up to the composing room.

1911 H. S. Harrison Queed xviii. 230 The Chronicle that afternoon shrieked it under a five-column head.

1967 Guardian 2 Nov. 8/7 ‘Ebullient Mr Brown hits out,’ said the (changed) head on the last edition.

2010 E. L. Roberts in R. Schmuhl Making Words Dance 119 There is a 3-inch story about Goldsboro under an 18-point head.

33.

a. Phonetics. The first accented element or elements in a sequence of sounds before the nucleus (nucleus n. 12a).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > linguistics > study of speech sound > speech sound > intonation, pitch, or stress > [noun] > accent > stress accent > stress group > syllables with respect to

subtonic1827

pretone1884

pretonic1892

head1922

nucleus1922

tail1922

peak1935

post-nuclear1944

precontour1945

nuclear1949

tonic1962

1922 H. E. Palmer Eng. Intonation v. 17 Any syllable or syllables preceding the nucleus in the same Tone-Group is termed the ‘Head’ of the group.

1964 M. Schubiger in D. Abercrombie et al. Daniel Jones 263 I am using the term head for the first stressed element pitched high.

2011 P. Tench Transcribing Sound of Eng. xi. 181 It must..be understood that there may be more than two stressed syllables in the head.

b. Grammar. An element that has the same functions as the larger structure (e.g. a phrase or clause) of which it is part, and is therefore regarded as central to that structure. Cf. head noun n. at Compounds 4.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > syntax or word order > syntactic unit or constituent > [noun] > phrase > head of

headword1898

head1933

1933 L. Bloomfield Lang. xii. 195 Poor John belongs to the same form-class as John, which we accordingly call the head; the other member, in our example poor, is the attribute.

1957 Language 33 86 If a modifier occurs with -tu, its nominal head is masculine, if with -tay, feminine.

1964 Amer. Speech 39 37 Nice city home... All the ten fine old stone houses. In these sequences the noun is more intimately tied to the head than is the adjective.

1991 R. M. W. Dixon New Approach to Eng. Gram. ii. 20 A noun phrase..can have a common noun (e.g. mountain, boy) as head.

2006 G. A. Broadwell Choctaw Ref. Gram. xv. 256 In relative clauses, quantifiers and demonstratives associated with the head of the relative clause tend to appear to the right of the verb.

IV. A person or thing holding the senior or most important position; a chief or leader, and related senses.

34.

a. A person to whom others are subordinate; a chief, a ruler, a leader, a commander. In later use also (usually with of): a person in charge of a particular activity or function within an organization.See also head of state n. at Phrases 3p, head of house n. 1.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > [noun] > those in authority > person in authority > head or chief

headeOE

headmanOE

headsmanOE

masterlinga1200

dukec1275

chevetaine1297

chief1297

headlingc1300

principalc1325

captainc1380

primatec1384

chieftainc1400

master-man1424

principate1483

grand captain1531

headmaster?1545

knap of the casec1555

capitano1594

muqaddam1598

mudaliyar1662

reis1677

sachem1684

doge1705

prytanis1790

gam1827

main guy1882

oga1917

ras1935

eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Hatton) (1871) xvii. 113 Ða ic ðe gesette eallum Israhelum to heafde [L. caput te constitui].

OE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Tiber. B.i) anno 1011 Wæs ða ræpling se ðe ær wæs heafod Angelkynnes & Cristendomes.

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 362 He wass preost. Hæfedd off alle preostess.

c1225 (?c1200) Sawles Warde (Bodl.) (1938) 6 Þet heaued þrof is þe feont.

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 8138 Vn-wis is þe king..þenne þat hæfd is unwræst þe hælp is þæ wurse.

c1300 Life & Martyrdom Thomas Becket (Harl. 2277) (1845) 77 He let hote..That no man ne scholde for him bidde... Moche was the schame tho, that holi church bitidde, Whan heo ne moste for hire heved [c1300 Laud for so holi a man]..bidde!

c1390 MS Vernon Homilies in Archiv f. das Studium der Neueren Sprachen (1877) 57 263 (MED) A Bisschop..þat wonede..in Roome, And was hed of cristendome.

a1425 (?c1384) J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) III. 339 Heed of þis Chirche is Crist, boþe God and man.

a1475 J. Fortescue Governance of Eng. (Laud) (1885) 146 Thai all haue an hed, or a cheeff, to rule þe counsell.

1532–3 Act 24 Hen. VIII c. 12 Preamble This Realme of Englond is an Impire..governed by oon Supreme heede and King.

1579 E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. June 83 The soueraigne head Of shepheards all.

1613 T. Fitzherbert Adioynder to Suppl. R. Persons Discuss. iv. 177 Peter the head of all the Apostles sate first in the Roman chayre.

1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ix. 1155 Why didst not thou the Head Command me absolutely not to go?

1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 479. ⁋5 Socrates, who is by all Accounts the undoubted Head of the Sect of the Hen-peck'd.

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) A Dean is the Head of his Chapter.

1793 A. Hamilton Let. 24 Oct. in Papers (1969) XV. 375 The President and heads of departments ought to be near Congress.

1838 W. H. Prescott Hist. Reign Ferdinand & Isabella I. i. iv. 118 The duke of Infantado, the head of the house of Mendoza.

1877 Canad. Parl. Compan. x. 245 An item providing for payment of a special Departmental Head of Education.

1894 Pittsburgh Legal Jrnl. 12 Dec. 170/2 When dishonor was brought upon the family, he, of course, as its head, suffered thereby personally.

1924 ‘R. Daly’ Outpost xix. 176 You seem to be in favour with the heads at Port Mahon..why can't you persuade them to send another man here?

1956 Police Jrnl. 29 52 He is now the head of a team whose job is to police the section.

1986 Irish Times 2 May 11 From 1976 until 1982 she was head of English at Dulwich College.

2009 Atlantic Monthly May 62/2 While at JPL, he was also the head of a study group that investigated [etc.].

b. spec. The person having authority over or charge of a college or school; a headmaster or headmistress, a principal.

ΘΚΠ

society > education > educational administration > university administration > [noun] > head of college

master1389

rector1434

provost1442

president1448

head1550

head of house1570

sub-rector1629

skull1721

prex1828

prexy1871

1550 J. Hooper Ouersight Jonas v. f. cxii^v So shuld the prouost, heades of Colledges, masters of scholes, go and teache the thynge apertayneth to theyr place and vocacion.

1576 in J. Nichols Progresses Queen Elizabeth (1823) II. 111 The said Vice-chauncelor and hedds of Colledges.

1631 T. Adams Let. 3 Mar. in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eminent Literary Men (1843) 147 From the Vice-Chancellour and Heads of your famous University.

1691 G. Rule Vindic. Church Scotl. 5 He was..the Head of a School, where Students were bred for the Ministry.

1705 T. Hearne Diary 7 Sept. in Remarks & Coll. (1885) I. 42 Mr. Smith of University College made his Complainte..for the Fellows turning him out... The Mancipal was sent for, who said that he never knew any Fellow turn'd out in the Heads Absence.

1783 European Mag. & London Rev. Mar. 199/1 He received the first rudiments of classical learning under Mr. Richard Yates, Head of the Grammar School in that town.

1847 Ld. Tennyson Princess iv. 83 Delivering seal'd dispatches which the Head Took half-amazed.

1889 A. R. Hope in Boy's Own Paper 3 Aug. 697/3 Who could..mix on equal terms with those ineffable beings the head's daughters.

1910 Amer. Educ. Rev. June 561/1 The youngest college president in North Carolina is Professor John F. Burcheil, just elected head of Catawba College.

1953 K. Tennant Joyful Condemned xvi. 136 The staff-room was split over the sensational row between Miss Page and the Head.

1967 Charter Royal Coll. Art 11 Sept. §5 There shall be a Provost of the College who shall be the Head of the College.

1990 S. Maitland Three Times Table (1991) ii. iii. 178 She found herself in the Head's office, white and trembling, so obviously terrified that the Head herself was taken aback.

c. A group of people in a position of command or leadership.In quot. 1665: spec. = caput n. 3.

ΚΠ

1600 C. Edmondes Obseruations Fiue Bks. Caesars Comm. i. xii. 33 That Gallia was vnhappely diuided into two factions, the Hedui were the head of the one, and the Auerni of the other.

1653 W. Dell Tryal of Spirits 66 Antichrist and his false Teachers, who are the Head of the Malignant Church and People.

1665 J. Buck in G. Peacock Observ. Statutes Univ. Cambr. (1841) App. B 66 The V.C. readeth all the graces, some one of the Head holding the Posers Bill to stay those whose names are not in the said Bill.

1762 Mod. Part Universal Hist. XXXVI. vii. 178 The Florentines..admitted into the confederacy, of which they were the head, the inhabitants of Rimini, Faenza, [etc.].

1804 J. Lunn Diss. Conversion & Restoration of Jews 220 If..the senate and not the Pope had the chief power in their hands, then they were the head of the city.

1896 Oracle Encycl. IV. 268/2 His family is the head of the Sidhu Jat tribe.

1917 Travel Nov. 39/1 The ruler [of San Marino] is not a president, the power being vested in two chief regents... They jointly are the head of the State.

1979 N. Sudarkasa in W. A. Shack & E. P. Skinner Strangers in Afr. Societies viii. 158 According to the constitution of the Kumasi District Nigerian Community, that body was ‘the head of all the Tribunal Unions’.

35.

a. A person or thing holding a pre-eminent position; the best or most important person or thing. Now rare.In use with reference to pride as a capital sin (e.g. quots. OE, ?c1335) also implying ‘origin’. Cf. sense 38b.In quot. 1584: the best part. Cf. sense 20b.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [noun] > that which is important > most important > part

headeOE

main1481

chiefty1552

main1567

principality1567

heart1584

the main of alla1591

main1595

masterpiece1612

stress1633

staple1826

node1860

staff and staple1869

meat1886

crux1888

business end1890

spear-head1929

eOE tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (Tanner) iii. xv. 224 Hwearf eft on his eðel to Hii þæm ealonde, þæt monigra mynstra heannisse & heafod [L. caput et arcem] Scottas hæfdon.

OE Confessionale Pseudo-Egberti (Tiber.) in Anglia (1889) 12 518 Ofermodines seo is heofod & wyrtruma ealra leahtra.

?c1335 in W. Heuser Kildare-Gedichte (1904) 121 First at prude ich wol begin, For hit is heuid of al sinne.

c1440 (?a1400) Morte Arthure l. 1344 (MED) I had leuer then all Fraunce, that heuede es of rewmes, Fyghte with the.

c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 47 Elan þat haldyn was hed of all ladys And the fairest of feturs formyt in erthe.

1584 T. Cogan Hauen of Health cxcv. 156 Creame..is indeede the verie head or heart of Mylke.

1818 J. Murray Let. 3 Sept. in S. Smiles Publisher & his Friends (1891) II. xx. 14 Barrow, as the head of all my most respected friends, has told me that [etc.].

1866 Temple Bar Oct. 338 The myth of Arthur..narrates that Lancelot, head of all Christian knights, once stopped at a castle where dwelt [etc.].

1991 H. V. Kuhnlein & N. J. Turner Trad. Plant Foods Canad. Indigenous Peoples (1996) 179 In Nlaka'pamux and Okanagan-Colville, they [sc. black huckleberries] are considered the ‘head’ of all the fruits.

b. A capital city; the chief city or town of a country or region. Now somewhat rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > town as opposed to country > town or city > [noun] > chief town or capital city

headeOE

mother-boroughc1225

master-borougha1325

sedea1387

chief1393

master-townc1400

metropolitan?a1439

capital city1439

master citya1450

stade1481

metropolea1500

capital1525

seatc1540

head-place1546

chamber1555

mother city1570

metropolis1584

metropolite1591

madam-town1593

capital town1601

seat-town1601

metropolie1633

megapolis1638

county seat1803

Queen City1807

metrop1888

Metroland1951

eOE tr. Orosius Hist. (BL Add.) (1980) ii. i. 36 Sameramis..getimbrede þa burg Babylonie, to þon þæt heo wære heafod ealra Asiria [L. caputque regni Assyriis ut esset instituit].

OE Homily: De Temporibus Anticristi (Corpus Cambr. 419) in A. S. Napier Wulfstan (1883) 194 On þyssere [byrig] Babilonia, þe hwilon wæs..Persa rices heafod, bið Antecrist geboren.

a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Isa. vii. 8 The hed of Sirie Damasch.

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 79 Þis citee in tyme of Britouns was heed and chief citee of al Venedocia.

a1475 (a1447) O. Bokenham Mappula Angliae in Englische Studien (1887) 10 16 Caunturbury, the heed of Kent, maad Rudhudebras.

1544 A. Cope Hist. Anniball & Scipio xxvi. f. 41^v He promysed theym, that Capua shulde in shorte space be the heade of all Italye.

1644 K. Digby Two Treat. ii. Concl. 452 That opulent citty, the head of the world, where millions were as familiar as pence in other places.

1765 D. Fenning et al. New Syst. Geogr. (new ed.) II. iii. xxxi. 609/1 Mullingar..is the head of the county [of West-Meath] by act of parliament, and here the sessions of the county are held.

1848 H. T. Ryde tr. A. de Lamartine Hist. of Girondists II. xxxiii. 304 They hate Paris because Paris is the head of the nation, and contains a vast populace.

1871 J. Carroll Case & his Cotemporaries III. ix. 388 The Rev. W. Ryerson was sent to Brockville, the head of the District, where multitudes flocked to hear him.

1947 R. E. Dickinson tr. R. Blanchard in City Region & Regionalism i. 12 It applies to a city which..is, as it were, the head of the region.

2000 E. Lipiński Aramaeans vi. 143 Ta'idu is the head of the province to which Nawar belonged in the 14th century B.C.

36. The position or fact of being a chief, leader, or commander, or of being pre-eminent in authority, excellence, etc. Frequently in at (also †in) the head of.Sometimes with admixture of sense 23a(a).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [noun] > that which is important > most important > position or rank

headeOE

first class1616

first (second) chop1823

premier division1902

society > authority > [noun] > those in authority > person in authority > head or chief > position of

headeOE

headhoodc1449

chiefty1552

headship1565

chiefdom1579

chiefship1783

chieftainship1859

eOE (Mercian) Vespasian Psalter (1965) xvii. 41 (44) Constitues me in caput gentium : ðu gesetes me in heafud ðieda [OE Lambeth Psalter on heafod uel on forewearde þeoda].

J. Gaytryge Lay Folks' Catech. (York Min.) (1901) l. 200 Do worship to fadir and to modir..til our gastly fadirs that has hede [c1440 Thornton heuede] of us.

a1400 Psalter (Vesp.) xvii. 47 in C. Horstmann Yorkshire Writers (1896) II. 150 Þou sal, In heued of genge [L. caput gentium] me set with-al.

1576 J. Foxe Actes & Monuments (rev. ed.) I. ii. 121/1 Thus began first Rome to take an head aboue all other Churches.

a1640 P. Massinger Bashful Lover i. ii. 109 in 3 New Playes (1655) Though you charg'd me I' th' head of your troops.

1652 J. Wright tr. J.-P. Camus Nature's Paradox 337 Liante..placed himself at the head of this resolute Party.

1662 H. More Coll. Philos. Writings (ed. 2) Pref. Gen. p. xxiii Certain opinions of his..in the head of which he names this of the Præexistence of the Soul.

1709 J. Addison Tatler No. 122. ⁋1 A People of so much Virtue were deservedly placed at the Head of Mankind.

1788 Gentleman's Mag. Apr. 356/1 The man who assumed the head of these ruffians, turning to his accomplices.

1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. vii. 166 At twenty-one..he was placed at the head of the administration.

1894 H. Drummond Lowell Lect. Ascent of Man 143 Anatomy places Man at the head of all other animals that were ever made.

1903 Amer. Jrnl. Nursing 3 834 The lady superior who was at the head of the Catholic schools and convent at South Bend.

1999 F. von Metzler in C.-L. Holtfrerich Frankfurt as Financial Centre 304 Frankfurt's path to the head of Europe is not assured.

2008 Daily Tel. 30 July 18/8 Their leader..stayed on as prime minister until 1922 at the head of a coalition.

V. With reference to geographical or topographical features.

37. The uppermost or furthermost portion of a valley, cave, inlet, etc. Also: that end of a lake or other body of water at which a river or stream enters it.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > end or extremity > [noun] > upper end

headeOE

chiefc1400

fining?1448

beginning1483

uppermost1628

top1783

eOE Bounds (Sawyer 298) in D. Hooke Pre-Conquest Charter-bounds Devon & Cornwall (1994) 105 Fram smalan cumbes heafde to græwan stane.

OE Royal Charter: Offa of Mercia to St. Mary's Church, Worcester (Sawyer 126) in D. Hooke Worcs. Anglo-Saxon Charter-bounds (1990) 87 Of seges mere in þæs pulles heafod & of ðam heafde to þornbrycge.

c1300 Holy Cross (Laud) 179 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 6 Ȝwane þou comest to þe heued of þis valeie, a grene wei þov schalt wiende.

?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 58 At þe heued of þis see of Galile..es a castell.

a1500 Legend of Cross in Medium Ævum (1965) 34 213 In the hed of this vale þu shalt fynde drie passis.

1539 Bible (Great) Isaiah xxviii. f. xlix^v/2 Y^e (As a floure y^t faydeth awaye) vpon the head [1535 Coverdale toppe] of the valley of such as be in welth.

1615 E. Grimeston tr. P. d'Avity Estates 1020 Neere vnto the red sea, and as it were in the head of the Arabian gulfe, stands the towne of Suez.

1655 I. Walton Compl. Angler (ed. 2) xx. 334 When you have..made the earth firme where the head of the Pond must be.

1769 T. Nugent tr. P. J. Grosley New Observ. Italy I. 6 You come to a very steep brow of a hill, which, after intersecting the road, projects over the head of the lake.

1789 W. Tench Narr. Exped. Botany Bay ix. 60 Into the head of the cove..runs a small stream of fresh water.

1818 J. C. Curwen Observ. State Ireland I. xv. 189 For a short distance, the opening that leads to the head of the cavern..is low and narrow.

1830 C. Lyell Princ. Geol. I. 286 A point which must..be considered the head of its delta.

1863 A. P. Stanley Lect. Jewish Church I. viii. 184 At the head of the gulf.

1902 G. S. Whitmore Last Maori War ii. 17 I left these men..at a sort of camp at the head of the valley.

1963 G. L. Pickard Descriptive Physical Oceanogr. viii. 182 Positive estuaries have a river or rivers emptying into them, usually at the head.

1986 Lochaber News 20 Sept. 7/2 Perhaps the worst bit was at the head of Loch Hourn.

2012 Sunday Tel. (Nexis) 22 Jan. (Features section) 15 Bessans..and L'Ecot, a tiny hamlet at the head of the valley, were left unscathed.

38.

a. The source or headwaters of a river or stream. Formerly also in plural in same sense. Cf. fountainhead n. 1, wellhead n. 1.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > system > [noun] > head or source

headeOE

wellspringOE

springOE

uptaking1241

head wella1325

wellheadc1330

sourcec1386

headspringa1398

headstreama1398

risinga1398

surge1523

springhead?a1560

head fountain1563

water head1567

fountainhead1585

headwater1612

fill1622

water source1651

urn1726

vomica1838

sponge-swamp1901

eOE Bounds (Sawyer 298) in D. Hooke Pre-Conquest Charter-bounds Devon & Cornwall (1994) 105 Ðonne on ðone dic ðær Esne ðone weg fordealf, ðonon ofdune on ðæs wælles heafod.

lOE Bounds (Sawyer 258) in W. de G. Birch Cartularium Saxonicum (1885) I. 257 Andlang Aleburnan on beueres broces heafod.

lOE Bounds (Sawyer 653) in D. Hooke Pre-Conquest Charter-bounds Devon & Cornwall (1994) 156 Andlang dic to holon broces heafdum.

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 35 Þe reuers Seuarne and Dee almost at [1482 Caxton to] þe hedes.

?c1450 Life St. Cuthbert (1891) l. 8103 Fra þeyn vp warde to þe hede Of a watir hat warnede.

1541 Act 33 Hen. VIII c. 35 Cleane running water, issuyng out of the heades of freshe springes.

a1552 J. Leland Itinerary (1711) II. 20 The Hed of Isis in Coteswalde risith about a Mile a this side Tetbyri.

1625 N. Carpenter Geogr. Delineated ii. ix. 142 Nilus in Africk is thought to haue his first head at the mountaines of the Moone.

1718 I. Watts Psalms of David cxiv. ii Jordan beheld their March and fled With backward Current to his Head.

1793 J. Hunter Hist. Jrnl. xviii. 458 They came to a run of water, which they supposed to be the head of the Nepean river.

1854 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 15 ii. 426 Where the spring head has been boggy.

1905 C. E. Slocum Hist. Maumee River Basin 469 Jacques Godefroy..passed up to the head of the Maumee to aid in the capture of the then British Fort Miami.

1969 F. B. Woodford & A. M. Woodford All our Yesterdays ii. 40 The French, Hurons, and Ottawas..overtook them near Windmill Point at the head of the Detroit River.

2002 G. M. Eberhart Mysterious Creatures II. 453/1 A cat..was killed after it raided a henhouse at the head of the Mulgrave River.

b. figurative and in figurative contexts: the source or origin of something. Cf. fountainhead n. 2, wellhead n. 2.In later use chiefly as part of an extended metaphor.

ΘΚΠ

the world > existence and causation > causation > source or origin > [noun]

welleOE

mothereOE

ordeOE

wellspringeOE

fathereOE

headeOE

oreOE

wellspringOE

rootc1175

morea1200

beginningc1200

head wella1325

sourcec1374

principlea1382

risinga1382

springinga1382

fountain14..

springerc1410

nativity?a1425

racinea1425

spring1435

headspring?a1439

seminaryc1440

originationc1443

spring wellc1450

sourdre1477

primordialc1487

naissance1490

wellhead?1492

offspringa1500

conduit-head1517

damc1540

springhead1547

principium1550

mint1555

principal1555

centre1557

head fountain1563

parentage1581

rise1589

spawna1591

fount1594

parent1597

taproot1601

origin1604

fountainhead1606

radix1607

springa1616

abundary1622

rist1622

primitive1628

primary1632

land-spring1642

extraction1655

upstart1669

progenerator1692

fontala1711

well-eye1826

first birth1838

ancestry1880

Quelle1893

eOE Metrical Dialogue of Solomon & Saturn (Corpus Cambr. 422) ii. 446 Ac hwæt witeð us wyrd seo swiðe, eallra fyrena fruma, fæhðo modor, weana wyrtwela, wopes heafod.

a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) v. l. 2604 Sche is the pure hed and welle And Mirour and ensample of goode.

?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) (1996) i. l. 47 Hengist he hight, & Hors his broþire, þes were hede, als we fynde, where of is comen oure Inglis kynde.

c1443 R. Pecock Reule of Crysten Religioun (1927) 376 Oonly resoun in his natural liȝt..is þe heed of al oure gouernaunce.

a1500 ( J. Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. (Rawl.) (1898) 147 (MED) He sholde ham [sc. beasts] surmounte in vertues, and namely in two, that byth two begynnyngis and hedis of al maner mankynde workis.

1548 T. Cranmer Catechismus sig. Ddvj^v The wel and heade, out of the which al these euylle do sprynge is original synne.

1592 A. Day 2nd Pt. Eng. Secretorie sig. P1^v, in Eng. Secretorie (rev. ed.) I will goe to the head of the matter.

1720 D. Waterland 8 Serm. Divinity of Christ 112 By referring all Things to one Head and Fountain.

1846 J. Miller 13th Ann. Rep. Superintendent Common Schools Pennsylvania 6 It may be said, that the school-master is the head of the fountain of instruction.

1931 A. E. Ralli Hist. Shakespearian Crit. I. xiii. 288 Bolingbroke..sinned in causing Richard's death, but the head and spring of all the evils was the usurpation.

1970 W. A. Jurgens tr. St. Ephraim in Faith of Early Fathers I. 311 You are the head of the fountain from which My teaching flows, you are the chief of My disciples.

2009 H. Cooper in Oxf. Handbk. Tudor Lit. 760 Chaucer is the source of his [sc. Spenser's] inspiration, the head of the river of English poetry.

†39.

a. Agriculture. A strip of land at the end of a ploughed field; = headland n. 1. In Old English also in plural in same sense. Obsolete.In later use merged with sense 39b.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > farm > farmland > land suitable for cultivation > [noun] > broken land > arable or ploughed land > headland

headOE

headlandOE

lea-riga1170

Land's endc1394

headrig1475

hade?1523

land-end1555

furlong1649

hade-way1649

head-ridge1659

sideland1763

headmark1820

turn-row1885

OE Bounds (Sawyer 1321) in D. Hooke Warwickshire Anglo-Saxon Charter-bounds (1999) 84 Þonne norð andlangc dunes, þonne ut æt þæs croftes heafod þæt sticað on þære lace.

OE Bounds (Sawyer 587) in S. E. Kelly Charters of Abingdon Abbey, Pt. 2 (2001) 294 Of þam pytte andlang riþiges on þæt heafodlond; of þam heafodon andlang fura.

lOE Royal Charter: Eadred to Ælfsige Hunlafing (Sawyer 566) in A. J. Robertson Anglo-Saxon Charters (1956) 56 Þonne suð be þen Æfden andlang þere mære to fægran broce.

c1425 in Hist. MSS Comm.: Rep. MSS Ld. Middleton (1911) 107 in Parl. Papers (Cd. 5567) XXVII. 1 Also if any man tye hyse horss or reche on any havedes or be syk sydes in to any mannes Korn..make amendes to hym that hasse the harme.

a1475 in A. Clark Eng. Reg. Godstow Nunnery (1905) i. 320 Þe next acre by-syde þe forowe & þe hed of þe foreseyde acre.

a1500 ( in H. E. Salter & A. H. Cooke Boarstall Cartulary (1930) 129 (MED) [Alice..grants to John Pypat..half an acre..with their] hades [of meadow].

b. More generally: a terminal or bounding portion of land; an edge, a boundary. Obsolete (historical in later use).Used esp. with reference to the shorter edges of a piece of land which has a more or less elongated shape, or is of greater length than breadth.

ΚΠ

OE Bounds (Sawyer 1547) in D. Hooke Pre-Conquest Charter-bounds Devon & Cornwall (1994) 217 On þone wille on þæs mores heafod.

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. xiii. xiv. 662 Þe heuedes [L. termini] of pondes beth ystrengþede with hepes and walles for the watir shulde noȝt passe owt to swyþe.

c1425 in E. Edwards Liber Monasterii de Hyda (1866) 223 (MED) Fro thennys, be north the long lawpath; fro that path west, to the morys hede [c1425 (OE) on þæs mores heafod].

1452 in R. Willis & J. W. Clark Archit. Hist. Univ. Cambr. (1886) I. 336 [A messuage] abbuttyng at the one heved vpon the high strete and at the other heved vpon the said College.

1622 Destr. Troy II. 74 The east hed abutting upon the strete and the west hed upon the buildings belonging to Katherine Hall.

1668 H. Savage Balliofergus xxii. 34 One end abbuts upon Exeter-lane towards the North..and the other Head of it abbuts upon the Ground or Tenement of the Abbot and Convent of Dorchester.

1765 Act for vesting Several Estates Essex, Suffolk, Bucks, & Middlesex (Private Acts 5 Geo. III c. 99) 7 The South Head thereof abuts upon the Lands now or late of the said Thomas Bright, and the North Head upon the Way called Bury Way.

1873 E. Hailstone Hist. & Antiq. Parish of Bottisham ii. ix. 290 Six acres and a half of wheat lay in the northfield in two divisions.., the heads of which abutted on the land of the same prior and convent towards the south.

1902 Trans. Cumberland & Westmorland Antiquarian Soc. 2 309 He granted..one acre of his land.., one head whereof extends towards the peat-moss on the east and the other head towards Grucocgile on the west.

40.

a. A projecting piece of coastal land, esp. when of considerable height; a promontory, a headland, a cape. Frequently (and originally) in place names, and (in later use) in the fuller form head of land. Also in plural: the projecting pieces of land which enclose a bay. Cf. pen n.¹

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > land > land mass > shore or bank > promontory, headland, or cape > [noun]

starteOE

nessOE

snookc1236

head1315

bill1382

foreland?a1400

capec1405

nook?a1425

mull1429

headland?c1475

point?c1475

nese1497

peak1548

promontory1548

arma1552

reach1562

butt1598

promontorea1600

horn1601

naze1605

promonta1607

bay1611

abutment1613

promontorium1621

noup1701

lingula1753

scaw1821

tang1822

odd1869

1315 in B. G. Charles Non-Celtic Place-names Wales (1938) 235 Haliheved[i.e. Holyhead].

1489 Liber Pluscardensis (Fairf.) (1877) I. 278 Apud locum qui Sanct Abbis Heid vocatur.

1577 R. Holinshed Hist. Eng. 6/1 in Chron. I The name of an head of land in Britayn called Promontorium Herculis.

a1650 G. Boate Irelands Nat. Hist. (1652) iv. 39 Upon the West-side of the Irish coast are four principal Heads.

1685 B. Ringrose Bucaniers Amer. iv. xi. 58 The Cape [of San Francisco]..looked very like unto Beachy-head in England.

1773 New Display Beauties of Eng. (ed. 2) 213 Near Dover-Castle there is a head of land, called South Foreland, by way of distinction from another head or promontory, which forms the north-east point of the Kentish shore.

1817 Missionary Reg. Feb. 72/1 The ships were surrounded with canoes, which kept her company till she was withoutside the heads of the Bay.

1893 W. T. Wawn S. Sea Islanders x. 162 I attempted to enter the bay, round which the island extends in a horseshoe form. Hardly were we within the ‘Heads’, when the wind dropped.

1925 Brit. Islands Pilot (ed. 2) VI. 317 Cantick Head... The head, which is rather low and rounded, terminates in an abrupt cliff to the southward... The lighthouse on the head is conspicuous.

1948 L. F. Horsfall in C. E. Fayle et al. Trade Winds viii. 184 There was good anchorage within the heads of the bay.

1997 W. Hobbs Ghost Canoe (1998) 180 The canoes crossed Makah Bay..and rounded a head of land to the south of it.

b. The seaward end of a pier, breakwater, or similar structure. See also pier head n.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > berthing, mooring, or anchoring > harbour or port > [noun] > jetty or pier > parts of

head1553

pier head1647

cant1861

pier-stake1900

1553 J. Brende tr. Q. Curtius Rufus Hist. iv. f. 38 When he had beaten the water and lyfted vp hymselfe at the head of the mole [L. a capite molis], [he] diued vnder the water agayne.

1652 R. Codrington tr. Q. Curtius Rufus Life & Death Alexander iv. 53 At the head of the Peer they raised up two Towers, from whence..they kept off the Boats that came about them.

1744 Trav. Late Charles Thompson III. 83 They filled a Vessel with Sulphur,..and having tow'd it to the Head of the Mole, they set it on fire.

1830 Fraser's Mag. Oct. 300/2 He had just succeeded in clearing the pier's head, and was getting fast into smooth water.

1870 Boys of Eng. 1 Mar. 179/1 There was light enough, even if the harbour light had not been flickering at the head of the breakwater, to enable them to keep clear of that structure.

1955 Irish Naturalists' Jrnl. 11 339 Fishing for herrings some 200 yards off the head of the pier.

2005 F. Verhaeghe et al. in J. Story Charlemagne xv. 273 Ships could only be moored at the head of the individual jetties.

c. Chiefly Nautical. A projecting piece of a rock, sandbank, reef, etc., lying at or just beneath the surface of the sea.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > land > land mass > reef > [noun]

skelly1513

reef1579

rockray1582

head1584

skerry1612

key1693

ridge1695

cay1707

1584 R. Norman tr. C. Antoniszoon Safegard of Sailers f. 49 The souther head of the Goodwin [sands] and the point at Douer, lie the one off of the other southwest and northeast.

1761 tr. G. B. Du Bocage Petit Neptune François ii. 20 It [sc. the rock] is almost always above water, unless it be a very high tide, and there are even two heads which are never covered.

1775 B. Romans Conc. Nat. Hist. E. & W. Florida App. 34 1½ miles E. from the land are a parcel of dangerous sunken heads called the Hen and Chickens.

1798 L. Furlong Amer. Coast Pilot (ed. 2) 158 The channel..is full of heads of coral rocks.

1837 J. R. McCulloch Statist. Acct. Brit. Empire I. i. i. 68 The Bunt Head, on the west side [of the Goodwin Sands], is very dangerous.

1881 Sailing Direct. West Indies: Porto Rico to Gulf of Florida 70 Thence the foul ground, including Barrack and Ravient Reefs, which have several patches and sharp heads of rock, extends to the W.N.W. 2 miles.

1920 Pacific Islands Pilot (ed. 2) 112 Homedebua Peak bearing 27° will lead midway between Peterson Reefs and the sunken heads extending southwestward from Unda Point.

a1961 E. Hemingway Islands in Stream (1970) iii. xii. 332 He steered due north to get into blue water and past the dangerous rocky heads of the outer reef.

2004 Atlantic Boating Almanac: Gulf of Mexico V. xiv. 550 The Invisibles..are three small rocky heads covered 4 to 5′.

d. English regional.

†(a) A part of an underlying stratum, esp. of marl, seen protruding through an overlying one. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > structure of the earth > structural features > [noun] > formation

head1686

formation1815

1686 R. Plot Nat. Hist. Staffs. iii. 119 Sometimes it [sc. marl] lyes so ebb..that they plow up the head of it.

1787 W. Marshall Rural Econ. Norfolk I. 19 The white marls of this District..in distinct masses, of different figures and magnitudes, rising with irregular heads toward the surface.

1846 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 7 ii. 452 ‘Heads’ or prominent parts of the substratum of sand rising up through the substratum of brick earth in the manner that ‘heads of marl’ shoot up towards the surface.

(b) As a mass noun. Surface material consisting of fragments of an underlying stratum.

ΚΠ

1876 H. B. Woodward Geol. Eng. & Wales x. 331 Between Bovey Tracey and Newton Abbot there are accumulations of sand and gravel which rest on the Miocene deposits, and are called the ‘Head’.

1930 Jrnl. Trans. Victoria Inst. 62 73 ‘Head’ is a term applied to this Rubble-drift where it masks an old raised beach.

2009 F. G. Bell et al. in M. G. Culshaw et al. Engin. Geol. Tomorrow's Cities 15/1 Head in the Nottingham area usually is thin and of variable composition depending on the nature of the parent material.

41. The top or summit of a hill or mountain.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > hill or mountain > [noun] > summit

knollc888

knapc1000

copc1374

crest?a1400

head?a1425

summit1481

summitya1500

mountain topa1522

hilltop1530

stump1664

scalp1810

bald1838

van1871

dod1878

berg-top1953

?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 61 (MED) Þare er also many gude tounes toward þe heued [F. chief] of þir hilles.

c1550 Complaynt Scotl. (1979) vi. 41 Ane man beand on the hede of ane hil.

1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet v. i. 249 The skyesh head Of blew Olympus.

1654 J. Howell in S. Lennard tr. S. Mazzella Parthenopoeia To Rdr. sig. A2^v The great Vorago or fiery Gulph..which rageth in the head of that Mountain [sc. Vesuvius].

1742 S. Boyse tr. W. van Haren Praise of Peace i. 8 An ice-crown'd Mountain's Head.

1797 A. Radcliffe Italian II. ii. 83 Its peaked head towered far above every neighbouring summit.

1810 W. Scott Lady of Lake i. 5 But, when the sun his beacon red Had kindled on Benvoirlich's head.

1842 Knickerbocker Sept. 242 At evening, when the sun sets red Behind yon mountain's cloudy head.

1917 Vermonter 23 59/2 We found ourselves on the bald head of the mountain.

1982 Mother Jones July 57/1 The majestic snow-covered head of Popo [i.e. Popocatepetl].

2009 L. Leigh Coyote's Mate x. 135 Mortar fire is coming from the north, at the head of the mountain.

42. Originally Scottish. The top or upper end of a road, street, etc.; the part of a subsidiary road nearest the main road. Also: the upper or main end of a town; the outer part of a town leading towards a main road or highway.

ΘΚΠ

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > town as opposed to country > town, village, or collection of dwellings > [noun] > parts of town or village

town end1192

west end1428

head1458

townhead1536

frontier1894

1458 Extracts Rec. in W. Chambers Charters Burgh Peebles (1872) 126 The land..liand on the conȝe at the hed of the Briggat.

1681 in J. D. Marwick Extracts Rec. Burgh Glasgow (1905) III. 302 To put out baill fyres at the heid of ilk clos.

1773 London Mag. Nov. 534/2 [Soldiers] were posted..in a hut erected at the head of the road.

1785 P. Delamotte Weymouth Guide 84 The road [to Weymouth] lies through Dorchester, which is crossed at the head of the town.

1801 J. Baillie Impartial Hist. Newcastle upon Tyne 538 Besides these, at the head of the street, are several large gardens and nurseries.

1832 Hazard's Reg. Pennsylvania 10 Mar. 147/2 Spring water is introduced through all the principal streets, by iron pipes, from a reservoir situated at the head of the town.

1898 L. A. Jones Treat. Law Easements iv. iii. 186 He conveyed a lot at the head of the alley... This conveyance passed no right to use the alley.

1977 J. Pepper What Thing to Say 53 I went up to see Mrs Thingimabob... You know the one that's married on the fella at the head of the road?

1990 W. J. Wood Battles of Revol. War iii. 65 He marched several companies..to the roads at the head of the town.

2009 Ireland's Eye Jan. 7/1 Johnny walked at a leisurely pace..towards the head of the road, where there was a crossroads.

VI. Miscellaneous specific and technical uses.

43. A bundle of hemp, silk, flax, or the like; spec. one of a specific size or weight (as in quots. 1704, 1858).

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > flax, hemp, or jute > [noun] > bundle of

heada1325

strikec1386

stritch14..

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > silk > [noun] > quantity of

moss1753

head1825

strick1887

a1325 Statutes of Realm (2011) xxix. 89 Þe chef of fustian contenez xiii elne, þe heued of sendal of x elne.

1565 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1916) XI. 440 Ane heid of hemp and twa elsingis to the cordinar.

1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. iii. 106/2 Kirtle Flax, is twelve heads in a bunch, and is about an hundred pounds in weight.

1704 Dict. Rusticum Head of Flax..signifies twelve Sticks of Flax tied up to make a bunch.

1797 J. Sinclair Statist. Acct. Scotl. XIX. 402 Not a single head of flax amissing.

1825 Edinb. Mag. & Literary Misc. Sept. 373/2 They..attached, by a string, several heads of silk to the trigger of the piece.

1858 P. L. Simmonds Dict. Trade Products Head,..a bundle of flax measuring probably two feet in length, and weighing a few pounds; in the North of Europe 18 head of hemp or flax are about 1 cwt.

1897 Textile Amer. 6 Nov. 49/2 The silk..is..‘sticked’ for dyeing, putting six or eight heads of silk on each stick.

1953 G. B. Hughes Living Crafts viii. 83 The hackler..takes a ‘head’ of hemp in her right hand, and holds it spread fan-wise.

1999 tr. J. Glader in R. Kvideland & H. K. Sehmsdorf All World's Reward lxxiv. 239 She always bragged that she was so handy she could spin a whole head of flax in a single day.

44.

†a. A bank or dam retaining a body of water. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > water > lake > pool > [noun] > artificially confined water > contrivance for impounding water > dam

clowa1250

head?a1425

damc1440

weir-dike1518

bay1581

rampirea1586

anicut1784

pond-bay1863

?a1425 (a1400) Brut (Corpus Cambr.) 330 (MED) Brekyng her fisshepond hedis, & lete þe water of her pondes, stewes & ryuers, renne out.

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 506/2 I damme or make the heed of a water.

1563 Act 5 Eliz. c. 21 §1 Any Hedd or Heddes, Damme or Dammes, of any Pondes, Pooles, Motes, Stanges, Steues, or severall Pittes.

1814 Gen. Rep. Agric. State & Polit. Circumstances Scotl. II. xiii. §4. 671 Heads, or banks of earth, for the confinement of water in artificial lakes or ponds.

b. A body of water kept at a particular height, esp. in order to provide a supply at sufficient pressure for a mill, turbine, etc.; the height of such a body of water, as a measure of the resulting pressure; (hence) pressure expressed in terms of the height of water that would produce it (cf. pressure head n. 1; see also Phrases 3q(a)). Frequently in head of water.velocity head: see the first element.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > water > lake > pool > [noun] > artificially confined water > kept at a height

head1677

1677 R. Plot Nat. Hist. Oxford-shire ix. 233 Lock-gates put down between every two of them..which will keep a head of water.

1724 D. Defoe Tour Great Brit. I. iii. 16 Here is a very large Pond, or Lake of Water, kept up to an Head, by a strong Battre d' eau, or Dam.

1791 R. Mylne 2nd Rep. Navigation Thames 15 Millers..working their Heads of Water in a spendthrift way.

1832 Examiner 289/1 He has dammed the stream to give it head.

1884 A. Daniell Text-bk. Princ. Physics xi. 276 We may say that the velocity-head and the pressure-head are together equal to the total head.

1907 H. Brown Irrigation vi. 120 A pressure due to 6¾ feet head of water.

1943 E. H. Lewitt Thermodynamics applied to Heat Engines (ed. 3) vi. 139 Water at 15° C. is injected under a constant head of 500 ft.

1986 E. Hall in A. Limon et al. Home Owner Man. (ed. 2) iii. v. 383 The cold water storage cistern is not sufficiently high above the shower sprinkler to provide the minimum 3ft (900mm) head of pressure.

2008 M. Kay Pract. Hydraulics (ed. 2) iv. 96 Atmospheric pressure drives a siphon and the absolute limit is 10 m head of water.

c. Founding. A narrow vertical channel at the top of a mould acting as a reservoir to feed a casting as it cools and contracts, and to add to the pressure on the metal so as to inhibit porosity; a sink-head or riser (riser n. 10). Also: the solid remnant of this reservoir on a cast object.Recorded earliest in deadhead n.¹ 2a.feed, feeding-, sink-head, etc.: see the first element.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > metal in specific state or form > [noun] > molten metal > head or supply of

head1838

feeder1858

dozzle1923

1838 Penny Cycl. X. 386/2 What is called a dead head is left at the upper and smaller or mouth end of the gun, which presses the metal down, and prevents its becoming porous as it settles and cools.

1854 Encycl. Brit. VI. 183/1 The metal..is conveyed by a gutter formed of sand to the gun-mould, into which the melted metal falls through the open end of the head.

1867 W. Papworth Gwilt's Encycl. Archit. (rev. ed.) ii. iii. 693 Cannon, pipes, columns, &c., are stronger when cast in a vertical than in a horizontal position, and stronger still when provided with a head or additional length.

1920 J. G. Horner Pract. Iron Founding (ed. 4) x. 209 The employer grudges the cost of cutting off the head, and maybe thinks that it is a moulder's fad, especially when he learns that there are shops in which cylinders are cast without heads.

1922 J. H. Hall Steel Foundry (ed. 2) viii. 261 As the heads are very much higher than the casting, they are called upon to feed metal only horizontally.

1996 S. C. Black et al. Princ. Engin. Manuf. (ed. 3) ii. 21 The mould may be provided with a long neck to give a head of metal which will provide both a reservoir of hot metal and a small pressure head to help eliminate shrinkage.

45. Mining. An underground passage in a mine; a drift (drift n. 15). Cf. heading n. 13. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > workplace > places where raw materials are extracted > mine > [noun] > passage > other passages in coal-mine

head1486

room1670

headway1708

breast-hee1850

gate-road1860

stall gate1883

1486 Charter 15 May in Yorks. Archaeol. Jrnl. (1893) 12 236 [They shall keep] unthyreled a ribbe called in to waste with due purgyng and clensyng of the seid myne and in dryffyng any depe hed into other with poste and thyrle at the water may lyghtly avoid.

1662 Dr. Power in T. Birch Hist. Royal Soc. (1756) I. 134 If a Pistol be shot off in a head remote from the eye of a pit, it will give but a little report.

1798 New Ann. Reg. 1797 Principal Occurr. 143/2 Going down this pit, the workmen came to a head or way, along which they proceeded until they came to another pit.

1894 Times 15 Aug. 13/3 He knew that gas existed in one of the heads, and fences were placed there to indicate that it was dangerous.

1908 Trans. Inst. Mining Engineers 34 356 At this point it was necessary to drive a head to the water-pit.

1947 Ann. Rep. Under Secretary for Mines, Queensland 1942–5 99/1 At 20 ft. in this drive a head was cut showing a bunch of spar carrying a little tin.

†46. A tidal bore (bore n.³ 2). Also more fully tide head. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > water > flow or flowing > wave > types of waves > [noun] > high wave caused by movement of tide > of unusual height

head1570

bore1601

eagre1610

mascaret1660

sea seiche1925

1570 R. Tarlton Disc. Fluds Bedford Shire (single sheet) At twelue a clock at night, It [sc. the rushing river] flowde with such a hed.

a1667 P. Mundy Trav. (1907) I. p. xix This bore or tide head comes sodainely many foote high like great rouling feathering Waves.

1807 R. Southey Lett. from Eng. III. lxxvi. 380 The tide [in the River Parrot] instead of rising gradually, flows in in a head.

1854 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 15 5 [The] river came down with a ‘head’ similar to the tidal phenomenon on the Severn.

1908 Nature Notes 19 209 A dead starfish is sometimes carried far up the Bay [sc. Morecambe Bay] by the tide head which in places resembles a mill race.

†47. Hunting. A sudden sharp change of direction by a hunted animal. Cf. heading n. 3. Obsolete. [Compare French faire tête, e.g. in le cerf fait tête aux chiens the stag turns to resist the hounds.]

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > direction > [noun] > changing to face different direction or turning

turning1303

turnc1390

circumversion1578

conversion1594

head1607

versation1656

wheela1660

slewc1860

1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 264 The wandring Hares..making heads vpon the plain ground, to the confusion of the Dogs.

1796 Sporting Mag. Feb. 231/2 [The fox] went away for Bull's Wood—then to Hammond's groves—made a head, and came to Thorpe Wood.

1798 Sporting Mag. 11 3 After much manœuvring, heads and doubles, as well as equally good racing in view, she [sc. the hare] was killed in the rickyard of the Sun Inn.

1804 Sporting Mag. Jan. 167/2 We have had an uncommon display of views, heads, turns, doubles; baying, and soiling, but not a burst of sufficient duration to set even a half-bred horse a blowing.

48. Nautical. Any of various parts of an anchor (see quots.); (now usually) spec. the part furthest from the crown (crown n. 28d) and arms.

ΚΠ

1622 R. Hawkins Observ. Voiage South Sea xxxvi. 88 Then armed we all the Halser round about..and likewise the shanke of the Anchor, and the head.

1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) Head of an Anchor, the Shank or longest part of it.

1708 Sea-dict. in Mil. Dict. (ed. 3) The Head of the Anchor; is that Part in which the Eye is, through which the Ring passes.

1826 Trans. Soc. Arts 44 86 Through the head of the anchor k passes the ring l.

1920 Sci. Amer. 10 July 35 (caption) The ‘dropping test’ on the head of the modern stockless anchor.

1972 Marine Engin./Log Nov. 90/2 It also includes a distinctive stock running through the anchor crown in the same plane as the anchor head.

2000 E. D. Smith & T. R. Moore Sailing Lang. 28 Head, the upper end of the shank.

49. On a gate: the upright timber or post at the opposite end from the hinges and typically bearing the latch (cf. heel n.¹ 10f). Also: either of the two upright pieces at the ends of a hurdle (hurdle n. 1a). Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > that which or one who closes or shuts > a barrier > [noun] > gate > upright timbers of gate

heada1642

heel1730

hanging-head1888

dagger-

a1642 H. Best Farming & Memorandum Bks. (1984) 17 To a barre [= hurdle] belongeth two heads..into which the 4 spelles are to bee putte.

1795 Life John Metcalf 22 Confound thee! thou always goes to the gate heel, instead of the head.

1801 T. N. Parker Ess. Gates & Wickets 34 For a swing gate the latch should be placed as nearly as possible to the middle part of the head.

1841 Farmers' Cabinet 15 Feb. 233 The head of one hurdle is brought forward, so as to lap, or pass a little beyond that of another.

1854 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 15 ii. 251 The head, heel, and top rail of a gate should be of oak.

1908 Country Life 29 Aug. 281/2 The square..closes tightly over the ‘closing style’, or head of the gate.

1939 H. J. Massingham Country Relics iii. iv. 67 The tomahawk made the mortise hole in the head of the hurdle and the ‘nail-bit’ or lengthening-bit holed the rails of the hurdle.

1969 Queensland Agric. Jrnl. 95 13/2 A second timber upright..is bolted..to the other end of the diagonal support to form the head of the gate.

†50. Building. A roof tile of half the usual length, used at the eaves; = head tile n. (a) at Compounds 4. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > clay compositions > baked clay > tile > [noun] > other types of tiles

semi-tilea1525

quarrel1601

head1703

travers tile1703

astragal1725

fire tile1798

sole1843

field tile1856

fish-scale tile1881

quarry tile1908

hollow tile1914

tile-and-a-half tile1940

1703 R. Neve City & Countrey Purchaser 165 Heads,..a Term used by Bricklayers, by which they mean ½ a Tile in length, but to the full breadth of a Tile; these they use to lay at the Eaves of a Roof.

1887 G. O. Garnsey Amer. Gloss. Archit. Terms Heads, tile or slate laid at the eaves.

51. Curling and Bowls.

a. A session of play in which all the stones or bowls are delivered from one particular end of the rink or green; = end n. 3d. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > winter sports > curling > [noun] > all stones delivered on one side

head1828

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > bowls or bowling > [noun] > game or part of game

rubber1599

end1688

roll-off1886

head1893

point1902

1828 Descriptive & Hist. Sketch Curling 47 Head, (probably a corruption of heat,) that portion of the game in which both parties play all their stones once.

1877 Encycl. Brit. VI. 713 All [curling] matches to be of a certain number of heads.

1893 Laws Bowls (Sc. Bowling Assoc.) in H. J. Dingley Touchers & Rubs 96 The mat shall not be moved till the head is finished.

1958 Everyman's Encycl. IV. 186/1 A game [of curling] consists of a number of ‘heads’ or ends.

1965 Times 19 Aug. 4 Every head remained in jeopardy until the last bowl came to a stop.

b. The (typically closely grouped) collection of stones or bowls which remain in play at any point of a game; (also) the position or area in which these are concentrated.

ΚΠ

1884 D. Brown in J. Taylor Curling 208 Coming with something like the velocity of a cannon ball, it not only broke up the head, but sent the stone it struck first into a thousand pieces.

1925 Times 15 Jan. 17/6 At the start the game seems easy, but as ‘the head’ round the mark fills up with stones, more and more skill is required.

1954 Cairns (Austral.) Post 30 June 3 Shaw experienced great difficulty in holding his bowls back, consistently running through the head.

1986 Bowls Internat. July 39/1 You must get as many bowls in the head as you can.

2009 Scotsman (Nexis) 9 Dec. Norway cleared out some Scottish stones in the ninth to score one. In the tenth, Murdoch..looked at the head, decided the shot was not on, and conceded.

†52. Mining. In plural. In the process of mechanical concentration: the purest ore, which is the first to separate. Cf. head-tin n. at Compounds 4, heading n. 15. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > mineral material > ore > [noun] > purer metallic part

regulus1651

head1832

1832 Trans. Royal Geol. Soc. Cornwall 4 149 Its contents are then divided into three or four parts according to the quality of the ore: these divisions are denominated heads, first middle heads, second middle heads, and tails; the heads or richest part, being nearest the head of the buddle.

1858 Jrnl. Soc. Arts 30 Apr. 374/2 The heads, after being subjected to washing in a hand buddle, are passed to the dolly-tub.

1879 Cassell's Techn. Educator (new ed.) III. 98 The rack or frame..consists of a long table on a slight incline down which the slimes are carried by a gentle stream of water... The purest ore called ‘heads’ collects at the upper part of the table.

†53. The portion of the carapace of the hawksbill turtle ( Eretmochelys imbricata) that comprises the (usually thirteen) larger plates of tortoiseshell, esp. as an item for trade. Cf. foot n. 15. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

1839 D. Cargill Diary 31 July (1977) 146 The king & his son sent a large hog & three heads of tortoise-shell as a present to the Capⁿ.

1890 C. Erskine Twenty Years before Mast (1896) xiv. 204 He gave me..twenty dollars for a head of tortoise-shell.

1900 J. Gaggin Among Man-eaters 140 This meant so many head of shell... A head consists of the thirteen plates of tortoiseshell forming the outward shell of the hawksbill.

1911 Philippine Jrnl. Sci. Ser. D 6 293 All of the plates together are known as a ‘head’ of shell, and tortoise-shell nearly always is sold by the ‘head’.

VII. Uses arising from or associated with particular phrasal or verbal constructions.

54. A result, an outcome; a conclusion, a culmination; a pitch or peak of intensity, force, etc., typically attained gradually. In later use: esp. a situation where crucial issues must be resolved or addressed, a critical point. Chiefly in various verbal phrases, as to draw to a head, to grow to a head. See also to bring to a head at Phrases 4b, to come to a head at Phrases 4c, to gather to a head at gather v. 19b. [With reference to undesirable developments often with allusion to sense 19a.]

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > completing > [noun] > a conclusion or end

finea1300

head1340

conclusion1382

close1399

finishmentc1400

issue1479

pass1542

tittle est Amen1568

wind-up1573

wind-up-all1573

upshot1586

catastrophe1609

come-off1640

period1713

pay-off1926

the world > action or operation > prosperity > advancement or progress > advance, progress, or develop [verb (intransitive)] > reach highest point

to grow to a head1579

culminatea1662

climax1882

peak1937

the world > relative properties > quantity > increase in quantity, amount, or degree > [verb (intransitive)] > to highest degree > reach highest degree of increase

to grow to a head1579

to gather to a heada1616

to come to a head1655

culminatea1662

climax1882

to reach a crescendo1925

to top off1970

to top out1972

the world > action or operation > completing > complete (an action or piece of work) [verb (transitive)] > bring to an end or conclusion > bring to a final point or issue

to bring, come, etc., to the (or an) upshot1604

issue1650

to draw to a head1678

bring1711

1340 Ayenbite (1866) 183 (MED) He yefþ red huerby me comþ to guode heauede [Fr. a bon chief] and to guode ende of þet me nimþ an hand.

1579 S. Gosson Schoole of Abuse f. 13^v Sith these abuses are growne to heade, and sinne so ripe.

a1599 E. Spenser View State Ireland 103 in J. Ware Two Hist. Ireland (1633) To keepe them from growing unto such a head.

1606 Bp. J. Hall Arte Diuine Medit. xxiii. 116 There (which is the heade of all thy felicitie) thine eyes shall see him whom now thine heart longeth for.

1658 J. Owen Of Temptation ii. 23 The season wherein it [sc. temptation] growes to a head.

1678 A. Littleton Linguæ Latinæ Liber Dictionarius (at cited word) To draw to a head, or to sum up, recapitulor, in summam colligo.

1749 J. Cleland Mem. Woman of Pleasure II. 88 Now all the impressions of burning desire,..ripen'd by the heat of this exercise, and collecting to a head, throb'd and agitated me with insupportable irritations.

1763 J. Wesley Serm. Reformation Manners 14 Vice is risen to such an head, that it is impossible to suppress it.

1824 T. Carlyle tr. J. W. von Goethe Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship I. i. vi. 30 Let us hear how your taste for the theatre gradually reached a head.

1888 R. F. Horton Inspiration & Bible (1889) vi. 170 But it is time to draw to a head this somewhat lengthened discussion.

1904 T. Longueville Adventures James II i. 7 Affairs had got to such a head that the imminence of severe fighting in the midland counties became highly probable.

1921 Freeman 28 Sept. 59/2 Propaganda and resentment drew to a head during the general revolutionary movement of last year.

1962 D. M. Lang Mod. Hist. Soviet Georgia viii. 177 Matters reached a head in 1908, when the Russian Exarch of Georgia..was murdered.

2005 Maisonneuve (Canada) Feb. 4/1 George W. Bush is a reckoner, someone who drives things to a head.

†55. A body of people gathered; a force raised, esp. in insurrection or revolt. See also to make a head at Phrases 4k(b). Obsolete.In quots. 1590, 1598 perhaps: a standard or similar object around which troops may gather.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > social relations > association, fellowship, or companionship > a company or body of persons > [noun]

ferec975

flockOE

gingc1175

rout?c1225

companyc1300

fellowshipc1300

covinc1330

eschelec1330

tripc1330

fellowred1340

choira1382

head1381

glub1382

partya1387

peoplec1390

conventc1426

an abominable of monksa1450

body1453

carol1483

band1490

compernagea1500

consorce1512

congregationa1530

corporationa1535

corpse1534

chore1572

society1572

crew1578

string1579

consort1584

troop1584

tribe1609

squadron1617

bunch1622

core1622

lag1624

studa1625

brigadea1649

platoon1711

cohort1719

lot1725

corps1754

loo1764

squad1786

brotherhood1820

companionhood1825

troupe1825

crowd1840

companionship1842

group1845

that ilk1845

set-out1854

layout1869

confraternity1872

show1901

crush1904

we1927

familia1933

shower1936

in R. H. Robbins Hist. Poems 14th & 15th Cent. (1959) 55 (MED) Takeþ wiþ ȝow Iohan Trewman and alle hijs felawes and no mo, and loke schappe ȝou to on heued and no mo.

c1500 Three Kings' Sons (1895) 27 [They] haue so many noble lordes of their lynage, wherof they might full lightly fynde a suffisaunt hede.

1590 L. Lloyd Consent of Time 302 After twise or thrice good successe had against the Arabians and the Saracens, they gathered together vnder a head at Tangrolipix.

1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 i. iii. 278 To saue our heads by raising of a head.

1631 W. Gouge Gods Three Arrowes i. §69. 115 Korah..impudently gathered an head against Moses and Aaron.

1661 S. Pepys Diary 8 Jan. (1970) II. 8 Some talk today of a head of Fanatiques that doth appear about Barnett.

1781 G. Washington Let. 27 Mar. in Writings (1891) IX. 195 They cannot draw a head of men together as suddenly as their exigencies may require.

†56. Forward momentum; headway, progress. Also: advance against an opposing force. Obsolete.Earliest attested in to get head, and chiefly in various verbal phrases: see also to keep head against at Phrases 4g(a), to make head against at Phrases 4k(a).to gather head: see gather v. 9.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > rate of motion > [noun] > rate of movement

head1577

rate1751

pace-setting1893

headway1904

society > armed hostility > military operations > manoeuvre > [noun] > advance

approach1489

head1577

advance1593

drive1837

push1916

wave1943

1577 R. Holinshed Chron. II. 1861/1 It will bee too soone perceyued though happily too late to stoppe the breache, when the floud hath gote head, and once wonne passage through the banke.

1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet iv. v. 99 Young Laertes in a riotous head Ore-beares your Officers.

1662 R. Mathews Unlearned Alchymist (new ed.) §31. 26 If one Fever have got head before this Pill be taken.

1680 H. More Apocalypsis Apocalypseos 209 The ancient zeal..will be much relaxated, and wickedness will get head again.

1709 D. Defoe in State Brit. Nation 5 Apr. sig. A3^v Had their Rabble got a little more Head, we might have come again into the laudable Practice of cutting of Throats, and cold Blood Murthers.

1762 London Chron. 11 Dec. 573/2 The fire having gained head before the alarm was given, the master of the house thought of nothing but saving his wife.

1806 J. Beresford Miseries Human Life I. i. 3 This ‘gypsy-jargon’..Which is gaining head upon us every hour.

1866 I. N. Arnold Hist. A. Lincoln xix. 434 There was..a riot in Boston, but it was so promptly met, as to gain no considerable head.

1926 T. E. Lawrence Seven Pillars (subscribers' ed.) civ. 553 When a desire gained head, I used to strive until I had just to open my hand and take it.

57. Freedom of action or manoeuvre. See also earlier to give (a horse) his (also her, its, etc.) head at Phrases 4e(b), to take head (see Phrases 4q(a)(ii)).

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > lack of subjection > freedom or liberty > freedom of action or from restraint > [noun]

freedomOE

freenesslOE

libertya1393

licence?a1400

wilfulnessc1460

immunity1549

latitude1605

voluntariness1612

liberum arbitrium1642

free agencya1646

libertinism1649

unrestrainedness1698

unrestraint1755

relaxity1759

head1804

laissez-aller1818

unrestrictedness1825

uninhibitedness1947

1804 E. A. Le Noir Village Anecd. II. 296 No persons hold so tight a curb, as those who have felt the inconvenience of having had too much head.

1849 A. Jackson Tints from Amateur's Palette 29 The horses..ask, as plainly as they can for a little more ‘head’.

1862 S. Bowles Let. 7 July in G. S. Merriam Life & Times (1885) I. xxix. 369 I only want society and a little more head to be quite content and happy.

2004 Australian (Nexis) 5 Nov. 36 When I went to slip her a bit more head, she didn't find much for four or five strides.

Phrases

P1. Preceded by a preposition or prepositional phrase.

a. above one's head: see above adv., prep., n., and adj. Phrases 7.

b. Rugby. against the (loose) head: (with reference to winning a scrum) despite the opposing team holding the advantage by having the put-in. Cf. to win a tight head at tight adj., adv., and n.² Compounds 3.With reference to the fact that the loose head of the team putting in would be expected to help the hooker gain possession of the ball: see loose head n. at loose adj., n.², and adv. Compounds 2.

ΚΠ

1953 Manch. Guardian 31 Dec. 8/2 By now the New Zealanders were winning the scrums fairly often against the loose head as well as with it.

1958 Times 2 Jan. 10/1 Hung..struck like a cobra to get the ball against the head.

1988 Rugby World & Post Nov. 37/1 Gloucester's front-row stood up well to the confrontation and hooker Dunn took two strikes against the head while conceding none.

2012 Herald Express (Torquay) (Nexis) 8 Mar. 111 The scrum won a ball against the head to make it 10-3 at the break.

c. at the head of: see sense 36.

d. by (also down by) the head.

(a) Nautical. Of a ship: with the front or bows lower in the water than the stern, typically due to being unevenly loaded. Frequently with an expression of extent, as too much by the head, etc. Cf. sense 22b, (down) by the stern at stern n.³ 2b.

ΚΠ

1662 T. Allin Jrnl. 30 June (1939) (modernized text) I. 92 He..would make his ship sail better, being too much by the head; but proved still the drag of the fleet.

1694 T. Phillips Jrnl. Voy. in Churchill's Coll. Voy. (1732) VI. 230/2 We fill'd all the empty buts we had in the hold with salt water, and brought her somewhat more by the head.

1762 C. F. Noble Voy. E. Indies 329 Finding the ship to..lie very dead in the water, occasioned by her being a great deal too much by the head.

1836 R. B. Paul Jrnl. Tour to Moscow xv. 186 She was a fat plethoric looking boat, so much down by the head, that she put me in mind of a man about to fall forward on his nose.

1874 W. M. Davis Nimrod of Sea xviii. 208 As we were a little down by the head, we brought from the forehatch ten casks of water, and rolled them aft.

1914 Sat. Evening Post 11 July 6/1 To Kent it was becoming more and more evident that she [sc. the ship] was down by the head.

1994 A. Seligman Slope of Wind (1998) xxv. 185 If she was too much by the head, she'd be a pig to steer.

(b) colloquial (originally Nautical). Originally: †in a state of drunkenness or intoxication (obsolete). Later: mentally unbalanced, crazy. Now rare.

ΚΠ

1708 D. Defoe Rev. State Brit. Nation 8 June 170 [He] runs forward, being as the Sailors call too much by the Head, and over sets Sir William's Chair and all, and falls upon him.

1732 Proc. Old Bailey 14 Jan. 62/1 I had been drinking frequently, and I may say heartily, in the City of London, so that I was got a little too much by the Head.

1792 Bee 14 Nov. 62 Will Gasket did not fetch the playhouse with the rest of the squadron. He had got a little by the head.

1849 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Mar. 326/1 He kept on talking and smiling, till he could walk off without seeming as if he'd got his sabre betwixt his feet; but I fancied him a little down by the head when he did go.

1860 Times 17 Dec. 10/5 He said he was a little by the head, but not drunk.

a1941 in A. Brown Shadows & Cypress (2000) 41 She's a-little-by-the-head, so it hain't no wonder she done what she did.

e. in the head of: see sense 36.

f. in spite of a person's head (formerly also †spite of a person's head): in spite of, or in defiance of, a person. Cf. earlier maugre a person's head at maugre prep. 2. Now rare (archaic in later use).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > qualification > [adverb] > despite everything

nathemorea1200

in spite of a person's head?a1475

malgré tout1852

?a1475 Ludus Coventriae (1922) 368 (MED) The disciplis..makyn..this merthe in spyth of oure hed.

?1533 W. Tyndale Expos. Mathew (v) f. xlv^v To serue their ennemyes and to obeye their cruelnesse and tyrannye spyte of their heedes in nede and necessite.

1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 114 He gaue them all to the French men in spight of their heades.

1905 C. Housman Life Sir Aglovale de Galis x. 100 I cannot allow your presumption that therefore you may riot like a rascal knave in spite of my head.

†(a) of one's own head: of one's own accord; = on one's own head at Phrases 1i(b). Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > free will > [adverb]

freelyeOE

wilfullyc1000

by one's willOE

of oneselfOE

self-willesOE

of one's own willOE

willyOE

with one's willc1175

voluntarilyc1374

wilfulc1380

of one's own heada1393

willea1400

willilya1400

of (free) voluntyc1402

of or at one's (own) voluntyc1402

of one's own motion1419

of (also by, with) one's (own) goodwill?a1425

on one's own heada1425

of (also by, on, upon) one's own accorda1450

activelyc1454

willinglyc1475

voluntary1480

liberallya1500

of one's own swinge1548

voluntariously1550

voluntarlyc1568

for favour1574

at voluntary1585

of, out of, upon, or at (a person's) own voluntary1585

selfly1595

motu proprio1603

ultroneously1627

unimposedly1647

spontaneously1660

needlessly1710

unmechanically1764

a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) ii. l. 2066 (MED) Ne feigned I semblant ne chiere To wite or axe of his matiere..Bot if he wolde axe eny red Al onlich of his oghne hed.

1420 in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1846) 3rd Ser. I. 69 I of myn owne heuesde have wryte vn to hym a lettre.

1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) ii. 121 Tak him as off yine awyne hewid As I had gevyn yar-to na reid.

1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. xxvij The master carpenter would woorke all of his awne hedde without counsayll.

a1625 H. Finch Law (1627) ii. xviii. 181 He that entreth into land of his owne head, and receiueth the profits of it.

1687 A. Wood Life & Times (1894) III. 220 The bishop..sent it of his owne head.

1775 R. B. Sheridan Rivals v. iii. 93 It [sc. the pistol] may go off of its own head.

1800 T. Jefferson Let. 18 Jan. in Papers (2004) XXXI. 321 I do not propose to give you all this trouble merely of my own head. That would be arrogance.

1831 C. Lamb in Englishman's Mag. Oct. 137 He might have occasionally have escorted a party of ladies..that were going in; but he never went in of his own head.

1872 Law Times Rep. 19 Oct. 247/1 If he had done it of his own head.., but without the knowledge of the real plaintiff,..then it would be barratry.

(b) of the first head.

(i) Hunting. Of a male deer: that has reached the age, typically five years, when the antlers are first developed. Cf. sense 6, buck n.¹ 1b. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > male > [adjective] > having antlers > at certain age

of the first headc1425

beamed1575

c1425 Twiti Venery (Vesp. B.xii) 151 The vj yere a hert at the fyrst hed..alleway we calle of the fyrst hed tyl that he be of x of the lasse.

1486 Bk. St. Albans sig. eiiij^v Robucke of the first hede he is at the iiij. yere.

1575 G. Gascoigne Noble Arte Venerie lxxix. 236 A Bucke is called the first yeare a Fawne,..the fifth a Bucke of the first head, and the sixth a Bucke.

1678 E. Howard Man of Newmarket i. 9 Such wilde ones..who burst out like Bucks of the first head.

1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth III. 128 The buck is..called..the fifth [year], a buck of the first head.

1823 W. Scott St. Ronan's Well III. v. 125 But here is my lord, just upon us like a stag of the first head.

1854 W. H. Ainsworth Flitch of Bacon iv. iii. 231 Wherever a place can be found for it, hangs the antlered skull of a great stag of the first head.

1921 E. Step Animal Life Brit. Isles 132 The fifth year shows further advance along the same lines, and the animal becomes known as a buck of the first head.

(ii) figurative. Of a person (usually a man): (a) recently ennobled or raised in rank, parvenu; (b) that has only recently come to adulthood; esp. displaying the vigour, high spirits, immaturity, etc., considered typical of that age (esp. in buck of the first head; cf. buck n.¹ 2b); (c) unsurpassed, out-and-out; = of the first water at water n. Phrases 1e. Now chiefly in historical contexts.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > social class > nobility > rank > raising to noble rank > ennobled [phrase] > newly ennobled

of the first head1509

1509 A. Barclay Brant's Shyp of Folys (Pynson) f. xix A fox furred Jentelman: of the fyrst yere or hede.

?1520 A. Barclay tr. Sallust Cron. Warre agaynst Iugurth Prol. f. v Gentylmen of y^e first heed which were wont to preuent auncyent noblemen & ascende vnto vertu, & nobles, by vertuous maners.

1583 Sir T. Smith's De Republica Anglorum xx. 28 Such men are called sometime in scorne gentlemen of the first head.

a1627 H. Shirley Martyr'd Souldier (1638) v. sig. H3 The young fellowes..will runne into the parke of Matrimony at sixteene: are Bucks of the first head at eighteene.

a1631 J. Downe Amulet 16 in Certaine Treat. (1633) Precedencie is any mans rather then the Ministers: euery Mammonist, euery younger brother, euery vpstart of the first head must haue the place from vs.

a1637 B. Jonson Magnetick Lady ii. iii. 23 in Wks. (1640) III A Lady O' the first head I'ld have her.

1663 F. B. Vercingetorixa 3 [She] was to England come to wed A City-Chick of the first Head.

1771 Town & Country Mag. Mar. 150/2 Samon, notwithstanding his gown, threw off all reserve, and was a buck of the first head in the Garden.

1785 Town & Country Mag. Feb. 96/1 Alexander Allcant is a hypocrite of the first head, as you will soon perceive.

1835 London Lit. Gaz. 14 Mar. 164/3 He is a bibliomaniac and pedant of the first head.

1852 Southern Lit. Messenger Dec. 753/1 Tom Edmundson was a buck of the first head—gay, witty, dashing, vain, proud, handsome and volatile.

1895 All Year Round 16 Feb. 159/1 He..speedily gained admittance to many of the fashionable clubs... Nobody could deny that he was a buck of the first head.

1954 G. Heyer Toll-gate xv. 236 He's a Bartholomew baby, and thinks himself a buck of the first head.

1981 D. Chester French Slippers i. 25 Anyone with the least discernment could see at a glance that Lord du Vallon is to be trusted. A gentleman of the first head, obviously.

2012 S. Busbee Desire becomes Her v. 97 The Crown was far too respectable and staid to appeal to two gentlemen who considered themselves bucks of the first head.

h. colloquial. off one's head: out of one's mind or wits, deranged, crazy; (in later use also) intoxicated, esp. by drugs (cf. off one's face at face n. Phrases 7).

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > mental health > mental illness > [adjective] > insanity or madness > affected with

woodc725

woodsekc890

giddyc1000

out of (by, from, of) wit or one's witc1000

witlessc1000

brainsickOE

amadc1225

lunaticc1290

madc1330

sickc1340

brain-wooda1375

out of one's minda1387

frenetica1398

fonda1400

formada1400

unwisea1400

brainc1400

unwholec1400

alienate?a1425

brainless1434

distract of one's wits1470

madfula1475

furious1475

distract1481

fro oneself1483

beside oneself1490

beside one's patience1490

dementa1500

red-wood?1507

extraught1509

misminded1509

peevish1523

bedlam-ripe1525

straughta1529

fanatic1533

bedlama1535

daft1540

unsounda1547

stark raving (also staring) mad1548

distraughted1572

insane1575

acrazeda1577

past oneself1576

frenzy1577

poll-mad1577

out of one's senses1580

maddeda1586

frenetical1588

distempered1593

distraught1597

crazed1599

diswitted1599

idle-headed1599

lymphatical1603

extract1608

madling1608

distracteda1616

informala1616

far gone1616

crazy1617

March mada1625

non compos mentis1628

brain-crazed1632

demented1632

crack-brained1634

arreptitiousa1641

dementate1640

dementated1650

brain-crackeda1652

insaniated1652

exsensed1654

bedlam-witteda1657

lymphatic1656

mad-like1679

dementative1685

non compos1699

beside one's gravity1716

hyte1720

lymphated1727

out of one's head1733

maddened1735

swivel-eyed1758

wrong1765

brainsickly1770

fatuous1773

derangedc1790

alienated1793

shake-brained1793

crack-headed1796

flighty1802

wowf1802

doitrified1808

phrenesiac1814

bedlamite1815

mad-braineda1822

fey1823

bedlamitish1824

skire1825

beside one's wits1827

as mad as a hatter1829

crazied1842

off one's head1842

bemadded1850

loco1852

off one's nut1858

off his chump1864

unsane1867

meshuga1868

non-sane1868

loony1872

bee-headed1879

off one's onion1881

off one's base1882

(to go) off one's dot1883

locoed1885

screwy1887

off one's rocker1890

balmy or barmy on (or in) the crumpet1891

meshuggener1892

nutty1892

buggy1893

bughouse1894

off one's pannikin1894

ratty1895

off one's trolley1896

batchy1898

twisted1900

batsc1901

batty1903

dippy1903

bugs1904

dingy1904

up the (also a) pole1904

nut1906

nuts1908

nutty as a fruitcake1911

bugged1920

potty1920

cuckoo1923

nutsy1923

puggled1923

blah1924

détraqué1925

doolally1925

off one's rocket1925

puggle1925

mental1927

phooey1927

crackers1928

squirrelly1928

over the edge1929

round the bend1929

lakes1934

ding-a-ling1935

wacky1935

screwball1936

dingbats1937

Asiatic1938

parlatic1941

troppo1941

up the creek1941

screwed-up1943

bonkers1945

psychological1952

out to lunch1955

starkers1956

off (one's) squiff1960

round the twist1960

yampy1963

out of (also off) one's bird1966

out of one's skull1967

whacked out1969

batshit1971

woo-woo1971

nutso1973

out of (one's) gourd1977

wacko1977

off one's meds1986

1842 T. Hood Turtles in New Monthly Mag. June 273 He was ‘off his head’.

1872 W. Black Strange Adventures Phaeton xiii. 177 He is off his head: he does not know what he says.

a1884 M. Pattison Mem. (1885) 156 One poor girl went off her head in the midst of all.

1922 S. Anderson Winesburg Ohio 207 He had heard the old man spoken of as a little off his head.

1993 J. Green It: Sex since Sixties 142 We were both on E and both really off our heads and we both rolled around my bed for an hour and a half.

2000 I. Rankin Beggars Banquet (2002) 95 They told me I was off my head, said I was potty.

2011 Daily Tel. 18 July 18/5 He got off his head on drugs and alcohol, and then swung from the plinth dedicated to ‘The Glorious Dead’.

(a) on a person's head. [After post-classical Latin in caput eius onto his head, onto her head (Vulgate).]

(i) Of a misfortune, curse, blessing, etc.: directed towards a person; so as to affect a person; on a person.

ΚΠ

OE King Ælfred tr. Psalms (Paris) (2001) vii. 16 Gehweorfe his sar on his heafod [L. in caput eius], and on his brægn astige his unriht.

1509 Kynge Rycharde Cuer du Lyon (de Worde) sig. E.v^v Many men weneth to greue other And on his heed [c1330 Auchinleck on himself; c1450 BL Add. 31042 one his ownne hede] falleth the fother.

?1550 W. Samuel Warnyng for Cittie of London Ye brynge the curse of God, dayly on your heade.

1581 J. Keltridge Two Serm. sig. B.iij^v Glorie is on his head, honour and renowne are a couering for that man.

1735 A. Pope Prol. to Satires in Wks. II. 340 The distant Threats of Vengeance on his head.

1793 H. M. Williams Lett. France IV. iv. 151 We..imprecate curses on their heads.

1845 C. G. Duffy in Spirit of Nation 31 Yes, this is their own work; and now their work be on their head!

1920 C. C. Dobie Ilya of Murom i. 17 He who revives us with drink, He who sustains us with bread,..Blessings be on his head!

2003 K. Daswani For Matrimonial Purposes (U.K. ed.) 92 She put a curse on your head that your first-born would never marry.

(ii) So as to be the responsibility of a person; weighing on a person.

ΚΠ

a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Josh. ii. 19 The blood of hym schal be on his heed [a1382 E.V. into his hed, L. in caput eius], that goith out at the dore of thin hows.

1592 Arden of Feversham sig. K^v My bloode be on his head that gaue the sentence.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor (1623) ii. i. 174 What hee gets more of her, then sharpe words, let it lye on my head .

1869 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest III. xii. 253 If Harold sinned, his guilt was on his own head.

1916 R. Kipling Let. 9 Nov. (1999) IV. 416 If I didn't do what I could to get him out I'd feel I had his blood on my head.

1984 M. Horowitz et al. Personality Styles & Brief Psychotherapy iv. 83 His death was on her head, and she had to feel guilty.

(iii) be it on a person's (own) head: let the person specified be held responsible for something, or accept any unpleasant consequences of a chosen course of action. Now chiefly in on your (also his, her, etc.) head be it.

ΚΠ

1743 R. Pococke Descr. East I. iv. v. 182 When they promise it [sc. protection], they put their hands up to their turbants, as much as to say, Be it on their heads.

1822 ‘R. M'Chronicle’ Legends Scotl. I. 209 Very well, madam,..then be it on your own head.—My friends, remove the lady to the carriage.

1831 R. P. Smith Forsaken I. xvi. 190 ‘That will I answer for,’ replied Lindsay, astounded at his coolness. ‘Then on your head be it.’

1968 ‘O. Mills’ Sundry Fell Designs iv. 41 ‘Turnpenny asked me to do it.’ ‘Oh, well, on Turnpenny's head be it.’

1991 E. Barker O Caledonia (1992) xi. 148 And you won't like being here by yourself one bit. On your own head be it.

2001 G. Joseph Homegrown ii. 32 I told him, ‘On your head be it,’ but he doesn't want to listen.

(b) on one's own head: by one's own decision, of one's own accord; on one's own account. Cf. of one's own head at Phrases 1g(a). Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > free will > [adverb]

freelyeOE

wilfullyc1000

by one's willOE

of oneselfOE

self-willesOE

of one's own willOE

willyOE

with one's willc1175

voluntarilyc1374

wilfulc1380

of one's own heada1393

willea1400

willilya1400

of (free) voluntyc1402

of or at one's (own) voluntyc1402

of one's own motion1419

of (also by, with) one's (own) goodwill?a1425

on one's own heada1425

of (also by, on, upon) one's own accorda1450

activelyc1454

willinglyc1475

voluntary1480

liberallya1500

of one's own swinge1548

voluntariously1550

voluntarlyc1568

for favour1574

at voluntary1585

of, out of, upon, or at (a person's) own voluntary1585

selfly1595

motu proprio1603

ultroneously1627

unimposedly1647

spontaneously1660

needlessly1710

unmechanically1764

a1425 (a1400) Prick of Conscience (Galba & Harl.) (1863) l. 8874 Yhit wille I ymagyn, on myne awen hede, Ffor to gyf it a descripcion.

1563 Bp. J. Pilkington Burnynge of Paules Church sig. I.vii^v All such relygyous woorshyppinge of God, as manne deuises on hys owne heade, and is not taught in the holye Scrypture.

1595 W. Perkins Expos. Creed Apostles 292 Ioseph [of Arimathea]..doth it not on his owne head without leaue, but he goeth to Pilate and beggeth the body of Christ.

1656 J. Bramhall Replic. to Bishop of Chalcedon iii. 133 If the persons so banished will return on their own heads.

1744 W. Warburton Remarks Occas. Refl. v. 103 [He] could never, on his own Head, have thought of reducing an unruly People to Government on Maxims of Religion and Policy fundamentally opposite to all the Principles of Egyptian Wisdom.

1794 J. Impey Mod. Pleader 157 Mal-feasance, is when a man does something purposely on his own head, fancy, or humour, without any express agreement, implication, or requiring of law.

1840 Colonial Gaz. 5 Feb. 82/2 The new Secretary..has heard of Mr. Mothercountry's influence; and he is determined that he will act on his own head.

1894 F. B. Meyer Bells of Is 43 ‘Are you doing this on your own head?’ Richard asked. ‘Yes,’ said I; ‘I don't know who's to help me.’

1922 Southeastern Reporter 110 774/2 The defendant on his own head decided to remit to a great corporation the sum of $110,000 in taxes.

†(c) on head.

(i) Precipitately, hastily; rashly, thoughtlessly; headlong. Also on a head. Cf. ahead adv. 1. Obsolete.to fly on head: see fly v.¹ 3a.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > manner of action > rapidity or speed of action or operation > with rapid action [phrase] > in haste or in a hurry > with undue or rash haste

on headc1425

hand over heada1500

in haste?1518

hot on (also of, in, upon) the spur1577

a1325 (?c1300) Northern Passion (Cambr. Gg.1.1) l. 944 (MED) Pilat was aparti greuid, For þai speken in heuid.]

c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) ii. l. 4733 (MED) As bolde as Baiard is, þe blynde, Þat cast no peril what wey þat he fynde, Riȝt so wil I stumble forþe on hede.

1557 Earl of Surrey et al. Songes & Sonettes (new ed.) f. 111 He that bluntly runnes on hed, And seeth not what the race shal be: Is like to bring a foole to bed.

1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus Abruptum ingenium, a rashe braine that doth all things on heade.

1572 J. Bridges tr. R. Gwalther Hundred, Threescore & Fiftene Homelyes vppon Actes Apostles Ep. sig. C.4^v They shall..see howe you haue done nothing rashly, and on a head.

(ii) Straight forward; in or towards the front; = ahead adv. 2. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > forward movement > forward [phrase]

on head1575

1575 G. Gascoigne Noble Arte Venerie lxi. 172 If she [sc. the hare] helde on head, then let him beate with his houndes still onwardes on bothe sides of the way.

1590 E. Spenser Muiopotmos 420 Some vngracious blast..perforce him [sc. the butterfly] droue on hed.

1672 H. Savile True Relation Engagem. with Dutch Fleet 4 Sir F. Holles in the Cambridge, came..on Head of us.

1687 tr. Rel. Late Embassy to Court of King of Siam 33 [The barges] of the Great Mandarins..were very fine, and were on head of us.

1736 Compl. Family-piece ii. i. 208 'Tis the nature of the Hart, when he is close pursued..to make forth on Head.

(a) out of a person's head: from a person's mind, imagination, or invention. Often in the more emphatic form out of a person's own head. Frequently somewhat colloquial.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > inventive or creative faculty > [adjective] > of one's own invention

of one's own study1529

out of a person's own head1548

self-devised1608

1548 G. Joye tr. A. Osiander Coniectures Ende of Worlde iv. sig. Fiij When he speketh lyes, he speketh them oute of hys owne head [L. ex propriis].

1599 T. Bilson Effect Certaine Serm. 404 You tell a long and a foolish tale of death out of your owne heade.

1653 J. Bramhall Answer to M. de la Militiere 203 He that..denies a temporall Kingdom to give an eternall, doth not wrong us. This was out of your head.

1680 R. L'Estrange Narr. of Plot 17 He made Several Alterations..in the Epistle, out of his own head, after it was composed at the Presse.

1719 D. Defoe Farther Adventures Robinson Crusoe 280 It came from you, and not out of my own Head.

1820 Eclectic Rev. Sept. 164 All this, not being in Burton, we take it for granted is out of Mr. Keats's own head, as the children say.

1875 B. Jowett tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) I. 288 Were not all these answers given out of his own head?

1919 Times 25 Nov. 15/5 He..drew scraggy animals out of his own head.

1991 J. Richardson Life of Picasso I. xxix. 455 He sat down and out of his head painted the head in without having seen Gertrude Stein again.

2003 M. Warnock in J. Baggini & J. Stangroom What Philosophers Think (2005) xv. 159 She had these amazing ideas which turned out to be very like Leibniz's.., but they seem to have come entirely out of her own head.

(b) colloquial. out of one's head: = out of one's mind at mind n.¹ 20c.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > mental health > mental illness > [adjective] > insanity or madness > affected with

woodc725

woodsekc890

giddyc1000

out of (by, from, of) wit or one's witc1000

witlessc1000

brainsickOE

amadc1225

lunaticc1290

madc1330

sickc1340

brain-wooda1375

out of one's minda1387

frenetica1398

fonda1400

formada1400

unwisea1400

brainc1400

unwholec1400

alienate?a1425

brainless1434

distract of one's wits1470

madfula1475

furious1475

distract1481

fro oneself1483

beside oneself1490

beside one's patience1490

dementa1500

red-wood?1507

extraught1509

misminded1509

peevish1523

bedlam-ripe1525

straughta1529

fanatic1533

bedlama1535

daft1540

unsounda1547

stark raving (also staring) mad1548

distraughted1572

insane1575

acrazeda1577

past oneself1576

frenzy1577

poll-mad1577

out of one's senses1580

maddeda1586

frenetical1588

distempered1593

distraught1597

crazed1599

diswitted1599

idle-headed1599

lymphatical1603

extract1608

madling1608

distracteda1616

informala1616

far gone1616

crazy1617

March mada1625

non compos mentis1628

brain-crazed1632

demented1632

crack-brained1634

arreptitiousa1641

dementate1640

dementated1650

brain-crackeda1652

insaniated1652

exsensed1654

bedlam-witteda1657

lymphatic1656

mad-like1679

dementative1685

non compos1699

beside one's gravity1716

hyte1720

lymphated1727

out of one's head1733

maddened1735

swivel-eyed1758

wrong1765

brainsickly1770

fatuous1773

derangedc1790

alienated1793

shake-brained1793

crack-headed1796

flighty1802

wowf1802

doitrified1808

phrenesiac1814

bedlamite1815

mad-braineda1822

fey1823

bedlamitish1824

skire1825

beside one's wits1827

as mad as a hatter1829

crazied1842

off one's head1842

bemadded1850

loco1852

off one's nut1858

off his chump1864

unsane1867

meshuga1868

non-sane1868

loony1872

bee-headed1879

off one's onion1881

off one's base1882

(to go) off one's dot1883

locoed1885

screwy1887

off one's rocker1890

balmy or barmy on (or in) the crumpet1891

meshuggener1892

nutty1892

buggy1893

bughouse1894

off one's pannikin1894

ratty1895

off one's trolley1896

batchy1898

twisted1900

batsc1901

batty1903

dippy1903

bugs1904

dingy1904

up the (also a) pole1904

nut1906

nuts1908

nutty as a fruitcake1911

bugged1920

potty1920

cuckoo1923

nutsy1923

puggled1923

blah1924

détraqué1925

doolally1925

off one's rocket1925

puggle1925

mental1927

phooey1927

crackers1928

squirrelly1928

over the edge1929

round the bend1929

lakes1934

ding-a-ling1935

wacky1935

screwball1936

dingbats1937

Asiatic1938

parlatic1941

troppo1941

up the creek1941

screwed-up1943

bonkers1945

psychological1952

out to lunch1955

starkers1956

off (one's) squiff1960

round the twist1960

yampy1963

out of (also off) one's bird1966

out of one's skull1967

whacked out1969

batshit1971

woo-woo1971

nutso1973

out of (one's) gourd1977

wacko1977

off one's meds1986

1733 M. Shelton tr. M. Warren Epist. to Friend vi. 40 At Midnight he talked wild, and before Morning was quite out of his Head [L. obstupuit].

1764 Dialogue Late Declar. & Remonstr. Back-inhabitants Pennsylvania 4 Mr. Zealot, I believe, is out of his Head.

1817 Monthly Repository Feb. 91/1 ‘Surely that man is out of his head,’ was no uncommon exclamation, on hearing his vociferation and seeing the wildness of his gestures.

1878 H. James French Poets & Novelists 428 Pathelin pretends to be out of his head.

1902 C. E. Jefferson Quiet Hints Preachers xiii. 103 If they could not understand what was going on they..might think Christians out of their head.

1960 H. Gold Love & Like 207 He's banned from Manhattan clubs. Tried to play the Embers stoned out of his head.

1986 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 23 June c11 When they came to one of my recitals they sat there bored out of their heads.

2011 M. Carlson Christmas Shoppe x. 89 The rumor spread..that Matilda Honeycutt was out of her head—certifiably nuts.

k. over a person's head.

(a)

(i) literal. = overhead adv. 2a.a roof over one's head: see roof n. Phrases 1.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > high position > [adverb] > overhead

over a person's headOE

abovea1225

overheada1398

above-head1548

overtop1776

the world > space > relative position > high position > in a high position [phrase] > over one's head

over a person's headOE

OE tr. Vitas Patrum in B. Assmann Angelsächsische Homilien u. Heiligenleben (1889) 198 He cwæð, þæt he geseage up on heahnesse þære heofonan ane culfran flyceriende ofer his heafod.

c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 2217 (MED) ‘Abyde,’ quoþ on, on þe bonke abouen ouer his hede.

1573 D. P. Certaine Rules Geogr. sig. Aiv Imagine a poynt or pricke directly ouer your head, which is called Zenith.

1665 R. Boyle Occas. Refl. iv. ii. sig. Aa4^v Larks..hovering and singing a while over our Heads.

1752 J. Hill Gen. Nat. Hist. III. 421 We have the wild goose flying over our heads..in vast flocks.

1833 S. Smith Life & Writings Major Jack Downing 17 The balls were whistling over our heads.

1883 M. W. Hungerford Rossmoyne III. v. 156 You will have the roof burned over your head one of these dark nights.

1893 O. Schreiner Story Afr. Farm ii. i. 132 Some pale-green, hairy-leaved bushes..meet over our head.

1954 Coast to Coast 1953–4 1 He heard the chattering of blue jays and wattle-birds over his head.

1998 Skydiving Mar. 47 (advt.) Over my head was the most beautiful rainbow colored Raven IV Reserve [parachute] you ever saw.

2008 J. Franzen in New Yorker 21 Apr. 96/3 I saw a tracer round cross the sky over our heads.

(ii) Of an impending event, or an overwhelming or oppressive force: so as to constitute a threat or danger; (also) so as to be a source of dread or anxiety. Chiefly and earliest in to hang over (one's) head at hang v. 12b.Often as part of an extended metaphor referring to something (notionally) located physically overhead.

ΘΚΠ

the world > existence and causation > occurrence > future events > [phrase] > in store (for)

over a person's headc1390

in store for1657

in for1773

c1390 in C. Brown Relig. Lyrics 14th Cent. (1924) 146 (MED) Þer nis non so stif ne stronge..Bi-hold what ouer hor hed con honge.

a1450 (c1410) H. Lovelich Hist. Holy Grail xiii. l. 393 He preyde hem..That Neuere non of hem ne scholden fle, What Aventure that henge Ouer here hed.

1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 2 The daungers hangyng ouer theyr heades.

a1677 T. Manton Serm. (1678) I. ii. 23 As long as this black Storm hangs over your head, and you know not how soon it will drop upon you, you cannot be accounted happy Men.

1710 Medley 6 Nov. The Marquis d'Ancre frighted with the Storm that was gathering over his Head, often press'd his Wife to go back with him to Italy.

1763 O. Goldsmith Martial Rev. 128 His Prussian Majesty, all this while, had the terrible junction of the Russians with the Austrians and Imperialists hanging over his head.

1823 H. Lee Kruitzner 60 Such was the enemy that hung over the head of the unhappy Siegendorf!

1848 C. Brontë Let. 28 Feb. (2000) II. 35 Years are heavy on him, the sword of Damocles has long been hanging over his head.

1887 R. F. Burton tr. Arabian Nights' Entertainm.: Suppl. Nights III. dxlii. 100 Present Death hovereth over my head except I win my will.

1917 United Mine Workers Jrnl. 25 Oct. 6/2 [The coal miner] is today the most important factor in the great commercial and military crisis hovering over our head.

1992 Palm Beach (Florida) Post (Nexis) 21 Jan. d3 After Mattox retired in 1957 as a newspaper editor..he moved to West Palm Beach... ‘I didn't have a deadline over my head all the time,’ he said.

1994 Entertainm. Weekly 29 Apr. 42 The specter of the show entering syndication next fall looms over his head.

(b)

(i) In such a way as to ignore or discount the authority, prior claim, etc., of the person concerned; without consulting or informing the person affected.Used esp. with reference to promotion to a higher position, better job, etc., or (in early use) to commercial transactions (cf. to buy over a person's head at buy v. Phrases 3).

ΘΚΠ

society > morality > dueness or propriety > moral impropriety > improperly [phrase] > by unwarranted claim or appropriation > passing over one having prior claim

over a person's heada1500

a1500 Consail & Teiching Vys Man (Cambr. Kk.1.5) in R. Girvan Ratis Raving & Other Early Scots Poems (1939) 77 A levand mannys benefyce,..Na our his hed to tak his land Desyr nocht.

1551 T. Lever Serm. xiiii. December (new ed.) sig. H.iii They take one anothers ferme ouer their heades.

1630 R. Norton tr. W. Camden Hist. Princesse Elizabeth i. 74 [He] deuorcing his first wife, marryed ouer her head in her life time.

a1661 T. Fuller Worthies (1662) i. 18 The Younger being often brought over the head of the elder to be Principal.

1800 ‘Homo’ Considerations Present High Price Corn 20 Those frightful apprehensions, of having his farm purchased over his head, by some speculative character.

1822 M. Graham Jrnl. 25 Nov. in Captain's Wife (1993) 139 My house is let over my head to some persons who..have bribed the landlord to let it to them.

1887 Times 31 Oct. 9/3 It is no compliment..that an ex-diplomatist should be chosen for promotion over their heads.

1902 Chambers's Jrnl. Nov. 716/2 The traveller..finds himself called upon..to soften and explain away amenities which have been unwisely transmitted by letter, exchanged, as it were ‘over his head’.

1955 A. L. Rowse Diary 13 June (2003) 241 I wasn't best pleased when it was arranged over my head that I should drive her back.

1988 Sydney Morning Herald (Nexis) 6 July 1 Not only was it not done over my head, it was done with my complete co-operation.

2005 Independent 28 Nov. (.media section) 3/1 [He] finally drove Newland nuts by bringing in senior staff over his head.

(ii) Originally U.S. colloquial. to go over a person's head: to approach or consult a higher authority than the person affected, generally without consulting or informing him or her.

ΚΠ

1909 Sat. Evening Post 2 Oct. 10/1 I put myself in Dutch by trying to go over your head.

1916 Rotarian July 47/2 That will make it meet the approval of Ned's directors and it will not look as if he is going over the head of his cashier.

1970 P. Berton National Dream v. i. 195 With Edgar thus disposed of, Walkem meant to go over Mackenzie's head to the Crown itself.

2006 C. Murray Murder in Samarkand x. 152 I even copied in Michael Jay on the correspondence. In fact, I seem to recall you complained I was going over your head.

(c) Of a period of time or an (esp. unpleasant) experience: so as to elapse or pass by; finished with, endured; over, past. Cf. to pass over head at overhead adv. 4. Now chiefly North American regional.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the past > past [phrase]

over a person's head1578

1578 J. Lyly Euphues f. 63^v Appelles..would lette no day passe ouer his heade without a lyne, without some labour.

1675 Rutherford's Lett. (new ed.) iii. 56 When all these strokes are over your head, what will you say, to see your welbeloved.

1686 G. Burnet Lett. Present State Italy iii. 118 I have now another Month over my head since I writ last to you.

1755 A. Ramsay Epist. to J. Clerk 69 Now seventy years are o'er my head.

1832 C. Willard & W. Willard Let. 26 Aug. in Eng. Immigrant Voices (2000) 40 There was not a day went over our heads but what there was a quarrelling or a fighting.

1866 Every Sat. 27 Jan. 95/2 I could even now narrate the substance of the book, although at least fifteen years must have passed over my head since I read it.

1886 H. Smart Outsider I. ii. 26 Ere many more days were over her head!

a1908 E. Carpenter in Intermediate Sex (1908) App. 152 Years of the most racking mental agony have gone over my head without killing me.

1944 Publ. Amer. Dial. Soc. No. 2. 34 The worst day and night I ever put over my head.

1971 Idaho State Jrnl. 28 Nov. d3/1 All the years that have passed over my head since then do not seem to have changed me much.

(d)

(i) To such a depth of water, etc., that the head is submerged; so as to be completely submerged or immersed. Also figurative: deeply immersed or involved in something. Also over the head. See also over head and ears at Phrases 3e(a). Cf. overhead adv. 2b.

ΚΠ

?1610 J. Fletcher Faithfull Shepheardesse ii. sig. D4^v This holy well..Hath power to change the forme of any creature, Being thrice dipt ouer the head, into [etc.].

1654 E. Leigh Syst. Divinity viii. viii. 665 Many in hotter climates at some times of the year cannot be plunged over the head in cold water without hazard of life or health.

1766 App. to 5th Edition of Dr. Brookes's Gen. Pract. Physic 79 The Patient is soon suffocated; as effectually, though more slowly, as if he was immersed over the Head in it.

1777 T. Campbell Philos. Surv. S. Ireland xxvii. 259 What artillery in all the magazines of wisdom can make any impression on ignorance, intrenched over the head in prejudice.

1829 H. L. Maw Jrnl. Passage from Pacific to Atlantic ix. 248 The boat having paid-off on striking the bank, he went over his head in the water.

1866 All Year Round 17 Nov. 448/2 The three men despaired of reaching the rope. The first was twice plunged over his head in the water.

1890 J. Martine Reminisc. 14 Parishes County of Haddington 124 The tub ‘couped’, and both lads were over the head in the water.

1920 Harper's Mag. Aug. 363/1 We have plunged over our heads into a sea of religious and spiritual curiosity.

1975 Field & Stream June 76/3 The next thing I knew I was in water over my head.

2010 E. Lockhart Real Live Boyfriends ix. 96 Then I was over my head in the bitter water, and Gideon was steering the boat around to pick me up.

(ii) colloquial (originally U.S.). to be in over one's head: to be involved in something that is beyond one's capacity, or too difficult for one to deal with. Cf. out of one's depth at depth n. Phrases.

ΚΠ

1888 H. Clews Twenty-eight Years Wall Street lix. 680 It was a Waterloo..for Jerome and his fellow bulls. They were in over their heads... They immediately threw up the sponge and the stock came down with a crash.

1900 M. G. Morrison Sea-farers 107 ‘I will give you five thousand dollars to start in an honest business.’.. ‘I'm in too deep. I'm in over my head... Can't you understand?’

1965 L. Roman P.S. I love You i. 30 You see, all through our marriage I'd been wondering if maybe I was in over my head.

2008 Vanity Fair Feb. 123/2 Indiana Jones gets in over his head and he can't handle it. It's only by sheer, last-second skill, or luck,..that he actually gets himself out of it.

(e) Beyond a person's comprehension or intellectual capacity. Cf. above one's head at above adv., prep., n., and adj. Phrases 7.Originally as part of an extended metaphor of flight.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > [adverb] > beyond understanding

beyond or out of one's depth1623

over a person's heada1626

the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > unintelligibility > [adverb]

inscrutably1597

unknownly1611

inaccessibly1621

over a person's heada1626

unconceivably1630

indiscernibly1636

unintelligibly1664

unimaginably1666

unsearchably1706

impenetrably1759

unfathomablya1822

unrecognizably1836

incomprehensibly1863

untraceably1875

indigestibly1977

a1626 F. Bacon Advt. Holy Warre in Certaine Misc. Wks. (1629) 86 That Worke..flies too high ouer Mens Heads.

1791 W. Maxwell in J. Boswell Life Johnson anno 1770 I. 341 He [sc. Johnson] observed, that..polished periods and glittering sentences flew over the heads of the common people, without any impression upon their hearts.

1836 C. MacFarlane Bk. Table-talk I. lix. 297 He knew the danger of talking over the heads of his popular congregations, and thence arose his fondness for common sayings and proverbs.

1886 H. Smart Outsider II. ii. 20 Welstead quickly became cognizant that his wife was over his head.

1922 Industr. Managem. Sept. 139/1 The book-keeping system we use is quite over my head.

1977 Ebony Dec. 34 The academic material was completely over his head.

2006 K. Montgomery How Doctors Think vii. 118 The neuro stuff on scans was way over my head back then.

l. to a person's head: = to a person's face at face n. Phrases 4c. Formerly also †unto a person's head. Chiefly U.S. colloquial and English regional in later use.

ΚΠ

1578 T. Garter Commody of Susanna sig. E.iij Oh now thou lyest thou wicked man, vnto thy head I speake, And looke that God his vengeance will with shame vpon thee wreake.

1600 W. Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream i. i. 106 Demetrius, Ile auouch it to his heade, Made loue to Nedars daughter, Helena, And won her soule.

1607 T. Rogers Faith, Doctr., & Relig. sig. ¶¶¶¶2 The..London Brethren tell K. Iames to his head, how the Subscription..is more then the Lawe requireth.

1680 C. Darby Bacchanalia Epil. 14 As if she wou'd Now tell you, to your Head, 'Tis you alone, But whom she's scorch't, disordred, and undone.

1724 T. Atkinson Diary 15 Mar. in Reg. Officers & Members Soc. Colonial Wars New Hampsh. (1907) 36 The Indian Sd he was a warr^r & if the Govr Denyed it he would tell it to his head.

1759 R. Forster Let. 27 Aug. in Coll. towards Parochial Hist. Berks. (1783) 57 When they [sc. the inhabitants of Shefford] should say, I told him so to his face, they say, I told him so to his head.

a1825 R. Forby Vocab. E. Anglia (1830) (at cited word) We say, ‘I told him so to his head’, not to his face, which is the usual phrase.

1866 Every Sat. 22 Dec. 745/2 If he asked you tenpence a pound for sirloin, and you thought that ninepence was a plenty for it, you would have no scruples about telling him so to his head.

1919 I. Zangwill Jinny the Carrier xiii. 582 That Christy Dolphin [i.e. Christadelphian] stuff..don't bring the peace of God, and Oi'll tell her sow to her head the next time she's at me to be a Jew!

1974 N. Shaw & T. Rosengarten All God's Dangers 163 I said, ‘Don't you hit me with that shovel’—told him to his head, didn't bite my tongue.

2009 J. Burditt Ones in 30 Rock (NBC TV script: shooting draft) 3rd Ser. Episode 19. 6 I love Jack so much, I don't know if I have the strength to tell him to his head.

†(a) upon one's own head (occasionally also upon one's head): = on one's own head at Phrases 1i(b). Obsolete.

ΚΠ

1442 T. Bekington Let. in G. Williams Mem. Reign Henry VI (1872) II. 192 (MED) His fals famed message that he dide..upon his owne hed, wheras..he was commaunded oonly to seke to Sr. Ro. Roos and to folowe his direction.

1454 T. Howes in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 106 I meovyd to hym vpon myn hed..that thanne it were a good maryage.

1549 M. Coverdale et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. II. Eph. i. f. ii Not vpon myne owne head or by mennes Commissyon, but by the Autoritie and commaundemente of God the father.

1579 L. Tomson tr. J. Calvin Serm. Epist. S. Paule to Timothie & Titus 1/2 That he [sc. St. Paul] thrust not in himselfe, vppon his owne head, but that he was appointed of God.

1618 T. Taylor Christs Combate & Conquest 76 Whether you went by warrant, or vpon your owne head.

1679 Bp. J. Williams Impartial Consideration Speeches Five Jesuits 23 He did it upon his own head, and out of private Revenge.

1707 J. Freind Acct. Earl of Peterborow's Conduct in Spain 123 He had quitted the army in discontent and upon his own head.

(b) upon a person's head: = on a person's head at Phrases 1i(a).

ΚΠ

1553 Admon. Bishoppes sig. A.ii An euerliuyng God that..wyl call all thynges into iudgement and to accompt and wyl render to euerye one his iust recompence vpon hys head.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) v. iii. 124 You Gods looke downe, And from your sacred Viols poure your graces Vpon my daughters head.

1660 G. Wither Speculum Speculativum 53 The Doom..will without all peradventure come Upon your heads.

1799 C. B. Brown Ormond xxvi. 293 All our toils will thus be frustrated, and the ruin will finally redound upon our heads.

1820 H. Murray Hist. Acct. Discov. & Trav. in Asia I. i. viii. 388 The Gentoos..coolly observed, that the blood was upon his head, and that they..could not be responsible for his barbarous conduct.

1847 Sharpe's London Mag. 21 Aug. 262/2 If evil or disgrace should befall you or yours in consequence, upon your own head be it.

1871 Hist. Mag. July 70/1 The displeasure of the good ‘Manido’ is upon his head.

1912 E. M. House Philip Dru xii. 77 Be candid with me, for, if you are not, the recoil will be upon your own head.

1998 R. Newman Manners 223 As if he's riding away to certain death and this is a blessing upon his head.

2008 D. Liss Whiskey Rebels 485 If my fall brings about the ruin of the nation, it will be upon Hamilton's head.

†(c) upon head: = on head at Phrases 1i(c). Also upon a head. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

c1440 (?a1400) Morte Arthure l. 261 (MED) Thou countez no caas, ne castes no forthire Bot hurles furthe appon heuede, as thi herte thynkes.

a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) II. 633 And thus, hastely and uppon hede..he sente for prynce Bodwyne.

1555 W. Waterman tr. J. Boemus Fardle of Facions i. iii. 36 Roilyng and rowmyng vpon heade, heather and thether.

1579 T. North tr. Plutarch Liues 162 So went Lucius vpon a head to present battell to the enemie.

1617 T. Taylor Davids Learning ix. 364 This is no bridle for thee, thou runst vpon head without rule or reynes of moderation and sobrietie.

1622 F. Bacon Hist. Raigne Henry VII 141 Rebells contrariwise runne vpon an Head together in confusion.

P2. Preceding an adverb or preposition.

a. colloquial (originally and chiefly British). to get one's head around and variants: to master or fully comprehend (a subject or fact), esp. despite initial difficulty or reluctance; (also) to come to terms with (a situation). Cf. to get to grips with at grip n.¹ 2a.

ΚΠ

1922 Gem 15 July 18 Wait a minute, my boy. Let me get my head round it.

1947 S. Lewis Kingsblood Royal xxxiii. 205 You've simply got to keep all this dark till I can think it over and get my head around it.

1981 Aviation Week & Space Technol. (Nexis) 23 Feb. 59 Seitz predicted this work would be controversial, but said it is inevitable ‘because we're not building things that any one person can get his head around any more’.

1998 Independent 3 Aug. i. 4/2 Mr Forbes has had longer than most to get his head around the idea that the state-of-the-art plant is going to close. He was informed last Monday.

2012 ‘Gentle Author’ Spitalfields Life 259/2 So many have pegged out. I can't get my head round it. I suppose I'm next for the chop.

b. British, Australian, and New Zealand colloquial. to do a person's head in: to confuse, annoy, or exasperate a person; to drive a person to distraction. Cf. to do in 3a at do v. Phrasal verbs 2, to do one's nut at nut n.¹ 12c.

ΚΠ

1967 Sun 22 Feb. 6/6 I did his head, I aggravated him.]

1972 G. Greer in Playboy Jan. 82/2 I don't think I'm going to sign another copy of a book in a bookstore for the rest of my life... It really used to do my head in, because people would buy the book just for the autograph.

1992 Guardian 10 Nov. 5/4 The trouble with selling coke is that it really does your head in.

1998 A. Wood EastEnders (BBC TV script) (O.E.D. Archive) Episode 602. 36 You'd better make up with her soon Bianca 'cos you're doing my head in.

2008 Sunday Herald (Glasgow) 2 Nov. (Mag.) 19 Those six-digit gas meter reading figures do my head in.

c. colloquial.

(a) to beat (also lick) a person's head off: to defeat a person easily or by a considerable margin. Now rare.

ΚΠ

1780 T. Davies Mem. Life David Garrick II. xlvi. 244 Mr. Garrick used to say, that he would beat Barry's head off in telling all stories but Irish ones.

1855 Sporting Rev. Jan. 33 Sam informed his brother..that he could ‘lick their heads off’.

1856 G. L. H. in V. Dayrell Weeds from Isis 39 ‘Scroggins’ won the Rio Branco Derby, beating ‘Cauliflower's’ head off.

1880 Brentano's Monthly Dec. 246 Don't let W. G. read this. Alfred Mynn would have licked W. G.'s head off at single wicket.

1885 Jrnl. Educ. Jan. 49/1 A. would gain a scholarship at X. College, while B., who could beat A.'s head off at school, was rejected at Y. college.

1929 J. B. Booth London Town ix. 157 Market men..who periodically dropped in to state..that at balancing bushel baskets they could ‘lick Mullins' head off’.

1938 Times 27 May 7/1 He not only beat him, but beat his head off.

1948 Bradford (Pa.) Era 25 Sept. 3/2 West could win the next lead and beat his head off with hearts and clubs.

(b)

(i) to —— a person's head off and variants: to —— until a person is exhausted, or to an unbearable or wearisome degree; (later also in weakened use) to —— with great vigour or intensity, at great length, etc.Esp. with verbs of speaking; cf. to talk the hind leg off a donkey at talk v. 10, to talk (someone's) ear off at talk v. 10(b).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > suffering > feeling of weariness or tedium > be or become wearied or bored [verb (intransitive)] > be or become wearisome or tedious > specifically by tedious or repetitive talk

to harp upon, on (of), a, one, the same (etc.) string?1531

to bore (any one's) ears1641

to —— a person's head off1829

1829 T. Hood in Mirror Lit., Amusem., & Instr. 5 Dec. 396/2 You'll powder both our heads off..with its puff.

1852 R. Bulwer Lytton School for Husbands I. vi. 146 That's the way with the whole sex, they'll talk a man's head off.

1894 G. B. Shaw Let. 3 Dec. (1965) I. 467 You could, at your worst, talk the heads off most of them.

1910 J. Farnol Broad Highway (1911) ii. ii. 234 He will be swearing your head off in the next ten minutes or so.

1947 Denton (Texas) Record-Chron. 3 Aug. ii. 8/3 You can get together with nutritionists and poultrymen and they'll argue your head off convincing you that [etc.].

2008 S. Venkatesh Gang Leader for Day ii. 53 As long as I didn't get too nosy..they talked my head off.

(ii) to —— one's head off: to —— with great vigour or intensity, at great length, etc., esp. to the point of weariness or exhaustion. See also to eat its head off at eat v. 4b, to laugh one's head off at laugh v. Phrases 1l.

ΚΠ

1840 C. Dickens Let. 26 Nov. (1969) II. 84 I have nearly written my head off this morning and am dismally stupid.

1872 M. Oliphant Mem. De Montalembert I. 29 In society in the evenings yawns his weary head off.

1890 C. C. Harrison Anglomaniacs ii. 79 What man wants to work his head off to lay up money, and then see a fool and profligate walk away with it?

1951 J. Cornish Provincials 11 As term progressed, Saturdays and Sundays..we would sit in our den..talking our heads off.

1985 J. Howker Nature of Beast i. 21 We spent this pretty miserable day..not talking much, just smoking our heads off.

2010 C. Grant Teenie ix. 91 Those girls look like straight-up groupies, screaming their heads off and trying to touch Greg.

d. colloquial. head over: head over heels (in love). See Phrases 3i(c)(ii).

ΚΠ

1921 E. Levison Eye Witness iv. 55 He's head over in love with Ruth—and she with him.

1924 J. Galsworthy White Monkey ii. vi. 158 They were head over—the family feud stopped that [marriage].

2004 Kirkus Rev. (Nexis) 1 Mar. Billie falls head-over in love with Jay, a gorgeous slam poet.

(a) to put (also bring, lay, set, etc.) their (also our, your) heads together: to consider a matter jointly, to consult or take counsel with one another, to confer.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > speech > conversation > converse [verb (intransitive)] > confer, consult, or deliberate

roundc1275

to speak togetherc1275

to take counselc1290

counsel1297

treat1297

advisea1393

communea1393

to take deliberationc1405

common1416

to put (also bring, lay, set, etc.) their (also our, your) heads togetherc1425

janglec1440

bespeak1489

parliamenta1492

intercommonc1540

confer1545

parle1558

consult1565

imparl1572

break parle1594

handle1596

emparley1600

to confer notes1650

to compare notes1709

powwow1780

to get together1816

palaver1877

c1425 in Norfolk Archaeol. (1864) 6 226 (MED) Siris, ȝe shal putte ȝoure heedis to gidere & chese þre burgeisis of þis constabilrie of þe moost sufficient.

c1430 (c1380) G. Chaucer Parl. Fowls (Cambr. Gg.4.27) (1871) l. 554 The watyr foulis han here hedis leid To gedere..They seydyn sothly al be on assent How that [etc.].

c1460 (?c1400) Tale of Beryn l. 3961 Hir hedis they leyd to-gidir & begon to tell In what maner the vymmen shuld be answerid.

a1529 J. Skelton Magnyfycence (?1530) sig. Biii^v Nay let vs our heddes togyder cast.

1544 J. Bale Brefe Chron. Syr I. Oldecastell f. 42 They drewe theyr heades togyther and at the last consented to vse an other practyse.

1623 Bp. J. Hall Contempl. VII. O.T. xix. 247 They may call a Councell of warre, and lay their heads together.

1682 J. Bunyan Holy War 122 And there lay their heads together, and there consult of matters.

1730 T. Cooke Bays Misc. 16 As for the first [line], let all the Commentators in Europe set their Heads together, and ring..many Changes upon it.

1761 A. Murphy All in Wrong i. 17 Now are they putting their wise heads together to thwart all my schemes of happiness.

1806 J. Beresford Miseries Human Life I. v. 98 Those gossiping scenes of a play, in which the lacqueys, and waiting-maids lay their heads together.

1876 M. Reid Flag of Distress (1879) lviii. 291 The piratical crew bring their heads together, to deliberate about the final step.

1886 S. Baring-Gould Court Royal I. i. 17 We'll put heads together and consider what is to be done.

1901 R. N. Bain tr. M. Jokai Halil the Pedlar iv. 73 Not unless the Janissaries, or the Debejis, or the Bostanjis lay their heads together and agree to depose the Sultan.

1934 Z. Grey Code of West xii. 210 Let's get our heads together and plan the great razoo.

1998 Afr. News (Nexis) 25 Sept. SADC, the king, all parties in Lesotho, as well as civic society need to bring their heads together to find an interim solution for Lesotho.

2011 P. R. Naylor Incredibly Alice xxix. 260 A bunch of seniors put their heads together and come up with some big joke.

(b) to bang (also knock) heads together and variants: to force the parties involved in a (typically petty or meaningless) dispute to stop arguing and behave in a sensible manner; to enforce cooperation.In some early quots. used more literally, with (the threat of) physical force being employed.

ΚΠ

a1652 R. Brome Court Begger iii. sig. Q3^v, in Five New Playes (1653) Pray hold your peace. I'le jowle your heads together, and so beat ton with tother else.

1731 N. Salmon Lives Bishops III. 177 [He] sets himself up for an Arbitrator of Differences... His Performance is but a kind of Insult on both [Dissenters and Churchmen], in which he would seem to knock their Heads together, and expose both.

1786 J. O'Keefe Patrick in Prussia ii. 31 Flo. Ay, thy love loves me, Dar. Knock their heads together.

a1901 R. W. Buchanan Sweet Nancy (1914) ii. 51 I suppose they're talking over the business I couldn't understand. How I should like to knock their heads together.

1940 Charleston (W. Va.) Daily Mail 29 Dec. 7/1 We long to..get over there to Europe and bang a few heads together and persuade all the deluded leaders everywhere to act for lasting peace.

1975 D. Bloodworth Clients of Omega xxi. 204 Provoking desperate people into believing that they can only bring about unity among men by knocking their moronic heads together.

2004 D. Peck Careers Services iii. 50 He gained an early reputation as a right-wing critic of the Service who intended to change attitudes and bang heads together where necessary.

P3. In collocation with another noun.

a. with one's head in the air and variants. Cf. head-in-air adj.

(a) With an air of superiority, haughtiness, or self-importance. Cf. to hold one's head high at hold v. 30a, with one's nose in the air at nose n. Phrases 3g.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > pride > pretension to superiority > [adverb]

fastuously1654

pensily1725

with one's head in the air1788

pretentiously1848

uppishly1911

snottily1927

snootily1940

1788 R. Cumberland Observer IV. xcvii. 38 If he carries his head in the air here, and expects the crowd to make way for him, he will soon run foul of somebody that will make him repent of his stateliness.

1830 E. Bulwer-Lytton Paul Clifford I. iv. 56 He trundled his cart with his head in the air, and one day gave the very beadle of the parish ‘the cut direct’.

1883 Work & Leisure Dec. 398 It is not the woman who goes about with her head in the air, saying, ‘Look at me, what a superior person I am!’ who is the most respected or well-beloved member of society.

1913 M. Saunders Pussy Black-face xiv. 245 I did wish she would stop, but she had her head in the air, she saw only her own glorified self, and sailed on and on.

2007 D. D. Birch Shattered Souls i. 14 She was the sophisticated, prissy type... You know, the type who always has her head in the air.

(b) In a dreamy, impractical, or unworldly manner. Cf. to have one's head in the clouds at Phrases 3c.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > mental image, idea, or fancy > daydream or reverie > [adverb] > in dreamlike manner

with one's head in the air1890

surreally1982

1890 A. Lang Red Fairy Bk. 1 He was always called the Star Gazer, because when he drove his cows over the commons.., he went along with his head in the air, gaping at nothing.

1924 W. Orpen Stories Old Ireland & Myself ix. 80 You ran the chance of seeing W. B. Y. in the streets, walking along with his head in the air, his thoughts blinding him to the sight of you.

1994 P. Vander Waerdt Socratic Movement ii. 53 Socrates recounts..how he undertook to recover from his Aristophanic reputation as an idle chatterer with his head in the air.

b. head of the class: see class n. and adj. Phrases 1.

c. to have one's head in the clouds and variants: to be detached from earthly matters; to be out of touch with reality; to be dreamy, impractical, or unworldly. Cf. in the clouds at cloud n. 9b.

ΚΠ

1806 M. Edgeworth Leonora II. xlvi. 24 You would have a wife with her head in the clouds, would you?

1819 Q. Rev. Apr. 301 A person given to abstraction and solitary speculation is proverbially said to have his head in the clouds.

1852 ‘A. Lothrop’ Dollars & Cents I. xix. 181 I..have seen him—with his head in the clouds as you say—go stumbling along over the obstacles which had accumulated through his abstraction, and hardly know what they were.

1918 G. F. Lees tr. E. Wetterlé Behind Scenes in Reichstag iii. 51 He was regarded before the war as an abstract theorist with his head in the clouds.

1999 Campaign 2 July 29/2 The creatives I've come across don't tend to have their heads in the clouds or too far up their arses.

2011 Times (Nexis) 9 May 6 Nick nodded, eyes dreamy, head in the clouds.

head of the corner n. a cornerstone; chiefly, and now only, figurative and in figurative contexts, mainly with reference or allusion to biblical use (see quot. c1384); cf. headstone of the corner at headstone n. 1. [After post-classical Latin caput anguli (Vulgate), itself after Hellenistic Greek κεφαλὴ γωνίας (New Testament), and ultimately after Hebrew rō'š pinnāh in the psalm (118:22) alluded to by the New Testament passages.]

ΚΠ

OE West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) xxi. 42 Se stan þe ða timbriendan awurpon ys geworden to þære hyrnan heafde [L. in caput anguli].]

a1325 (c1280) Southern Passion (Pepys 2344) (1927) l. 256 He is in þe heued of the corner, yleyd and in þe grounde.

c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Luke xx. 17 The stoon whom men bildinge reproueden, this is maad in to the heed of the corner [1611 King James is become the head of the corner].

1572 J. Bridges tr. R. Gwalther Hundred, Threescore & Fiftene Homelyes vppon Actes Apostles xxvii. 200 Him [sc. Jesus] hath God raised from death, and made him the head of the corner, that is, a Lord and a sauiour, and the ruler of his Churche.

1681 W. Atwood Confut. iii. 76 in Jus Anglorum If King William, the Master-builder, refus'd what this Author would make the Head of the Corner.

1730 J. Guyse Christ, Son of God (ed. 2) 55 They preached thro' Jesus the resurrection of the dead; and that he is become the head of the corner.

1811 Monthly Mag. Apr. 218/1 In the perfection of this knowledge, consists the primary business of education. It is the foundation-stone, and the ‘head of the corner’; it is alpha and omega, the first and last of our studies.

1912 J. Royce Sources Relig. Insight v. 172 For such people the postulate which religion makes the head of the corner is rather a stumbling-stone.

1988 D. D. Honoré Trevor Huddleston p. v Trevor Huddleston has been a stumbling-block to many, to others the head of the corner of a longed-for building.

2004 Africa News (Nexis) 22 Jan. The stone that was rejected by Switzerland has become, as it were, the head of the corner in Benin.

(a) over head and ears: (so as to be) completely immersed; (figurative) (so as to be) deeply immersed or involved in something. Cf. Phrases 1k(d)(i), over (one's, the) ears at ear n.¹ Phrases 1m.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > vertical extent > extension downwards or depth > depth [phrase] > in something to specific depth

up to the shoes1518

over head and ears?1521

head and ears1576

mid-rib deep1697

(immersed, steeped) to the lipsa1822

up to one's (also the) armpits1869

the mind > attention and judgement > attention > earnest attention, concentration > completely involved [phrase]

over head and ears1663

head over heels1710

head over ears1920

the mind > emotion > love > amorous love > in love [phrase] > deeply in love

over head and ears1690

head and ears1809

?1521 A. Barclay Bk. Codrus & Mynalcas sig. a.iii Or falles in the mudde bothe ouer heed and eares.

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 725/2 He souced him in the water over heed and eares.

1581 R. Mulcaster Positions xxvii. 102 To dippe their new borne children into extreme cold water ouer head and eares.

1663 S. Pepys Diary 2 Oct. (1971) IV. 322 My wife, who is over head and ears in getting her house up.

1665 T. Manley tr. H. Grotius De Rebus Belgicis 875 The Commonwealth..would run over head and ears in debt.

1690 W. Walker Idiomatologia Anglo-Lat. 233 He is over head and ears in love.

1714 E. Budgell tr. Theophrastus Moral Characters ix. 32 He..sowses himself over Head and Ears in the first Tub that stands in his Way.

1768 T. Gray Let. 27 Aug. in Corr. (1971) III. 1045 I am..over head & ears in writings.

1834 D. Macmillan in T. Hughes Mem. (1883) 66 I am always over head and ears with one trouble or another.

1867 A. Trollope Last Chron. Barset II. liii. 103 You are over head and ears in debt.

1908 Outing Aug. 574/1 I fell in crossing that Creek; fell in over head and ears, in ice water.

1919 E. Glasgow Builders ii. vii. 303 She wants him just as much as if she were over head and ears in love.

2002 B. Kumar Sahu Amusing Anecd. Indian Red Tape 84 Many a state government faces a severe resource crunch and is over head and ears in financial trouble.

(b) In the forms head and ears, head over ears in same sense (chiefly figurative).With head over ears, cf. head over heels at Phrases 3i(c).

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > vertical extent > extension downwards or depth > depth [phrase] > in something to specific depth

up to the shoes1518

over head and ears?1521

head and ears1576

mid-rib deep1697

(immersed, steeped) to the lipsa1822

up to one's (also the) armpits1869

the world > relative properties > wholeness > completeness > completely [phrase] > altogether, entirely, or completely

bedenec1175

all outc1300

downrightc1330

downrightsc1330

at alla1375

whole together1551

in all sorts1559

right out1578

clear1600

neck and heels1647

to rights1663

head over ears1774

neck and crop1791

fair and square1870

in total1965

the mind > emotion > love > amorous love > in love [phrase] > deeply in love

over head and ears1690

head and ears1809

the mind > attention and judgement > attention > earnest attention, concentration > completely involved [phrase]

over head and ears1663

head over heels1710

head over ears1920

1576 A. Fleming tr. Erasmus in Panoplie Epist. 353 That Man..should lye..and shrowde himselfe, head and eares, in slouthfulnesse.

1660 J. Harding tr. Paracelsus Archidoxis i. 100 They..are sunk Head and Ears in the glory of the World.

1675 O. Wills Vindiciæ Vindiciarum sig. F3 To plunge Men head and ears under Water.

1774 J. Morrison Advantages of Alliance with Great Mogul 93 The English..cannot at present afford to pay even a single shilling of dividend, without plunging head over ears in debt.

1809 T. Hill Marmion Travestied iii. 105 One who was head and ears in love.

1843 A. Bethune Sc. Peasant's Fire-side 62 He intended..to take a third individual to a horse-pond..and duck him head and ears three times.

1887 C. Fothergill Enthusiast II. 95 He was head over ears in debt when he married her.

a1908 J. S. Lamar in L. L. Knight Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials, & Legends (1914) II. xxxii. 262 Strong arms..would duck him head and ears in the water.

1920 J. D. Beresford Imperfect Mother vi. 240 I don't want you to fall head over ears in love with her, and make yourself utterly miserable.

1946 U. Pope-Hennessy C. Dickens xxiii. 351 He falls head over ears in love with Dora Spenlow.

2011 Leicester Mercury (Nexis) 11 May They left this country head and ears in debt.

(c) by (the) head and ears: (with reference to pulling, dragging, etc.) roughly, violently; unceremoniously. Also figurative. Cf. by (the) head and shoulders at Phrases 3o(a)(i), to pull (also drag, draw, pluck, etc.) by the ears at ear n.¹ Phrases 1c(c).

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > violent behaviour > [phrase] > by violence or force

strong handOE

by forcec1320

through, with, of forcec1320

by or with strifec1330

by way of feat1362

by (also with, by) fine forcea1375

by mighta1425

by force and armsa1481

by way of deed1535

by (the) head and shoulders1571

by (the) head and ears1590

sting and ling1816

1590 ‘Pasquil’ First Pt. Pasquils Apol. sig. C^v They haue all vowed to hale thee out of thy trenches by the head and eares.

1650 J. Price Cloudie Clergie 7 Such treacherous, if not traiterous persons as these were, should be pluck't away even by head and ears.

1783 Weekly Entertainer 3 Feb. 110 An enthusiast..lugs in the gospel by head and ears, in season and out of season.

1873 Punch 17 May 200 An..utterly irrelevant story, lugged in by head and ears.

1911 Cosmopolitan Mag. June 11 Governor Davidson, who—dragged in by head and ears—made but a limp witness before the legislative committee.

1983 I. Avsey tr. F. Dostoevsky Village of Stepanchikovo i. ix. 128 ‘Drag him here by the head and ears!’ Uncle shouted, stamping his foot.

(a) (from) head to foot (also feet) and variants: all over or throughout a person's body; figurative completely, thoroughly, through and through. Also head and foot. Cf. from head to toe at toe n. 5d.In quot. 1765 with reference to a full-length portrait. [After post-classical Latin a capite usque ad pedes (Vulgate).]

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > part of body > [adverb] > every part or all over

(from) head to foot (also feet)eOE

ich a limbc1275

life and limbc1275

limb and headc1275

limb and landc1275

limb and lithc1275

from face to foot1567

limb and bone1599

limb and wind1697

limb and carcass1841

the world > relative properties > wholeness > completeness > completely [phrase] > thoroughly > from beginning to end or through and through

to the boneOE

through and throughc1225

out and outc1300

from top to tail1303

out and inc1390

(from) head to heel (also heels)c1400

(from) head to foot (also feet)c1425

from top to (into, unto) toec1425

to the skin1526

to one's (also the) finger (also fingers') ends1530

from first to last1536

up and down1542

whole out1562

to the pith1587

to the back1594

from A to (also until) Z1612

from clew to earing1627

from top to bottom1666

back and edge1673

all hollow1762

(all) to pieces1788

from A to Za1821

to one's (also the) fingertips1825

to one's fingernails1851

from tip to toe1853

down to the ground1859

to the backbone1864

right the way1867

pur sang1893

from the ground up1895

in and out1895

from soda (card) to hock1902

eOE tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (Tanner) iv. xxxii. 378 Þa he arisende wæs, þa gefelde he his lichoman healfne dæl from þæm heafde oð þa fet [L. a capite usque ad pedes] mid þa aðle geslægene beon, þe Grecas nemnað paralysis.

a1300 in C. Brown Relig. Lyrics 14th Cent. (1924) 3 Fram side to side fro hiued to þe fot..oueral þu findest blod.

a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 3151 Ile man..Heued and fet..lesen fro ðe bones and eten.

a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1961) Lev. xiii. 12 Ȝif..þe rennynge lepre..couere al þe flesch fro þe hed vnto þe feet.

c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) ii. l. 1035 (MED) Þis ymage, by diuisioun, Was of schap and of proporcioun From hed to foot so maisterly entayled.

c1450 in F. J. Furnivall Polit., Relig., & Love Poems (1903) 180 Y fond..a man sittynge, From heed to foot woundid was he.

a1500 (c1400) Vision of Tundale (Adv.) (1843) l. 949 Fro hed to fotte ay was gnawyng Scrattyng fretyng fleyng and styngyng.

a1560 W. Kennedy Passioun of Christ in J. A. W. Bennett Devotional Pieces (1955) 32 Fra heid to fute þai brak baith hid and ryme.

1596 H. Clapham Briefe of Bible i. 101 Likewise should Ezra see their whole Monarch, head and foote.

1603 W. Shakespeare Hamlet ii. ii. 459 [He] Hath now his blacke and grimme complexion smeered With Heraldry more dismall, head to foote.

1632 T. E. Lawes Womens Rights v. xxviii. 389 At Rome, or Reams, where they vse to belie vs head and foot.

1672 M. A. Cataplus 62 Others in little ease are put And others fast'ned head to foot.

1765 H. Walpole Vertue's Anecd. Painting (ed. 2) II. iii. 120 He..leaves..to Lord Rothes the King's picture from head to foot.

1784 R. Bage Barham Downs I. 269 He overthrew it head and foot.

1803 A. Ellicott Jrnl. viii. 212 Blistered by the rhus radicans (poison vine) from head to feet.

1851 Sartain's Mag. Nov. 382/2 The traveller was a handsome cavalier,..a gentleman from head to foot.

1922 Ladies' Home Jrnl. Dec. 15/1 From head to foot she is a figure of elegance.

1977 J. Langone Life at Bottom xix. 202 We all take our clothes off and take a big paintbrush and paint each other head to foot with molasses.

2001 S. Wales Echo (Nexis) 31 Dec. 3 [She] admits she's ‘still quaking from head to foot’ at the thought of meeting the Queen.

†(b) to have neither head nor foot (also feet) and variants: to be unintelligible or nonsensical, to make no sense. Cf. head or tail at Phrases 3r(a). Obsolete. [Compare classical Latin nec caput nec pedes neither head nor feet (Cicero), nec caput nec pes neither head nor foot (Plautus), and further variants.]

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > unintelligibility > depth, obscurity > offering nothing intelligible [phrase]

to have neither head nor foot (also feet)1567

(as) clear as mud1805

top or tail-

1567 J. Jewel Def. Apol. Churche Eng. vi. vi. 622 A longe tedious tale, without heade, or foote.

1570 J. Foxe Actes & Monumentes (rev. ed.) II. 1392/2 When the Byshop..looked on the writyng, he pusht it from hym, saying: what shall this doe? It hath neither head not foote.

1573 G. Gascoigne tr. Ariosto Supposes ii. i, in Hundreth Sundrie Flowres 16 I finde neither head nor foote in it.

1646 S. Rutherford Dispute touching Scandall 25 in Divine Right Church-govt. If this argument (as I see not head nor feet in it) be founded upon the lawfulnesse and expediencie of Ceremonies commanded.

1665 R. Brathwait Captive-captain 96 Their Discourse..is egregiously Course: Circularly prodigious, having neither head nor foot.

1674 R. Godfrey Var. Injuries in Physick 13 Having met with some passage that pleaseth not a little, though they understand neither head nor feet of the Discourse, they forthwith fall to work.

1727 T. Woolston 2nd Disc. Miracles 67 The Evangelist has told us a Tale, that has neither Head nor Foot to it.

1852 H. T. Riley tr. Plautus Asinaria iv. iii, in tr. Plautus Comedies I. 514 Why, neither head nor foot of your talking is visible; I can understand neither what you mean, nor why you are trifling with me.

head and front n. the highest extent or pitch of something; the principal and foremost part of something; the core, the essence.Sometimes consciously echoing quot. a1616.

ΚΠ

a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) i. iii. 80 It is most true: true, I haue married her, The very head and front of my offending, Hath this extent no more.

1795 S. J. Pratt Gleanings through Wales I. vi. 46 Occasionally to borrow from others, what may be honorable to them in the repetition..is the ‘head and front’ of my office as a Gleaner.

1799 N. Gay Strictures on Proposed Union 7 It is the very being, end and aim, the very head and front on which this subject for and against an union will unquestionably rest.

1813 W. Scott Let. 25 July (1932) III. 308 The head and front of your offending is precisely your not writing explicitly.

1888 J. W. Burgon Lives Twelve Good Men II. xii. 375 He was the head and front of every movement for good in his neighbourhood.

1941 W. J. Cash Mind of South ii. ii. 157 There arose in the South the white tenant and the white cropper, the head and front of the poor-white class from that day to this.

1996 M. A. Doody True Story of Novel (1997) xviii. 428 The head and front of the offense is the transformation of the palpable and natural into the spectacular and artificial.

†h. head and girth: (so as to be) exactly matched; neck and neck. to run head and girth: to keep pace with during a race. Obsolete.Chiefly with reference to horse racing.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > rate of motion > [phrase] > keeping pace with

step by step1565

head and girth1796

head-to-head1799

neck and neck1799

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > horse racing > ride horse in race [verb (transitive)] > keep pace with or overtake

to show the waya1382

buttock1607

to run head and girth1796

shoot1868

to peg back1928

1796 J. Lauderdale Coll. Poems Sc. Dial. 5 My mind and means, they frae my birth, Ran lang, exactly head an' girth.

1804 Brit. Press 11 Aug. The Colt..was hardly pressed..by Citizen, who ran him head and girth into the post.

1863 N.Y. Herald 17 June Both horses came head and girth to the..highest fence.

(a) (from) head to heel (also heels) and variants: = (from) head to foot (also feet) at Phrases 3f(a).

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > wholeness > completeness > completely [phrase] > thoroughly > from beginning to end or through and through

to the boneOE

through and throughc1225

out and outc1300

from top to tail1303

out and inc1390

(from) head to heel (also heels)c1400

(from) head to foot (also feet)c1425

from top to (into, unto) toec1425

to the skin1526

to one's (also the) finger (also fingers') ends1530

from first to last1536

up and down1542

whole out1562

to the pith1587

to the back1594

from A to (also until) Z1612

from clew to earing1627

from top to bottom1666

back and edge1673

all hollow1762

(all) to pieces1788

from A to Za1821

to one's (also the) fingertips1825

to one's fingernails1851

from tip to toe1853

down to the ground1859

to the backbone1864

right the way1867

pur sang1893

from the ground up1895

in and out1895

from soda (card) to hock1902

OE Glosses to Lorica of Laidcenn (Harl. 585) in E. Pettit Anglo-Saxon Remedies, Charms, & Prayers (2001) I. 54 Ut a plantis usque ad uertice[m] nullo membro meo..egrotem : þætte from þæm hælum [eOE Cambr. Ll.1.10 ilum] oð ðæs heafdes heannesse nængum lime minum..ic geuntrumige.]

c1400 Life St. Anne (Minn.) (1928) l. 2007 Our lamed childe es now hale Ffro hys hede to hys hele.

c1450 (a1425) Metrical Paraphr. Old Test. (Selden) l. 15856 He has rent and ryches ryfe and hape and hele fro hed to heyle.

c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 118^v Ffro the hede to þe hele horit as a capull.

1561 B. Googe tr. ‘M. Palingenius’ Zodiake of Life (new ed.) vi. sig. S.vi^v Al from head to heles Doth grefe and sicknesse sore sustaine.

1635 T. Heywood Hierarchie Blessed Angells viii. 513 This well fed Groome..Begot you then all ouer, head to heele.

1781 W. Cowper Anti-Thelypthora 184 So polished and compact from head to heel.

1842 T. B. Macaulay Battle Lake Regillus in Lays Anc. Rome 115 And many a curdling pool of blood Splashed him from heel to head.

1850 G. Rae Internal Managem. Country Bank xxiii. 196 To tie a Manager head to heel with the cords of responsibility.

1886 M. W. Hungerford Lady Branksmere i. iv. 96 A tall figure..clothed from head to heel in sombre garments.

1921 W. H. Blake tr. L. Hémon Maria Chapdelaine iv. 64 He was from head to heel of a piece with the soil.

1982 Washington Post 20 Aug. c4/2 In marched a tall, slender woman swathed head to heel in about 30 yards of cloth of gold.

2012 Leader-Post (Regina, Sask.) (Nexis) 16 Dec. a6 The more general question of whether it's acceptable in Canadian public places that women cover themselves from head to heels.

(b) not to know whether one is on one's head or one's heels and variants: to be in a state of confusion.

ΚΠ

1651 T. Violet Advancem. Merchandize 148 They are so proud, they know not whether they stand on their heels or their head.

1665 J. Davies tr. A. de Castillo Solórzano La Picara 136 The besotted Cocks-comb was so transported..that he knew not whether his head or his heels were on the ground.

1682 Observator 29 May You must not take him for one of your Downright Sillytons, that does not know whether he goes on his Head or his Heels.

1734 Kick him Jenny (new ed.) 16 He..felt such unusual Joy and Dreas, That whether on his Heels or Head He went alas! he hardly knew.

1857 Putnam's Monthly Apr. 416/2 The magistrate was generally unable to tell whether he was on his head or his heels.

1912 E. Jepson Pollyooly i. 42 For a while Pollyooly did not know whether she stood on her head or her heels, so great were her joy and relief.

2021 @DebbieDiamibds 22 Mar. in twitter.com (accessed 3 June 2021) Blimey this last year has turned so many people's lives..up and down and side ways! Don't know if I'm on my head or my heels at times.

(c) head over heels. Also (now less commonly) over head and heels (cf. over head and ears at Phrases 3e(a)).

(i) With reference to falling, tumbling, etc.: so that one's heels are in the air and one's head is below them; so as turn completely over, as in a somersault; headlong.Apparently arising from an inversion of the elements in earlier heels over head at heel n.¹ and int. Phrases 3a. Cf. top over tail at top n.¹ and adj. Phrases 3b.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > falling > [phrase] > head over heels

tail over top1303

top over tailc1330

heels over headc1400

tail and top1558

head over heels1678

over head and heels1678

heels over gowdy1751

head over tip1824

arse over tip1922

ass over tea-kettle1963

1678 D. Manly Hexham's Dictionarium (new ed.) Rol-bollen, Tumble over head & heels.

1694 French Rogue (new ed.) x. 113 My Spark..getting to the Stair-head, made, for haste, but one leap to the bottom, and tumbl'd Head over Heels down the other.

1771 H. Lawrence Contempl. Man I. ii. viii. 133 He gave [him] such a violent involuntary Kick in the Face, as drove him Head over Heels.

1825 ‘E. Hardcastle’ 29th May I. viii. 256 They rolled together down the wide stairs..with such an extraordinary impetus, that each went completely over-head-and-heels.

1887 H. R. Haggard Jess i. 4 Away he went head-over-heels like a shot rabbit.

1919 ‘K. Mansfield’ Let. 29 Oct. (1993) III. 59 [She] looked as though she were just about to fall backwards head over heels.

1956 S. O'Casey Green Crow p. x They [sc. ravens] tumble over and over as they fly..and go over head and heels again and again with a skill no airman could imitate.

1987 H. W. Pfanz Gettysburg: Second Day xv. 366 Its [sc. the shell's] burst sent Wilcox's remaining courier..flying head over heels.

2005 K. Hancock Shadow over Kiriath 355 He tumbled head over heels as if bowled toward shore by a powerful wave, then came suddenly upright and still.

(ii) figurative. In a particular state, esp. that of being in love, to an extent or in a manner which suggests complete lack of control or reservation; headlong; abandonedly, hopelessly, utterly.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > attention > earnest attention, concentration > completely involved [phrase]

over head and ears1663

head over heels1710

head over ears1920

1710 J. Drake tr. Lucian Philopatris in Wks. Lucian II. 23 You seem to be wholy lost in Thought, and retir'd into the inmost Cabinet of your Breast, reeling and tumbling Head over Heels [Gk. κάτω περιπολῶν].

1719 T. Gordon Apol. Danger of Church 15 There has not been a Blast of Wind, or a Shower of Rain, these five Years, but what has been drawn, Head over Heels, into the Party and Interest of the Church.

1778 W. Livingston Let. 18 June in Mem. (1833) viii. 293 Now behold I find myself head-over-heels in debt to you.

1811 M. G. Lewis One O'Clock i. i. 13 If by good luck the Count had not rescued her from the Giant Hacho, and instantly fallen head over heels in love with her himself.

1833 Sporting Mag. Oct. 471/2 Sa Signeurie being, it is said, over head and heels in—Love.

1895 Black & White 15 Apr. 38/2 Lemaitre, the French actor, was always head over heels in debt, despite an enormous salary.

1921 Sat. Evening Post 2 Apr. 73/1 Many's the lad his age goes head over heels for a grown woman.

1998 S. O'Connell Angel Bird 279 I met him when I was nineteen and fell head over heels, as they say.

2012 Baltimore Sun (Nexis) 24 June e3 [She] can't believe her luck when British billionaire Julian Laurence falls head over heels in love with her after one business meeting.

head of horns n. the horns of a deer, bull, etc., as forming the adornment of the head; in later use also head of antlers; cf. sense 6.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > male > [noun] > body and parts > antler > collectively

headc1400

rightc1425

attire1562

attirement1566

head of horns1626

stag-horns1663

head of antlers1839

antlery1849

rack1915

1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §757 To make an Oxe or a Deere haue a Greater Head of Hornes.

1787 R. Burns Poems & Songs (1968) I. 295 That you may wear A noble head of horns.

1839 H. Bevan Thirty Years India II. vii. 106 Some pea-fowl, and a fine spotted deer with a full head of antlers, were killed near the same spot.

1856 Wool Grower Feb. 49/2 Mr. Stirling's ox, whose fine head of horns attracted so much attention.

1888 J. Inglis Tent Life Tigerland 345 Intent on securing what seemed to be a good head of horns.

1907 H. Storey Hunting & Shooting in Ceylon xiv. 232 I..saw, to my further delight, a fine head of horns which, later, the steel tape gave as 29 inches, with a grand spread.

1995 K. Atkinson Behind Scenes at Museum (1996) 236 It's a stag, a huge monarch, with a great head of antlers.

2007 Spokesman Rev. (Spokane, Washington) (Nexis) 28 Apr. i. 7 Baldwin saw a bull elk with a full head of horns grazing peacefully on his land during the first week of April.

k. heads and points.

(a) Any of various children's guessing games played with pins, involving one player having to guess the orientation of a pin or set of pins hidden in the hand. Now rare.

ΚΠ

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues at Bechevet Teste a teste Bechevet, the play with pins, called, heads and points.

a1672 F. Willughby Bk. of Games (2003) 187 Heads and Points is when one hides 2 pins in his hand clutched. If both the heads lie one way, they are called Heads, if contrary ways, Points.

1724 J. Anderson Let. 10 Apr. in J. Maidment Private Lett. (1829) xix. 39 A gentleman's child..engadging [sic] one of the company to play with pins at heads and points, the person soon gott all his pins.

1830 W. Carleton Traits & Stories Irish Peasantry II. 165 Behind the master is a third set [of boys], playing ‘Heads and points’—a game of pins.

1895 T. B. Atkins Out of Cradle into World iii. 40 That group of fickle children are for a minute all absorbed in a game of heads and points.

1920 A. C. Baker Trav. 97 in Geneal. & Hist. Baker, Andrus, Clark, & Adams Families When a boy it was my pleasure to play heads and points with pins.

(b) Of a group of people or objects: (so as to be) arranged or disposed such that individuals lie or point alternately in opposite directions; (sometimes more generally) in confusion, higgledy-piggledy. Also at heads and points. Cf. heads and thraws at throw n.² 2, top to tail adv. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > direction > in the direction that [phrase] > in opposite directions

heads and points1612

heads and thraws1728

1612 J. Smith Map of Virginia 21 On these round about the house, they lie heads and points one by thother against the fire.

1669 S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. i. 20 Give fire Starboard; Well done Gunner; They lie Heads and Points aboard the Chase.

1775 E. Burke Speech Amer. Taxation 45 They found themselves..pigging together, heads and points, in the same truckle-bed.

1788 Amer. Museum Feb. 139/1 The hemp..must be laid down, heads and points, two, four, or six [sheaves] thick.

1828 Red Barn ix. 216 Jackson, the maid, Creed, and the young lady, were lying at heads and points in the hall.

1877 W. H. Macy There she Blows! xvi. 201 The second mate struck first, and his whale, after running a short distance, stopped, and all the rest came up around him, and lay for some time, blowing, ‘heads and points’.

1898 New Roadmasters' Assistant vi. 60 They [sc. poles] should be laid heads and points, in a bunch of three or four, with their ends slightly overlapping.

1922 Missionary Surv. Apr. 273/1 A bed for father and mother with four year old Mattie at the foot, another for the five girls sleeping ‘heads and points’.

heads and posts n. now rare (a) imitation heads, usually made of leather, placed on posts for use as targets in various tests of horsemanship (such as aiming a blow with a sword or other weapon while on horseback); (b) tests of skill of this kind.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > drill or training > [noun] > cavalry exercise > leather heads on posts for use in

heads and posts1848

1843 T. Stephens New Syst. Broad & Small Sword Exercise i. v. 82 Parry from front to rear the arm, and cut five at the neck, or stick between the Head and Post.]

1848 A. Somerville Autobiogr. Working Man xvii. 226 Farrier Simpson had a strong regard for the stately trooper upon which I was to learn how to ‘mount’, ‘dismount’,..‘draw swords’, ‘leap the bar’, cut at ‘heads and posts’, ‘turn,’ ‘circle’, [etc.].

1854 Morning Post 1 June 3/3 An extra prize was offered for the best swordsman at heads and posts.

1907 Yesterday's Shopping (1969) 1017/2 Heads and Posts..for Military Tournaments.

1911 Times 13 June 7/4 A very excellent display was witnessed in the ‘heads and posts’.

1951 Times 30 June 8/5 Heads and Posts Competition [at the Metropolitan Police Horse Show].

head of the river n. (in certain rowing races, esp. ‘bumping’ races at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge: see bump v.¹ 6a) the position of being the leading boat, the winning position; the boat, college, etc., which achieves or holds this position; also in to go head of the river.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > boat racing or race > [noun] > first in race

head of the river1826

paddle-over1906

1826 Lit. Magnet 4 47 After several hard struggles among the racing boats, for holding the head of the river, Christchurch came in victorious.

1841 Yale Lit. Mag. Nov. 40 Trinity was ‘head of the river’ once more, and great was the joy of her inmates.

1867 London Society July 73/1 By the day the races began we were justly considered the best boat on, and our going head of the river was held, on all hands, to be ‘a moral’ [i.e. a moral certainty].

1903 A. Cambridge Thirty Years in Austral. 283 He had been over four years at Geelong, and his boat had been Head of the River most of the time.

1977 J. I. M. Stewart Madonna of Astrolabe viii. 121 When the college next goes head of the river, have the undergraduates build a bonfire of it.

2000 S. H. S. Hughes Steering Course 46 In the previous year..Oriel rowed over as head of the river.

head of the school n. (also head of school) (in early use) the scholar occupying a position of pre-eminence in a school on grounds of ability; (later) the head boy or head girl of a school.

ΚΠ

1679 T. Sheppey Several Weighty Considerations recommended to Rom. Catholicks Eng. 1 I being the Head of the School at that time, he pretended a particular Complacency..in my self.

1797 Gentleman's Mag. Feb. 113/2 You, Mr. Stevens, I presume to be head of the school..from your name appearing first on the MS list presented to me by one of the scholars.

1856 C. M. Yonge Daisy Chain I. xv. 186 Very clever—the head of the school, as his father tells me—and so modest and unassuming.

1887 Jrnl. Educ. July 319/2 [She] entered St. Leonards School October, 1880... [She] was head of school in 1883.

1954 Househ. Guide & Almanac (News of World) 38 He captained the cricket and hockey teams and was head of the school.

2002 D. MacPherson Suffragette's Daughter vi. 61 I made Betty Head of School because you will find in life the best thing to do with a rebel is to give them responsibility.

(a)

(i) by (the) head and shoulders: (with reference to dragging, thrusting, etc.) violently, roughly, esp. in figurative contexts with reference to something being brought irrelevantly into a speech or text. Sometimes also without by. Cf. by (the) head and ears at Phrases 3e(c). Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > violent behaviour > [phrase] > by violence or force

strong handOE

by forcec1320

through, with, of forcec1320

by or with strifec1330

by way of feat1362

by (also with, by) fine forcea1375

by mighta1425

by force and armsa1481

by way of deed1535

by (the) head and shoulders1571

by (the) head and ears1590

sting and ling1816

the world > relative properties > relationship > relevance or pertinence > [phrase] > irrelevant > irrelevantly introduced

by (the) head and shoulders1571

1571 J. Bridges Serm. Paules Crosse 76 Workes are thus by S. Paul in the matter of Iustification thrust clean out of the dores by the heade and shoulders.

1577 R. Stanyhurst Hist. Irelande iii. 94/1 in R. Holinshed Chron. I Diuers thoughte to haue bin housed, and so to lurke in Lorelles denne, who were thrust out by the head and shoulders.

1647 N. Ward Simple Cobler Aggawam 23 Any, whom necessity..thrusts out by head and shoulders.

1679 tr. Trag. Hist. Jetzer 20 The Lecturer brought in this whole affair by the head and shoulders into his Sermon.

1751 J. Wesley Let. Dec. (1931) III. 300 My supposed inconsistency with regard to the Moravians, which you..drag in (as they say) by head and shoulders.

1775 M. Lewis Let. 4 Sept. in Corr. & Jrnls. S. B. Webb (1893) I. 102 New York was, according to custom, lugged in Head & shoulders by Col. Gadsden.

1839 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Sept. 412/2 Nine-tenths of the songs which we hear upon the stage are so lugged in by the head and shoulders, that we cannot be surprised if they suffer from the operation.

1887 T. A. Trollope What I Remember II. iii. 44 I must drag the mention of the fact in head and shoulders here, or else I shall forget it.

1910 G. Saintsbury in Cambr. Hist. Eng. Lit. V. 507 I have endeavoured, without lugging in discussion of it by head and shoulders, to justify its adoption where it seemed proper to do so.

1919 E. C. Clark Hist. Rom. Private Law III. 497 [This] involves..the postponement of Livy's introduction of the manipular system, which he rather drags in by the head and shoulders, about 337 b.c.

(ii) head and shoulders: (with above, higher, taller, etc.) used adverbially to indicate the (considerable) amount by which a person's height exceeds that of others; also figurative with reference to attributes such as intellectual or moral stature. Frequently in to stand head and shoulders above. Cf. taller by the head at sense 1b(a).Originally with allusion to the height of Saul as described in 1 Samuel 9:2. [Compare post-classical Latin ab umero et sursum from the shoulder upwards (Vulgate, 1 Samuel 9:2) and the similar Hebrew expression underlying this (both without a word for ‘head’), but also quot. 1535 at sense 1b(a) (Coverdale, translating the same passage) and Luther's similar German translation eyns heubts lenger ‘taller by one head’ (1524).]

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > bodily height > tallness > [adverb]

head and shoulders1642

the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > greatly or very much [phrase] > to a great extent or by far

great quantityc1330

far forthly1362

by farc1380

well awayc1390

by half?a1400

by mucha1450

far (and) away1546

by a great sort1579

to stand head and shoulders abovea1683

(by) a long way1741

by a jugful1831

by all odds1832

by a long, damn, etc., sight1834

out and away1834

(by) a long chalk1835

by chalks1835

by long chalks1835

by a street1886

a whole lot1886

c1450 (a1425) Metrical Paraphr. Old Test. (Selden) l. 5160 He [sc. Saul] was cumly to ken, of breyd and heyghnes als, A bowe all oþer men both be þe hede and þe hals.

1608 Bp. T. Morton Preamble Incounter 62 I haue preferred a Saul, one higher by the head and shoulders than any of the rest.]

1642 A. Grosse Sweet & Soule-perswading Inducements 235 Saul was head and shoulders above the residue of the people; the life of grace is head and shoulders, very high and farre above the life of nature.

a1683 B. Whichcote Several Disc. (1703) III. viii. 120 By these [sc. intelligence and freedom] we stand Head and Shoulders higher than the whole Creation below us.

1744 Def. People 68 The Difficulty is not simply to expose Fallacies and detect Falshoods; but out of such a puzzling Variety, to fasten upon those which are Head and Shoulders above the Rest.

1833 London Lit. Gaz. 2 Feb. 66/1 These two young men..generally stood head and shoulders above the thousands there assembled.

1885 D. C. Murray Rainbow Gold II. iv. v. 124 Job walked leisurely among them, head and shoulders higher than his neighbours.

1906 A. Colvin Making of Mod. Egypt iii. 53 In intellect, in acquirements, in experience, and in the supple arts of convincing men, Nubar Pasha was head and shoulders higher than any of his contemporaries.

1961 J. B. Cullen & F. C. Watkins Old Times in Faulkner Country ii. 8 I was head and shoulders taller than the others in the seventh grade.

2006 Ireland's Own Feb. 41/1 The one player who stands head and shoulders above the rest is button-accordion virtuoso Joe Burke.

(b) an old head on (also upon) young shoulders (formerly also †a grey head upon green shoulders): a personality or character (as manifested in attributes such as wisdom or staidness) apparent in a young person which would more usually be expected of an older person. Hence in analogous phrases, reversing or replacing old and young, expressing personal qualities, characteristics, etc., which confound or are at variance with expectations.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > understanding > reason, faculty of reasoning > common sense > be sensible [phrase]

on one's feetOE

an old head on (also upon) young shoulders1591

to know enough to come in out of the rain1599

to have the (good) sense to (do something)1620

to have a (good, wise, etc.) head on (also upon) one's shoulders1659

to know enough to come (or go) in when it rains1797

to come (also get) down to brass tacks (or nails)1897

the mind > mental capacity > understanding > reason, faculty of reasoning > common sense > be sensible [phrase] > make sensible

an old head on (also upon) young shoulders1591

1591 H. Smith Preparatiue to Mariage 15 It is not good grafting of an olde head vppon young shoulders, for they will neuer beare it willingly but grudgingly.

a1679 M. Poole Annot. Holy Bible (1683) I. sig. L4^v/2 One wise above his years, one that had a gray head, as we say, upon green shoulders.

1723 J. Sturmy Compromise iv. 52 Show him the impossibility of putting old Heads upon Young Shoulders.

1769 Hist. Miss Sommervile I. ii. 10 Old heads upon young shoulders, he confessed to me.., is his aversion.

1826 Lancet 25 Nov. 261/2 This is a matter of some difficulty,..‘to put a new head on old shoulders’.

1842 F. Marryat Percival Keene II. i. 98 You appear to have an old head upon very young shoulders.

1848 J. R. Lowell Fable for Critics (ed. 2) 27 His [sc. Emerson's] is, we may say, A Greek head on right Yankee shoulders.

1886 Sat. Rev. 6 Mar. 348/2 It is not invidious to say that M. Houssaye fils is no bad specimen of the grey head on green shoulders.

1910 Copper, Curb & Mining Outlook 1 June 20/3 An ability for organization which put a trained executive head on youthful shoulders.

1961 M. Spark Prime of Miss Jean Brodie i. 6 I am putting old heads on your young shoulders,..and all my pupils are the crème de la crème.

1989 S. Egoff in W. Ragsdale Sea of Upturned Faces iii. 35 Jasmin is forced to have an old head on young shoulders in her large, chaotic, demanding family with the additional care of a retarded brother.

2001 Scotsman (Nexis) 17 Jan. 7 The golden oldies may not be quite so nimble on their feet, but sometimes you just can't beat a young head on old shoulders.

(c) to have a (good, wise, etc.) head on (also upon) one's shoulders and variants: to be sensible, level-headed, reliable, etc.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > understanding > reason, faculty of reasoning > common sense > be sensible [phrase]

on one's feetOE

an old head on (also upon) young shoulders1591

to know enough to come in out of the rain1599

to have the (good) sense to (do something)1620

to have a (good, wise, etc.) head on (also upon) one's shoulders1659

to know enough to come (or go) in when it rains1797

to come (also get) down to brass tacks (or nails)1897

1659 J. Howell Prov. Eng. Toung 13/2 in Παροιμιογραϕια He that hath money in his purse cannot want a head for his shoulders.

1758 Centinel I. 123 They will shew to the world the existence of that paradox, a good woman with a head upon her shoulders.

1812 M. Edgeworth Absentee xvi, in Tales Fashionable Life VI. 412 Lady Dashfort, who had always..‘her head upon her shoulders’.

1823 Sporting Mag. Sept. 283/2 No one..who has a good head on his shoulders, but what must see the folly of training race horses in the way they are now trained.

1852 H. H. Paul Dashes Amer. Humour 48 That's nothin' to nobody, so long as I carry a wise head on my shoulders and regelate the nashun!

1912 Children's Friend Feb. 59 She answered so clearly and modestly that she saw she had a good head on her shoulders.

1946 W. S. Maugham Then & Now 277 Evidently she needed a man to protect her and Piero has a head on his shoulders.

1997 L. E. Pettiway Workin' It 121 When you deal with somebody, you got to get into them. You've got to have your head on your shoulders. You've got to be more cautious.

2011 S. Poulson-Bryant VIPs 335 You always did have a good head on your shoulders, Joey.

head of state n. the chief public representative of a country (sometimes also the head of the government), such as a president or monarch.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > sovereign ruler or monarch > [noun]

princec1225

sovereign1297

monarch?a1439

royc1440

royalc1440

regala1450

crown1474

potentatec1475

throne1593

mulai1594

Monarcho1598

sovran1649

sceptre-holder1655

Elohima1682

head of state1873

the Palace1962

society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > a or the government > head of government > [noun]

premier1871

head of state1873

society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > a or the government > head of government > [noun] > in a republic

pres.1686

president1784

head of state1873

1873 Japan Weekly Mail 18 Oct. 735/2 The ideas of rights and liberties as belonging to themselves, and of responsibilities as inseparably attaching to the Head of State.

1960 H. Seton-Watson Neither War nor Peace viii. 226 On the death of President Hindenburg in 1934 [Hitler] replaced him as Head of State.

1975 Times 13 Feb. 7/4 The Malagasy head of state [was] murdered in a rebel ambush.

2002 B. Hoey Her Majesty xiv. 220 She is by far the longest-serving head of state.

q. head of steam.

(a) A confined body of steam under pressure, esp. as a source of power; the pressure of such steam. Frequently in full head of steam. Cf. sense 44b.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > physics > mechanics > force > [noun] > pressure > fluid pressure > specific

overpressure1819

head of steam1820

pressure head1856

velocity head1884

velocity pressure1904

impact pressure1919

impact head1928

1820 ‘A. Seaborn’ Symzonia iv. 60 I..ordered the engineer to raise a head of steam, and have the engine in readiness for instant motion.

1862 Times 27 Mar. The ‘Merrimac’..made direct for the ‘Cumberland’ under a full head of steam.

1906 Mag. Hist. July 28 They threw open the throttle valve and away they would go, trusting to their great speed and full head of steam to run us out of sight.

1965 E. G. Love Situation in Flushing vi. 80 Fires were to be built under the boilers and a head of steam built up.

2012 T. E. Alexander & D. K. Utley Faded Glory iii. 81 The Clifton began moving directly toward the fort under a full head of steam.

(b) A substantial accumulation of energy, momentum, or enthusiasm, esp. that required to do something effectively; (also) an accumulation or build-up of pressure, tension, or strain.Frequently as part of an extended metaphor, as to get up (also work up, etc.) a head of steam.

ΚΠ

1838 Amer. Monthly Mag. Mar. 248 ‘What's this I hear about John?’ ‘Gone into crockery business; full head of steam on!’

1869 P. T. Barnum Struggles & Triumphs xxxiii. 525 I was now once more before the public with the promise to put on a full head of steam, to ‘rush things’, to give double or treble the amount of attractions ever before offered at the Museum.

1892 Oelwein (Iowa) Reg. 4 Feb. Rheumatism and la grippe are easily extinguishable at the start. Why then allow them to get up a full head of steam?

1910 Hutchinson (Kansas) News 28 Dec. 12/2 There must be some more enthusiasm in this thing... That's the only way to accomplish a thing. Work up a bigger head of steam.

1921 H. M. Poteat Pract. Hymnol. ii. 68 You are supposed to say ‘Tum-te-tum-te-tum’, etc., until you arrive at the chorus, when you are expected to get under a full head of steam immediately.

1962 Times 18 Dec. 11/6 The risk of such a change has to be balanced against the danger that without it a dangerous head of steam might build up.

1990 J. Eberts & T. Ilott My Indecision is Final xiii. 139 A film starts off slowly, then builds a head of steam and does better than you thought.

(a) head or tail: either one thing or another; anything definite or intelligible. Usually in negative or interrogative contexts, and now chiefly with make (as (not) to make head nor tail of, to make neither head nor tail of, etc.). Cf. to have neither head nor feet at Phrases 3f(b).

ΚΠ

1546 G. Joye Refut. Byshop Winchesters Derke Declar. f. clxxix A longe confuse talke of this bish. which as it is all out of his owne brayne dreamed withoute anye scripture, so hathe it nether head ne tayle.

1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. viii. 109 That was a kind of Lechecraft, which as yet had neither Head nor Tayle.

1662 A. Brome Rump (new ed.) i. 222 If you studdy upon't, I hope you will neither make Head or Tayle on't.

1698 Digiti-lingua 27 'Tis but exchanging five or more Letters in an Alphabet, and they can never make Head or Tayl of it.

1730 H. Fielding Pleasures of Town iii. i, in Author's Farce 29 But what is the Design or Plot? for I could make neither Head nor Tail of it.

1771 T. Nugent tr. B. Cellini Life I. ii. x. 417 You are trifling, and there is neither head nor tail in what you say.

1831 Boston Transcript 2 Aug. 2/3 The entertainment happened to be the ‘Stage Coach’, which was acted so wretchedly that it was impossible to make head or tail of it.

1890 J. H. McCarthy French Revol. II. 88 It is difficult to make head or tail of the whole business.

1923 R. J. Cortissoz Amer. Artists viii. 98 When Lowell heard Emerson lecture in the time of his declension..he could not make head nor tail of the discourse.

1984 B. MacLaverty Cal (new ed.) 126 He read some of it but could not make head or tail of it.

1994 News (Boca Raton, Florida) 3 Oct. e15/1 I can't fathom head or tail of what I'm reading.

(b)

heads or tails n., adj., and int. (a) n. a game of chance in which players try to predict which way up a tossed coin will fall (see sense 4b); cf. cross and pile at pile n.² 1; (b) adj. (in predicative use) evenly balanced between two equally likely outcomes; dictated by chance; (c) int. used as a request to predict which way up a tossed coin will fall.

ΚΠ

1675Heads or tails [see sense 4b].

1684 T. Otway Atheist ii. 17 As the Boys do by their Farthings..go to Heads or Tails for 'em.

1771 T. Bridges Adventures of Bank-note IV. xx. 186 This affair seemed like a law-suit, where it is only heads or tails, whether the best or worst gets it.

1812 Bk. Games ii. 19 Who has a half-penny, to toss up for first innings? O, here is one; heads or tails?

1844 New World 10 Feb. 187/1 Some truant boys, who have stolen into a barn to play ‘heads or tails’.

1886 J. C. Battersby Bridle Bits i. 31 With this gait it is ‘heads or tails’ which gets tired first—the horse or the rider.

1899 W. Harvey Sc. Life & Char. xi. 347 I lost it [sc. money] wi' anither laddie at heads or tails.

1929 Morning Call (Laurel, Mississippi) 6 Oct. 2/6 The teams are evenly matched and it's ‘heads or tails’ who wins.

1995 J. L. Singman & W. McLean Daily Life Chaucer's Eng. ix. 189 Cross and Pile was another simple pastime, exactly the same as modern Heads or Tails.

2008 Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minnesota) (Nexis) 5 Aug. (Family Fun Mag.) Troy pulled a quarter from his pocket. ‘Heads or tails?’ he asked.

2012 Daily Star (Nexis) 31 Mar. I think it's heads or tails who wins that one. Both teams will be under pressure.

(c) heads I win, (and) tails you lose: I win whatever happens. Also similarly heads you win, (and) tails I lose, heads I win, tails I win, etc.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > prosperity > success > there is much success [phrase] > I win whatever happens

heads I win, (and) tails you lose1728

1728 G. Vane 2nd Ess. Catholick-relig. 151 Makes him play at Fools-game (even at Heads I win, and Tails you loose) with his Wealth and Substance.

1789 World 19 Dec. It was impossible any man in his senses could enter into a contract upon the former interpretation; that would be following the old maxim, ‘Heads, I win—Tails, you lose.’

1832 A. W. Fonblanque Eng. under Seven Admin. (1837) II. 302 They would play the toss up with the creditor on the terms ‘Heads I win, tails you lose’.

1858 Calcutta Rev. June 369 Between the Indian public and the Indian Government, it is invariably the old one-sided game of ‘heads we win, tails you lose’.

1918 D. Haig Diary 15 July in War Diaries & Lett. 1914–18 (2005) 430 This is a case of ‘heads you win, and tails I lose’! If things go well, the Government take credit to themselves and the Generalissimo: if badly, the Field Marshal will be blamed!

1958 Times 17 Oct. 17/1 The heads-I-win, tails-you-lose sort of argument between the conscious and the unconscious.

1991 Stanford Law Rev. 43 784 Whenever it is appropriate for courts to consider extrinsic evidence in interpreting standard form policy language, it normally should be a ‘heads I win tails I win’ matter for the insured.

1999 Vanity Fair May 124/3 The profit margin is excellent... Heads I win, tails you lose!

s. British colloquial. head over tip: = head over heels at Phrases 3i(c). Cf. arse over tip at arse n. and int. Phrases 1.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > falling > [phrase] > head over heels

tail over top1303

top over tailc1330

heels over headc1400

tail and top1558

head over heels1678

over head and heels1678

heels over gowdy1751

head over tip1824

arse over tip1922

ass over tea-kettle1963

1824 J. Badcock Boxiana IV. 260 A first-rate swell, who was extremely eager to get on board, lost his footing, and went head over tip into the water.

1844 R. B. Peake Cartouche III. xx. 24 My heart was so easily inflamed that I fell head over tip in love with every female I met.

1906 E. Dyson Fact'ry 'Ands xv. 202 Er stream iv water..sluices ther red-'eaded girl..'ead-over-tip down ther front stairs.

1983 Observer 9 Oct. 49/4 I did once see a motorcyclist go head over tip as a result of getting a wheel tangled up in an errant trolley line!

2007 Sun (Nexis) 23 May [The vehicle] rolled several times and even went head over tip.

t. to keep (also hold, etc.) one's head above water and variants: to keep oneself out of difficulty, esp. debt or financial ruin.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > management of money > solvency > be solvent [verb (intransitive)]

able to tine or win1340

to have (also get) beforehand1526

to keep (also hold, etc.) one's head above water1608

to pay one's way1786

?1605 J. Davies Wittes Pilgrimage sig. X1^v Still I swimme In Sorrowes Seas... I scarse can keepe me Head aboue the Waues With all my Laboures, my Starres are so crosse!]

1608 E. Grimeston in tr. J. F. Le Petit Gen. Hist. Netherlands xvi. 1336 They..remayned no longer constant therein [sc. in a truce], but vntill that their countriemen and those of the religion had gotten their heads aboue water, and taken breath.

1627 J. Rogers Doctr. Faith 115 The Gospell..staies him from sinking under his burden, from despaire, and keepes his head above water.

1665 J. Wilson Projectors i. 4 To beget an opinion in him that I had great dealings in the world; when yet I have found enough to do, to keep my head above water.

1742 H. Fielding Joseph Andrews II. iii. x. 165 There are many who I fancy believe that..my Pockets..are lined with Bank-Bills; but I assure you, you are all mistaken... If I can hold my Head above Water, it is all I can.

1772 W. O'Brien Cross Purposes i. i. 5 I believe we must marry somebody; we can't keep our heads above water much longer if we do not.

1830 Reg. Deb. Congr. U.S. VI. 902/2 The manufacturers are so depressed, that they can scarce hold their heads above water.

1866 E. Tuckett Beaten Tracks 221 The prices of everything are raised, and it is difficult to get along at all with your head above water.

1901 W. Hargreaves Lost & Found! v. 32 As for saving, it is all I can do to keep my head above water and make ends meet.

1956 M. Dickens Angel in Corner viii. 114 She struggled to keep her head above water, and to appear as if she had nothing on her mind.

2001 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 8 Dec. 30/7 It has taken four-and-a-half years of shiftwork to get our heads above water.

u. Nautical and Aeronautics. head to (the) wind: (so as to be) facing directly into the wind.

ΚΠ

1720 J. Burchett Compl. Hist. Trans. at Sea v. xv. 658 She came Head to Wind in five Fathom.

1766 J. H. Grose Voy. E.-Indies (ed. 2) II. vii. ii. 203 The helm was immediately put a-lee: but before she came quite head to wind, she struck lightly, and then stronger.

1842 F. Marryat Percival Keene III. xx. 246 The frigate was head to wind, rising and pitching with the heavy sea, but not yet feeling the strain of the cables.

1894 H. Caine Manxman v. iii The boat was brought head to the wind.

1919 H. Shaw Text-bk. Aeronaut. xiii. 169 The other [type of drift indicator] is intended to indicate whether or not the machine is flying head to wind.

2002 D. Lundy Way of Ship (2003) v. 183 Once a mast is jury-rigged and a scrap of sail raised to keep the vessel head to wind, it faces the waves again.

P4. With a verb.to beat one's head, to hang the head, to hide one's head, to turn a person's head, etc.: see the verbs.

†a. to bear head against: = to keep head against at Phrases 4g(a). Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > forward movement > move or cause to move forward or advance [verb (transitive)] > advance in spite of

to bear head againsta1596

to make head against1841

a1596 G. Peele Loue King Dauid & Fair Bethsabe (1599) sig. Hij Then why should passions of much meaner power, Beare head against the heart of Israel.

1601 A. Munday tr. J. Teixeira Strangest Aduenture 64 Thus could and can the kingdome of Portugall beare head against the rest of Spaine.

a1627 J. Hayward Ann. Four Years Elizabeth (1840) 43 Unable..to beare head against this storme.

a1668 J. Alleine Divers Pract. Cases Conscience (1672) i. 4 To bear head against the current of the times, and to be for strict Godliness in all your ways, when the stream runs quite against it.

1742 G. Turnbull Observ. Liberal Educ. 399 Fortify and strengthen reason, that it may timeously be able to bear head against all the allurements of sense.

1761 Ess. Art War 63 A Peace of about twenty Years..enervated them [sc. the Romans] to such a Degree, that they were not able to bear Head against Hannibal.

b. to bring to a head: (a) to cause (a boil, abscess, or spot) to form a head and come to the point where likely to burst; cf. sense 19a; (b) to bring (a situation, state of affairs, etc.) to a critical point, or to a point of maturity or maximum intensity; cf. sense 54. [Compare Middle French, French mettre à chef to bring to a conclusion (c1240 in Anglo-Norman).]

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > suppuration > cause suppuration [verb (transitive)] > bring to head

ripea1398

to bring to a head1566

concoct1584

ripen1590

the world > action or operation > prosperity > advancement or progress > [verb (transitive)] > bring to or form highest point

to bring to a head1603

culminate1659

cumulate1660

climax1807

pinnacle1840

peak1887

the world > relative properties > quantity > increase in quantity, amount, or degree > [verb (transitive)] > to highest degree

to bring to a head1603

culminate1659

climax1807

maximize1815

1566 T. Blundeville Order curing Horses Dis. lvi. f. 36, in Fower Offices Horsemanshippe A Linnen cloute, whiche being layd vnto the swelling, two or three dayes,..wyll bryng it to a heade.

1603 H. Crosse Vertues Common-wealth sig. I4^v What moueth the Lawier to..be so earnest to finde out the differences of causes, to bring them to a head, but glory?

1641 S. Hartlib Briefe Relation 25 Master Dury was lodged and entertained with him..for the space of fourteen dayes, that they together might ripen matters, and bring their thoughts to a head.

1662 S. Pepys Diary 31 Oct. (1970) III. 245 Some plot there hath been, though not brought to a head.

1722 D. Defoe Jrnl. Plague Year 97 If these Swellings could be brought to a Head,..the Patient generally recover'd.

1788 tr. G. Sénac de Meilhan Considerations upon Wit & Morals 177 Your illness is an ambition not brought to a head.

1823 W. Scott Peveril I. ix. 204 The uncharitable prejudices against other sects, which polemical controversy had generated, and the Civil War brought to a head.

1887 T. Hardy Woodlanders I. ix. 168 It might bring things to a head, one way or the other.

1922 F. H. Dixon Railroads & Govt. v. 60 With the introduction of the parcel post..the problem became more complicated and the issue was brought to a head.

1994 Daily Mail (Nexis) 20 Sept. 37 Honey..can draw poisons and pus out of an infected wound or ulcer, or bring boils to a head.

2009 C. Asquith Sisters in War xvii. 157 Events were already conspiring to bring their relationship to a head.

c. to come to a head: (a) (of a boil, abscess, or spot) to form a head and come to the point where likely to burst; cf. sense 19a; (b) (of a situation, state of affairs, etc.) to reach a critical point, or a point of maturity or maximum intensity; cf. sense 54. [Compare post-classical Latin venire ad caput (see achieve v.), Middle French, French venir à chef to accomplish (a1200 in Old French as venir a chief).]

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > suppuration > suppurate [verb (intransitive)]

whealc1000

rank?a1300

ranklec1330

festera1400

putrefya1400

quittera1400

suppure?a1425

to come to a head1566

undercot1591

suppurate1615

youster1691

digest1722

maturate1726

the world > existence and causation > occurrence > [verb (intransitive)] > come to the crunch or critical point

to come to a head1655

to come to the crunch1960

the world > relative properties > quantity > increase in quantity, amount, or degree > [verb (intransitive)] > to highest degree > reach highest degree of increase

to grow to a head1579

to gather to a heada1616

to come to a head1655

culminatea1662

climax1882

to reach a crescendo1925

to top off1970

to top out1972

1566 T. Blundeville Order curing Horses Dis. cxliii. f. 99, in Fower Offices Horsemanshippe The swelling is apparant to the eye, which in foure or fyue dayes commeth to a heade.

1655 W. Gurnall Christian in Armour: 1st Pt. 224 Satan..can..keep such thoughts from coming to a head, and ripening into a present resolution.

1685 tr. N. Lémery Mod. Curiosities of Art & Nature i. xxiii. 256 With it rub the sore, and it will come to a head.

1715 Hist. Wars Charles XII. King of Sweden 23 We shall see the particular Degrees by which the War which afterwards follow'd came to a Head.

1768 T. Berdmore Treat. Disorders & Deformities Teeth & Gums ii. v. 61 Thinking that this would come to a head, (as he termed it) and then disappear of its own accord, like the former ulcers.

1801 H. L. Piozzi Retrospection I. xvii. 384 A charitable corporation had upon this principle been instituted some years before..but in 1731 the precious project came to a head and burst.

1871 A. M. Diaz William Henry Lett. 134 Come to a head—like a boil or a rebellion.

1878 R. B. Smith Carthage 281 The revolt of Sardinia was stamped out before it came to a head.

1910 Encycl. Brit. VI. 346/2 In 1884 the struggle between stationary and progressive Toryism came to a head, and terminated in favour of the latter.

1947 H. R. Isaacs New Cycle in Asia viii. 157 Matters came to a head in Hanoi on December 19, 1946, when clashes in that city resulted in generalized warfare.

1990 R. H. Bork Tempting of Amer. 29 The crisis came to a head when Missouri sought statehood.

(a) to get (a) head: to gain force, momentum, power, or ascendancy; to become established. Cf. sense 56. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > quantity > increase in quantity, amount, or degree > [verb (intransitive)]

forthwaxa900

wax971

growOE

risec1175

anhigh1340

upwax1340

creasec1380

increasec1380

accreasea1382

augmenta1400

greata1400

mountc1400

morec1425

upgrowc1430

to run up1447

swell?c1450

add1533

accresce1535

gross1548

to get (a) head1577

amount1583

bolla1586

accrue1586

improve1638

aggrandize1647

accumulate1757

raise1761

heighten1803

replenish1814

to turn up1974

1577 R. Holinshed Chron. II. 1861/1 It will bee too soone perceyued though happily too late to stoppe the breache, when the floud hath gote head, and once wonne passage through the banke.

1627 R. Sanderson Ten Serm. 263 The times were such, as wherein sin had gotten head.

1631 W. Gouge Gods Three Arrowes iii. §84. 341 Whereas..Haman..got some head, the Lord had warre with him.

a1686 T. Watson Body Pract. Divinity (1692) 429 He..fears..least Profaneness should break in like a flood, least Popery should get head, and God should go from a people.

1722 D. Defoe Jrnl. Plague Year 228 A great Fire..gets a Head.

1812 Sporting Mag. 39 92 Hydrophobia..will occur and get head even in the coldest weather.

1867 Rep. Sel. Comm. Fire Protection (House of Commons) 222/1 The candle was placed on a piece of tallow..and it fell over; the fire was discovered before it got head.

1919 N.Y. Med. Jrnl. 27 Sept. 533/2 The fever went on, got head; and often proved mortal.

(b) to get (something) into (also in) one's head: to conceive the idea or notion of (something); to have (something) occur to one; (also) to come to realize or understand. Frequently with negative connotations. Chiefly in to get it into one's head with that-clause or infinitive. Cf. to take (something) into (also in) one's head at Phrases 4q(b)(ii).to get ideas into one's head: see idea n. Phrases 3b.

ΚΠ

a1602 W. Perkins Cloud of Faithfull Witnesses (1607) 459 [They] get this conceite into their heads, that God will likewise forsake them as he hath done these whom they behold.

1677 W. Wycherley Plain-dealer iv. 64 How? What Quirk has she got in her head now?

1695 T. Brown tr. J. Le Clerc Life Famous Cardinal-Duke de Richlieu II. iv. 116 This man had got it into his Head to make himself be crown'd King of Bohemia.

1708 tr. M.-C. d'Aulnoy Hist. Earl of Warwick i. 82 If the Earl of Devonshire should get it into his Head, that she had bin reprimanding her Daughter concerning her ill Conduct.

1762 O. Goldsmith Citizen of World II. 56 The people, it seems, have got it into their heads that they have more wit than others.

1849 C. Brontë Shirley III. v. 139 She would sometimes get a notion into her head, on a cold, wet day, that the school-room was no cheerful place.

1876 H. Kingsley Grange Garden I. xvii. 118 Will you get it into your head that I am not talking about him, but about Lionel?

1898 D. C. Murray Tales 255 She's got some maggot in her head about being loved for her own sake.

1912 Amer. Mag. July 324/2 All she needs are some clothes and I've gotten it into my head to take her to my own dressmaker's in town.

1961 L. E. Harris Two Netherlanders 190 Had Drebbel got some idea into his head to use solar energy to produce heat?

1977 A. Waugh in Spectator 7 May 6/1 It is something which the ambitious minority seem quite unable to get into its head—that most of us are lazy.

2005 M. Lewycka Short Hist. Tractors in Ukrainian xxviii. 292 She had got it into her head that she was entitled to half the house, and she wouldn't listen to anyone that told her otherwise.

(c) colloquial (originally British). to get one's head down.

(i) Originally Nautical. To settle oneself down before going to sleep; to have a sleep, to get some sleep.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > sleeping and waking > sleep > [verb (transitive)]

sleepc825

slumber1749

to get one's head down1868

zizz1972

1868 C. Chapman All about Ships 124 Right glad will you be to get your head down for a rest.

1891 Hampshire Tel. & Sussex Chron. 21 Feb. (Suppl.) 11/3 Sailors' Lingo... ‘To get your head down’ or ‘back stitching’ is going to sleep.

1902 Presbyterian Banner 19 June 15/1 ‘Girls, let us take Aunt Debby to her room and help her undress, she is worn out.’ ‘Yes, dearies, I would like to get my head down,’ was the grateful reply.

1958 ‘N. Shute’ Rainbow & Rose 61 I'll have to get my head down for a bit, though, before going out again.

1994 M. Gee Crime Story (1996) x. 168 I want to get my head down for the night.

(ii) To apply oneself to, or concentrate on, the task in hand; to ‘knuckle down’.

ΚΠ

1904 London Jrnl. 29 Oct. 380/2 The fond husband got his head down and plugged along as hard as a galley-slave every inch of the thirty-three miles.

1954 Times 23 July 9/1 May..had not seemed anxious to get his head down and go willingly to work.

1971 New Scientist 23 Dec. 210/2 Birch ‘got his head down for three solid weeks’ and successfully submitted his 17 outstanding course units.

1988 Soccer Special '88 Aug. 9/2 He got his head down.., put in a lot of hard work and found himself playing in the First Division.

2010 S. McBride Kris Meeke ii. 8/1 Kris..got his head down and got a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

(d) colloquial (originally U.S.). to get one's head together: (a) to collect or compose one's thoughts; (b) to gain or regain one's mental equilibrium or composure, esp. with regard to finding one's sense of purpose; to take stock of or re-evaluate one's life. Cf. together adj. b and similar to get one's act together at act n. Phrases 12, to get one's shit together at shit n. and adj. Phrases 23a.

ΚΠ

1872 Testimony Joint Select Comm. Condition of Affairs Insurrectionary States: Florida 113 in U.S. Congress. Serial Set (42nd Congr., 2nd Sess.: House of Representatives Rep. 22, Pt. 13) II Question. Who were your justices of the peace? Answer. It is right at my tongue's end, but I cannot get my head together rightly to save my life.

1911 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 5 Sept. 1/1 I am possessed with an evil spirit... If I could only get my head together I could get out of this and be alright.

1970 N.Y. Times Mag. 7 June 77/1 Everybody I know is always talking about getting his head together. If you can just get it together, you can do something..healthful.

1984 Nutshell (Gainesville, Florida) Spring 15/1 The course would get my head together.

1991 Coarse Fishing Feb. 16/1 Sometimes a break is needed to ‘get one's head together’ so to speak and generally take stock of things.

2003 N.Y. Times Mag. 14 Sept. 52/2 If Jenks can get his head together, he could very well be a dominating major-league pitcher.

†(a) to give one's head for the washing (also polling): to yield tamely without resistance; chiefly in negative contexts. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

1542 T. Becon in M. Coverdale tr. H. Bullinger Golden Bk. Christen Matrimonye Pref. sig. A.v Lyke a fellowe, that wyll not gyue his head for y^e wasshynge.

a1601 J. Hooker Discr. Excester (1765) 82 Such a one as would not give his Head for the polling, nor his Beard for the washing.

1639 J. Taylor Iuniper Lect. viii. 56 When I was yong, as now I am old, I would not have given my head for the washing.

1663 S. Butler Hudibras: First Pt. i. iii. 182 For my part, it shall ne'er be sed, I for the washing gave my head.

1738 J. Swift Compl. Coll. Genteel Conversat. 34 I find, Mr. Neverout, you won't give your Head for the washing, as they say.

(b) to give (a horse) his (also her, its, etc.) head (formerly also to give (a horse) (the) head): to give free rein to (a horse). Frequently in extended use with a person, etc., as object: to give freedom of action to; to free from constraint. Similarly with other verbs, as allow, let, etc. Cf. sense 57.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > lack of subjection > freedom or liberty > freedom of action or from restraint > not restrain [verb (transitive)]

slidec1386

to give a person rope (also enough rope, etc.)a1475

to give (the) rein(s) (to)1484

to let go1526

to give (a horse) his (also her, its, etc.) head1571

license1605

to give linea1616

unchecka1616

to give a loose (occasionally give loose) to1685

to give stretch to1777

to let rip1857

society > travel > transport > riding on horse (or other animal) > ride (a horse or other animal) [verb (transitive)] > allow (a horse) free motion

to give (a horse) (the) head1571

to give (the) rein(s) (to)1606

to let out1849

1571 Dict. French & Eng. sig. A.iij^v Les ailes qu'on baille à vn cheual, to giue a horse the heade.

1579 S. Gosson Schoole of Abuse f. 6^v You are no soner entred, but libertie looseth the reynes, and geues you head.

1582 T. Rogers tr. J. Rivius Of Foolishnes of Men iv. 43 Parents..do nussell yong children in wickednes, giue them the head to do what they list.

1603 T. Dekker et al. Patient Grissill sig. L^v But you Sir Owen giuing her the head, As you gaue liberty to those three wandes, Shee'll [etc.].

1636 W. Evans Christian Conflict & Conquest 37 Give a hot horse his head at first, and he will surely runne away with you.

1697 G. Stanhope tr. P. Charron Of Wisdom I. i. xiv. 150 It is a much safer Course..to sooth and gently lay this indiscreet Minor asleep, than to let him have his Head, and ramble abroad at his own Pleasure.

1705 R. Steele Tender Husband i. i. 14 What a Fool have I been to give him his Head so long!

1743 H. Bracken Traveller's Pocket-farrier 3 Give him his Head without forcing him, by Whip or Spur, to perform with more Life and Spirit than is otherwise inclinable.

1759 J. Fawcett Dialogues Other World 30 He wanted nothing else..but only to have his Reason put in Exercise: But however let him take care he does not give too much Head to it, lest [etc.].

1762 L. Sterne Life Tristram Shandy V. i. 16 Chastity, by nature the gentlest of all affections—give it but its head—'tis like a ramping and a roaring lion.

1867 Baily's Monthly Mag. Jan. 306 Having a good plain before me, I allowed him his head.

1886 E. Lynn Linton Paston Carew III. v. 105 He had yielded so far to the necessities of the case as to give Lady Jane her head.

1932 Collier's 9 Jan. 42/3 You're not going to marry this wishy-washy just because he gives you your head.

1940 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 11 Apr. 16/2 Director Olivier gave Actor Olivier too much head and Actor Olivier got out of hand.

1955 E. A. Powell Adventure Road ii. 7 He started out at steeplechase pace, but as we were crossing a stretch of level grassland I let him have his head.

1989 Managem. Today July 82/1 For a time, he gave his intellectual side its head, doing his doctorate and becoming an assistant lecturer.

2012 Church Times 20 Jan. 28/2 Lindy had married Robert the man, not Robert the priest, and, while he gave her her head, he also relied on her absolute candour.

(c) slang (originally U.S.). to give head (also to give a person head): to perform fellatio or cunnilingus (on a person). Also with qualifying adjective, as to give good head, etc. Cf. sense 9.

ΚΠ

1956 O. Duke Sideman ii. vii. 103 She's wild, man! Gives the craziest head!

1967 N. Mailer Why are we in Vietnam? 24 Gather here, footlings and specialists, hot shit artists, those who give head, and general drug addicts of the world.

1978 K. Acker Blood & Guts in High School 102 Not yet completely gaga, I gently crawled up to his bed to give him head but the more horney I became, the drunker I became.

1996 Minx Nov. 61/2 Frank's my boyfriend but he doesn't give good head.

2003 Ice Oct. 28/2 I think it also helped how much I loved to give girls head.

f. to go to a person's head: (originally of alcoholic drink) to intoxicate, impair the faculties or judgement of a person; (in extended use) to make conceited or overconfident.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > drink > thirst > excess in drinking > [verb (intransitive)] > make drunk (of drink)

tox1637

intoxicate1687

to strike up into the head1711

to go to a person's head1808

mount1884

mickey-finn1933

mickey1946

the mind > emotion > pride > be proud [verb (intransitive)] > make proud

to go to a person's head1926

1808 H. Murray tr. J.-F. Marmontel Mem. I. iv. 333 While yet warm with acting, she drank this wine, and it went to her head [Fr. il lui porta à la tête].

1836 Lit. Gaz. 30 July 492/2 You have only to make him drink; a single glass would go to his head, and then my mill is done for.

1866 F. Browne Hidden Sin xxii. 75/2 The words seemed to come from her heart, and went to my head like new wine.

1926 People's Home Jrnl. Feb. 20/2 It seemed as if power had gone to his head.

1942 A. Christie Body in Libr. xii. 108 He settled a large sum of money on Frank... It went to Frank's head.

1990 P. Auster Music of Chance vii. 156 Neither one of them was used to drinking champagne, and the bubbles had quickly gone to their heads.

2007 N.Y. Times Mag. 4 Feb. 53/1 A defrocked superhero..whose special powers went to his head and got him booted out of the Elite League.

(a) to keep head against: to hold one's own in the face of (difficulty or opposition); to maintain headway against; to resist. Cf. sense 56. Now rare.

ΚΠ

a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) iii. viii. f. 270^v Amphialus..kept head aginst his enemies while some of his men caried away Philanax.

1618 S. Ward Iethro's Iustice of Peace 26 For whom it is as possible to steere a right course..as it is for a cock-boat to keep head against winde and tide, without helpe of oares or sailes.

1781 J. O. Justamond tr. B.-F.-J. Mouffle d'Angerville Private Life Lewis XV II. 87 The French army..was not even in a condition to keep head against the united troops of Prince Charles and Lobkowitz.

1820 J. Keats Isabella in Lamia & Other Poems 62 The bream Keeps head against the freshets.

1893 Amer. Lancet Mar. 98/2 The patient, thorough-going young physician..is having more and more difficulty to keep head against the splurgy, dashy fellows who use all the arts of politics to win what is called success.

1959 P. H. de Lacy & B. Einarson tr. Plutarch Moralia VII. 195 That the argument, as though with a haven and refuge in view, may the more boldly in its bark of plausibility keep head against the difficulty.

(b) to keep one's head: to remain calm, to retain self-control; to keep one's wits about one. Similarly to keep a cool (also level, etc.) head. Also to keep one's head together. Cf. to lose one's head (see Phrases 4j(b)).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > calmness > self-possession or self-control > maintain self-control [verb (intransitive)]

to keep one's countenance1470

to get above ——1603

to keep one's head1717

keep your shirt on1844

to keep one's hair on1883

to keep one's wool1890

not to bat an eye, eyelid1904

to keep one's pants on1928

to play it cool1955

to keep (also blow, lose) one's cool1964

1717 M. Prior Alma iii. 186 Richard, keep thy head, And hold thy peace.

1753 S. Richardson Hist. Sir Charles Grandison I. xxxi. 218 The young women wept. The mother was mov'd. I wonder I kept my head. My brain was on fire.

1857 T. Hughes Tom Brown's School Days ii. v. 325 Hold on's the horse that's to win. We've got the last. Keep your head, old boy.

1878 Dental Cosmos Feb. 96 Better keep a level head and a firm footing, directed by sound reason and unbiased judgment.

1883 M. Oliphant Hester II. v. 63 All that jargon about watching the market, and keeping a cool head, and running no unnecessary risks.

1910 R. Kipling If in Rewards & Fairies 175 If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you.

1922 M. Monahan Life & Lett. J. Erskine Stuart xv. 211 Those in whose hands was the welfare of the actual children had great need to keep a calm head.

1974 Black Belt Aug. 38/2 One of his students...could be a top competitor in a few years if he could learn to keep his head together on the tournament floor.

1995 P. Conroy Beach Music (1996) xxxi. 552 Jordan was patient and kept his head.

2010 E. Sze Heart of Buddha xliii. 185 I sat down inside the tent, trying to gather my thoughts and keep a cool head.

(c) to keep one's head down: to keep down or out of sight in order to avoid gunfire, etc., in battle; (in extended use) to remain inconspicuous, to keep a low profile.

ΚΠ

1830 W. T. Parke Musical Mem. II. 237 When you go into battle, Bosville, be sure to keep your head down, or you will be popped off presently.

1887 Oskaloosa (Iowa) Herald 3 Mar. 1/5 You'd better keep your head down or you'll get it knocked off.

1918 A. G. Empey First Call xxiii. 191 The first rule in trench warfare is ‘keep your head down’.

1937 El Paso (Texas) Herald-Post 29 Mar. 5/5 The best strategy is to create the impression..of a ‘non-partisan issue’ and therefore they are keeping their heads down while Democrats shoot at each other.

1952 W. R. Burnett Little Men, Big World viii. 91 ‘Lots of people think you're dead.’ ‘I'm close. You are too. Keep your head down.’

1975 Ebony June 54 One of the first things I learned as a commissioner is that in those meetings with Congress you keep your head down and try to be inconspicuous..otherwise they will tear your butt up.

2011 Business Day (S. Afr.) (Nexis) 25 July Stockbrokers kept their heads down. By staying out of the limelight they avoided onerous conditions.

h. to knock on the head: see knock v. 3.

i. to lay (down) one's head: to settle down to rest, to go to sleep (esp. with reference to a habitual resting or sleeping place). Cf. to get one's head down at Phrases 4d(c).

ΚΠ

1526 Bible (Tyndale) Matt. viii. f. x^v He sonne of the man hath not where onto leye his heede [1557 Geneva head].

1641 J. Milton Reason Church-govt. Concl. 64 But laying down his head.., while he sleeps..they wickedly shaving off all those..tresses [etc.].

1794 C. Smith Banished Man II. ii. 35 De Touranges cared not where he laid his head.

1837 W. Wordsworth Memorials Tour in Italy vii, in Poems (1845) 275 The noble Roman's scorn..at thought of laying down his head, When the blank day is over.

1883 Luther's Cradle Song in Sailors' Mag. Nov. 351/2 Away in a manger, No crib for his bed, The little Lord Jesus Lay down His sweet head.

1950 D. Thomas Let. 7 Apr. (1987) 756 I..lay down my head & do not sleep until dawn because I can hear your heart beat beside me.

1964 in R. D. Abrahams Deep down in Jungle ii. iv. 166 Is this where the broad named Big Whore lays her head?.. Tell her I'll see her tomorrow morning.

2006 Wanderlust Mar. 60/1 We've found the best places to lay your head just minutes from Jordan's best-loved treasures.

j. to lose one's head.

(a) To have one's head cut off; to be beheaded (as a form of capital punishment). Now chiefly historical.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > punishment > capital punishment > execute [verb (intransitive)] > be beheaded

to hop headlessc1330

to lose one's headc1405

c1405 (c1385) G. Chaucer Knight's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 849 Namoore vp on peyne of lesyng of your heed.

1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope ii. iii Which haue been cause of theyr dethe and to lese theyre heedes.

1533 T. Elyot Of Knowl. Wise Man i. f. 4^v There was an ordinaunce made..that if any man of Athenes came in to that Ile, he shulde immediately lose his hedde.

1597 W. Shakespeare Richard III iv. iv. 229 Vp to some scaffold, there to loose their heads.

1644 W. Prynne & C. Walker True Relation Prosecution N. Fiennes 93 The Defendant..deserves to lose his head for yeelding Bristol up too soone.

1709 R. Gould Wks. I. 313 Why shou'd our Royal Martyr lose his Head And a Rump Senate Govern in his Stead?

1788 E. Inchbald Such Things Are v. iii. 69 An English prisoner, just now condemned to lose his head.

1801 R. Wilson Diary 4 July in Life (1862) I. iv. 200 He would rather lose his head than break his faith pledged to the Mamelukes.

1888 S. Baring-Gould Eve I. iii. 31 Copplestone..escaped losing his head for the murder by the surrender of thirteen manors.

1916 T. de Vries Holland's Infl. Eng. Lang. & Lit. xxvi. 219 He was now imprisoned as a spy; and was even condemned to lose his head by martial law.

1982 P. Carter Children of Bk. ii. 26 Any man who did not obey his orders would lose his head.

2002 Times 11 Feb. i. 15/1 The spot where Charles I was condemned to lose his head.

(b) To lose one's presence of mind or self-control; to become irrational; to panic.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > inattention > mental wandering > lack of concentration, distraction > be distracted [verb (intransitive)]

wanderc1400

to lose one's head1798

1798 Substance of Rep. Court of Directors Sierra Leone Company 37 Though a headman, Pa Dembo had ‘lost his head’ by drink, and thus become ‘a boy’.

1815 Times 28 July 2/3 There is not the least doubt that this great man [sc. Napoleon] completely lost his head on the 18th Brumaire.

1850 Ld. Tennyson Princess (ed. 3) Concl. 174 The gravest citizen seems to lose his head.

1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. 121 He lost his head, almost fainted away on the floor of the House.

1900 Daily News 2 Jan. 6/1 It is to be hoped that they will not lose their heads when the rifles begin to talk in earnest.

1954 H. Macmillan Diary 16 Nov. (2003) 365 I got shouted at so much in the second half, that I lost my head somewhat, sat down too soon.

2005 B. Keating & S. Keating Blood Sisters (2006) x. 172 I made a hash of it... Lost my head like an idiot.

(a) to make head against: to advance against; to resist; to rise in insurrection or revolt against; spec. to resist successfully, to advance in spite of. Also †to make head to. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > lack of subjection > rebelliousness > insurrection > rise against [verb (transitive)]

revolt1548

to make head against1562

to lift at1647

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > forward movement > move or cause to move forward or advance [verb (transitive)] > advance in spite of

to bear head againsta1596

to make head against1841

1562 J. Shute in tr. A. Cambini in Two Comm. Turcks ii. f. 9^v No man paine of lyfe take anye spoyle, so longe as one enemie shal make hedde against vs, vntyl the battayle be ended.

1577 R. Holinshed Hist. Irelande i. 9/1 in Chron. I That..they might the better make head agaynst bothe Romayns and Brytayns.

1640 tr. G. S. du Verdier Love & Armes Greeke Princes i. 50 That done, he made head to the Giants, who battered him.

1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ii. 992 That mighty leading Angel, who of late Made head against Heav'ns King.

1720 D. Defoe Mem. Cavalier 307 The Swiftness of our March..prevented all possible Preparation to oppose us, and we met with no Party able to make Head against us.

1735 tr. C. Rollin Anc. Hist. III. 277 The nobles of Athens seeing Pericles raised to the highest degree of power..resolved to oppose a man, who, in some measure, might make head against him.

1821 Ld. Byron Sardanapalus iii. i. 85 [They] make strong head against The rebels.

1841 C. Dickens Barnaby Rudge xxxiv. 129 They made head against the wind.

1854 F. I. Duberly Jrnl. 3 Dec. in Mrs Duberly's War (2007) 117 We, who are acclimatised, can hardly make head against the hardships of the life.

1927 H. T. Lowe-Porter tr. T. Mann Magic Mountain (London ed.) I. ii. 23 The labouring classes had begun to make head against the stout resistance of the free patriciate.

1958 R. A. Skelton Explorers' Maps ix. 195 These left unexamined..a vast area within which a ship could not make head against the westerlies.

1982 R. M. Scott Robert the Bruce viii. 80 It was to this province that..Bruce made his way, there to recruit an army to make head against an English invasion.

(b) to make a head.

(i) To raise a body of troops; (of soldiers, etc.) to come together in an orderly body, to rally. Also in extended use: to make a concerted stand against a person or thing. Cf. sense 55. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military operations > distribution of troops > [verb (intransitive)] > levy or mobilize

to make a head1580

1580 T. Newton View of Valyaunce f. 24^v An other company of the Lusitans, made an head, and ranged the countreyes of the Romaines.

1595 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 3 ii. i. 141 In the marches here we heard you were, Making another head to fight againe.

1627 M. Drayton Miseries Queene Margarite in Battaile Agincourt 95 That Warwick..Had met the Duke of Yorke, and made a head Of many fresh, and yet vnfought-with bands.

1648 J. Evelyn Mem. (1857) III. 8 To make a handsome head, and protect such as shall recruit.

1723 Hist. Reg. No. 30. 161 In the Confusion, their..Friends would have been able to have got together, and made a Head.

1771 W. Smith Nature & Inst. Govt. I. 256 Although the greatest part of them be of one opinion, yet it may so happen, as the lesser part having many legions, and making a head, may oppose itself against the greatest number, and get the victory.

1835 C. R. Forrester Battle of ‘Annuals’ 5 O! doubtless they can make a ‘head’, They march so firm ‘eyes right’.

1857 W. Acton Prostitution vi. 69 These defeated adventurers..joined their talents for the common good, and make [sic] a head against the world.

1900 E. Bellamy Duke of Stockbridge xxvi. 346 The Squire..observed that it was high time for the authorities to make a head against the tide of blasphemy which had swept over the State since the war.

1904 D. de Leon tr. E. Sue Pilgrim's Shell viii. 67 The Gallic chieftain Joel, who made a head against Cæsar.

(ii) To make headway or progress. Now rare.

ΚΠ

1863 H. Moody Our County iv. 53 Father's boy, you are too thin-skinned to make a head in the world.

1910 J. Masefield Bk. of Discov. xxii. 320 They had to use all their wits to make a head against the storm.

l. colloquial (originally U.S.). to mess (also fuck, play, etc.) with a person's head: to disturb a person's mental state, esp. by means of psychological manipulation; to make a person feel confused, anxious, or upset.

ΚΠ

1967 M. Braly On the Yard xiii. 213 I think he's trying to play with my head.

1975 N.Y. Mag. 28 July 66/3 I'm going back to my diet doctor—at least he doesn't mess with my head!

1978 R. Price Ladies' Man 211 I feel like you're fucking with my head... I feel head-fucked.

1985 Globe & Mail (Canada) (Nexis) 27 Feb. It plays with our heads... Nobody likes losing.

1992 Sports Illustr. 13 Jan. 76/2 He'd pick at you, mess with your head, tease you to death.

2005 C. Stross Accelerando v. 163 A ginger-and-brown cat—who has chosen to be female, just to mess with the heads of those people who think all ginger cats are male.

2012 C. L. Shultz Spellcaster 201 Very funny, Emma. I thought you were being serious... Don't screw with my head.

m. U.S. regional. to open one's head: to speak, to say something. Chiefly in negative contexts. Cf. to open one's face at face n. Phrases 1k(b), to shut (one's) head at shut v. 4b(a). Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > speech > speak, say, or utter [verb (transitive)]

speakc825

queatheOE

forthdoc900

i-seggenc900

sayeOE

speak971

meleOE

quidOE

spella1000

forthbringc1000

givec1175

warpa1225

mootc1225

i-schirea1250

upbringa1250

outsay?c1250

spilec1275

talec1275

wisea1300

crackc1315

nevena1325

cast1330

rehearsec1330

roundc1330

spend1362

carpa1375

sermona1382

to speak outc1384

usea1387

minc1390

pronouncea1393

lancec1400

mellc1400

nurnc1400

slingc1400

tellc1400

wordc1400

yelpc1400

worka1425

utterc1444

outspeakc1449

yielda1450

arecchec1460

roose?a1475

cutc1525

to come forth with1532

bubble1536

prolate1542

report1548

prolocute1570

bespeak1579

wield1581

upbraid1587

up with (also mid) ——1594

name1595

upbrayc1600

discoursea1616

tonguea1616

to bring out1665

voice1665

emit1753

lip1789

to out with1802

pitch1811

go1836

to open one's head1843

vocabulize1861

shoot1915

verbal1920

be1982

1843 Rural Repos. 8 Apr. 175/2 ‘Now you wont say any thing, about it—will you?’ ‘No, I will never open my head about it—sacredly. Hope-to-die this minute.’

1885 H. H. Jackson Zeph ii. 44 He never opens his head to nobody.

1898 M. Deland Old Chester Tales 307 Jones said..that he hardly opened his head for the whole twenty-one miles.

1908 M. A. Grainger Woodsmen of West viii. 49 He must have done some quick thinking, for he never opened his head to say a single word.

1969 Times News (Twin Falls, Idaho) 8 Jan. 2/5 He was too frightened to tell his name and according to school officials ‘never opened his head all day’.

(a) to put (something) into (also in) a person's head: to cause a person to have (a particular thought, notion, idea, etc.); to make a person think of (something); (also) †to remind a person of (something) (obsolete). Frequently in to put it into (also in) a person's head with that-clause or infinitive.to put ideas in a person's head: see idea n. Phrases 3a.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > memory > reminder, putting in mind > remind [phrase]

to put (a person) in minda1500

to put (something) into (also in) a person's head1539

refresh1542

to put (a person) in the head of1561

to jog the memory1778

to ring a bell1933

the mind > mental capacity > thought > product of thinking, thought > matter of thought > present to the mind [verb (transitive)]

suggest1526

to put (something) into (also in) a person's head1539

pense1575

1539 R. Morison Invective ayenste Treason sig. Diii God put it in your hedde to take your viage shortly.

1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VI f. clviij^v Puttyng into mens heades secretely his right to y^e crown.

1600 R. Chambers Palestina 197 He commanded him to shew truely..who had put this attempt into his head, and promised him his pardon.

1663 J. Heath Flagellum 6 He Dreamed, or a Familiar rather instincted him and put it into his Head, that He should be King of England.

1738 A. Pope Wks. II. ii. 165 She bids her Footman put it in her head.

1755 C. Charke Narr. Life 223 The good Nature of my Friends in Chepstow put it strongly in my Head to settle there.

1822 J. Galt Sir Andrew Wylie II. xvii. 159 ‘Base scoot!’ exclaimed Andrew..‘what puts such a thought into your head?’

1874 T. Hardy Far from Madding Crowd II. xxii. 281 What the deuce put it into my head to run away at all, I can't think!

1937 J. P. Marquand Late George Apley (1940) xxxi. 351 If the War put some odd notions in your head, you cannot be blamed for that.

1957 M. Goudeket Close to Colette viii. 56 It was the name of one of them which put it into Colette's head to give a Spanish name to Gigi's grandmother.

1999 M. Weiss Slow Tango in South Seattle in Best of Frasier 69 Maris is reading Slow Tango in South Seattle... I think it's put thoughts in her head.

†(b) to put (a person) in the head of: to remind (a person) of. Also to put (a person) in head that: to remind (a person) that. Cf. to put (a person) in mind at mind n.¹ 1g. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > memory > reminder, putting in mind > remind [phrase]

to put (a person) in minda1500

to put (something) into (also in) a person's head1539

refresh1542

to put (a person) in the head of1561

to jog the memory1778

to ring a bell1933

1561 T. Hoby tr. B. Castiglione Courtyer iv. sig. Rr.i These thinges..beecome a noble and a right Prince, and shall make him both in peace and warr most triumphant and not put him in the heade [It. non lo auertire] of such particuler and smalle matters.

1618 S. Daniel Coll. Hist. Eng. 60 Putting the King in head, that all these great Castles..were onely to intertaine the partie of Maude.

1668 S. Pepys Diary 31 Jan. (1976) IX. 46 Griffin did..put me in the head of the little house by our garden..to make me a stable of.

1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones III. ix. vi. 356 And now you put me in the Head of it, I verily and sincerely believe it was the Devil.

1815 ‘J. Mathers’ Hist. Mr. John Decastro & Brother Bat III. iii. 156 She had so far warmed the philosopher, however, as to put him in the head of a wife.

(c) to put (also drive) out of a person's head: to cause a person to forget; to drive from a person's thoughts. Cf. to put out of —— 1b at put v. Phrasal verbs 2. Also to put out of one's head: to abandon any idea or hope of.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > memory > faulty recollection > recollect wrongly [verb (transitive)] > cause to forget

to put (also drive) out of a person's head1550

magic1906

the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > reversal of or forsaking one's will or purpose > reverse or abandon one's purpose [verb (intransitive)] > give up or discontinue

discontinuec1425

to give upa1616

to put out of one's head1784

1550 N. Lesse tr. St. Augustine Of Vertue of Perseueraunce viii, in tr. St. Augustine Predestination of Saints sig. Pv^v To put it clean out of his head, that he be no more combered therwith, it is vnpossible [no exact equivalent in L. original].

1578 A. Golding tr. Seneca Conc. Benefyting v. xvii. 77^v What man..will beare so greate a benefite in minde, anie longer than till the next matter that commes may put it out of his head?

1660 J. Tatham Rump iv. 49 I was just thinking of State-Affairs, and She has put all out of my head.

1682 A. Marsh Ten Pleasures of Marriage ii. 48 Your Wife [will] get more friends to accompany her, and drive fancies out of her head.

1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones V. xv. vii. 249 The Confusion into which he was thrown..had altogether driven former Thoughts out of his Head.

1784 J. O'Keeffe Poor Soldier ii. iii. 24 Eh!—what!—you marry her!—No such thing—put it out of your head.

1816 W. Scott Antiquary III. xiv. 310 You said something just now that put every thing out of my head.

1858 M. A. Paul Maiden Sisters xxxiv. 291 The sooner she can put that long Colonel out of her head, the better.

1888 H. R. Haggard Maiwa's Revenge viii. 194 For the moment that miserable ivory had driven the recollection of him out of my head.

1919 ‘L. Malet’ Deadham Hard iii. iv. 254 Other things happened which rather put him out of my head.

1953 J. Griffin tr. J. Giono Horseman on Roof (1954) vi. 151 I couldn't possibly lend you any bowl or dish, put that out of your head.

1961 Boys' Life Sept. 54/1 I can't drive these heathen notions out of his head.

2006 Mail on Sunday (Nexis) 22 Jan. (You Mag.) 44 Any thoughts of a career in music were put out of her head by an early marriage and the arrival of her son.

(d) slang (originally and chiefly U.S.). to put a head on (also upon): to punch or assault; to give (a person) a beating. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific thing > strike with specific thing [verb (transitive)] > with the hand > with the fist

boxc1390

punch1530

nevela1572

fist1600

transfisticate1600

fisticuff1653

nubble1673

befist1718

plug1847

to put a head on (also upon)1866

to stick one on1910

1866 Evening Bull. (San Francisco) 28 Nov. There runs an universal irritability through a community, when the most peaceful member of it would ‘put a head’ on any other member..on the slightest pretext.

1874 J. H. Carter Log Commodore Rollingpin 207 In spite of all remonstrance, he proceeded, as he thought, To ‘put a head upon his man’.

1881 R. E. Shapley Solid for Mulhooly xviii. 123 If I can find the ——..I'll put a head on him!

1913 S. E. White Gold xxx. 288 If I ever hear you say another word like that, I'll put a head on you.

1927 F. H. Shaw Knocking Around xiii. 128 He tried to drive us, until Chamberlain protested and threatened to put a head on him.

o. to show one's head: to show oneself publicly; to appear in public. Cf. to show one's face at face n. Phrases 1b.

ΚΠ

c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) i. l. 2491 (MED) It is to hiȝe a routhe A man to apere or dore schewe his hede After tyme whan his worschip is ded.

1476 R. Cely Let. 28 Oct. in Cely Lett. (1975) 8 As for the tother ij, [they] dar not schew ther heddys.

1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Luke v. f. lxviii^v A ryght teacher of the gospell..shall shewe his head abrode, as often as the people shall nede the foode of euangelicall doctryne.

1597 W. Shakespeare Richard II v. vi. 44 With Cayne go wander through shades of night, And neuer shew thy head by day nor light.

1630 T. Randolph Aristippus 26 A Purgation, that should so scoure the Seas, that neuer a Dunkerke durst shew his head.

1671 E. Fowler Design Christianity xvi. 169 Where doth the highest and most daring of Impieties..so boldly shew its head as it doth here?

1764 S. Foote Patron iii. 68 I warrant he won't shew his head for these six months.

1822 London Mag. Apr. 305/1 The artificial Comedy, or Comedy of manners, is quite extinct on our stage. Congreve and Farquhar show their heads once in seven years only.

1895 E. E. Hale My Double 49 I shall not be likely ever to show my head there again.

1976 E. Crankshaw Shadow of Winter Palace (1978) ii. 35 Intervening with force anywhere in Europe where sedition showed its head.

2010 M. Sharratt Daughters of Witching Hill xv. 209 Old and infirm, she wasn't likely to show her head outside her door in such weather.

p. to stand on one's head.

(a) To perform a headstand by balancing on one's head with the feet in the air (usually using the hands or arms for support).In quot. stand v. in †to stand on head.

ΚΠ

eOE Bald's Leechbk. (Royal) (1865) i. lxxxiv. 154 Eft wiþ þon stande on heafde, aslea him mon fela scearpena on þam scancan.

1617 F. Moryson Itinerary i. 22 A Tumbler came in, and..stood upon his head.

1739 E. Carter tr. F. Algarotti Sir I. Newton's Philos. Explain'd I. iii. 156 A Boy who stands upon his Head sees every Thing inverted.

1886 R. Broughton Dr. Cupid II. iv. 103 Two years ago he would have stood on his head with joy at having the chance of going.

2018 Yorks. Post (Nexis) 30 Aug. The octogenarian can still perform cartwheels, stand on her head and do the splits.

(b) In various expressions used to indicate or boast that something can be done easily. Esp. in I can do it (standing) on my head.Originally chiefly used by criminals to boast that a punishment can be endured easily or without hardship.

ΚΠ

1842 Bradford Observer 25 Aug. 3/4 Prisoner: How long is it to my trial?—Town Clerk: Two months.—Prisoner: Oh! I can stand on my head that long, and whistle the charter through a window.

1849 Sunday Times 15 July 6/2 Mr. Combe..ordered him to pay 10l, the value, or, in default of payment, six month's imprisonment in the House of Correction, with hard labour. Prisoner (laughing):—Thank ye, I can do that upon my head with ease, or more.

1859 Calif. Police Gaz. 17 Apr. 1/3 Ten years is nothing,—we can stand on our heads for that time.

1901 Portsmouth Evening News 28 Aug. 4/1 When Holbein reached the French Coast..there was a slight lip on the water... He remarked ‘This isn't anything like so bad as the Solent, and I think I can do it on my head’.

1951 Control Narcotics, Marihuana, & Barbiturates: Hearings before Subcomm. of Comm. on Ways & Means (U.S. House of Representatives, 82nd Congr., 1st Sess.) 67 Violators usually get a year and a day, and they say ‘I could do that standing on my head.’ I have heard that so many times.

2012 J. Erdal Missing Shade of Blue xvii. 101 He had polished the jokes, cut out the fat. Now he could give them standing on his head.

(a) to take head.

(i) Also †to take the head. To throw off control or restraint; to behave in an unruly manner. Also with modifier, as to take too much head. Now rare (chiefly Irish English in later use).Originally and chiefly with reference or allusion to the behaviour of an unruly horse. Cf. to give (a horse) his (also her, its, etc.) head at Phrases 4e(b).

ΚΠ

1548 H. Grey Let. 19 Sept. (Hatfield House CP 150/118) My doughter..shall hardlie rule hyr sylfe as yet without a guide, lest she shuld for lacke of a bridle take to moche the head and conceaue suche opinion of hyr sylfe that [etc.].

1597 W. Shakespeare Richard II iii. iii. 14 Would you haue beene so briefe with him, He would haue bin so briefe to shorten you, For taking so the head, your whole heads length.

1622 J. Mabbe tr. M. Alemán Rogue ii. iii. 312 Shee had liu'd so long at her owne libertie, and had taken so much head, and now finding her selfe some-what restrain'd of it.

1754 A. P. Goddard tr. F. Guicciardini Hist. Italy VI. xi. 61 The Remissness of the Gonfaloniere in suffering the Enemies of the popular Government to take too much Head.

1844 Freeman's Jrnl. (Dublin) 21 May The horse took head at the precipitous step at Clonegam.

1858 Irish Metrop. Mag. 2 507 Roach had been quite calm throughout this interview. When he was alone, the bridled bitterness took head.

1906 Irisleabhar na Gaedhilge 16 184/1 The horse took head and ran or rushed headlong.

(ii) To make a rush forward; to take off at a run. Also to take a head. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > rate of motion > swiftness > going swiftly on foot > go swiftly on foot [verb (intransitive)] > run > start running

to take head1674

to take off1815

break1834

1674 N. Cox Gentleman's Recreation i. 37 Having broken out of a Forest and taken head end-ways, he [sc. a boar] will not be put out of his way either by man, dog..or any thing.

1768 H. Brooke Fool of Quality III. xvi. 115 So I took a head, and ran into the country as fast as my feet could carry me.

(b)

†(i) to take (a person) in the head: (of an impulse, whim, etc.) to come into (a person's) mind, to occur to (a person). Chiefly with it as subject and with that-clause or infinitive. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of ideation > idea, notion, or concept > come to mind, occur [verb (intransitive)]

comeeOE

runOE

to come to mindOE

occur?a1500

to move to mind?a1525

to come, fall under, lie in one's cap1546

to take (a person) in the head1565

present1585

overpass1591

to come in upon a person1638

suggest1752

to come up1889

1565 R. Shacklock tr. J. Osório Epist. to Quene of Eng. f. 54^v What so euer toy taketh hym in the heade [L. quidquid illi in mentem venit], that he so ernestly doth defend.

1591 F. Sparry tr. C. de Cattan Geomancie 38 He..will not do any thing but that which taketh him in the head.

1609 P. Holland tr. Ammianus Marcellinus Rom. Hist. xxi. i. 165 Now, it tooke him in the head..to set first upon Constantius.

a1632 T. Taylor God's Judgem. (1642) i. i. xx. 70 It took him in the head to..visit Rome.

1727 P. Aubin tr. R. Challes Illustrious French Lovers II. 32 A Whim took me in the Head, that it would be an excellent Comedy to go and bolt in upon my Mistress at that unseasonable Hour.

1757 J. H. Grose Voy. E.-Indies viii. 128 A fancy that shall take them in the head, that Bombay would afford a good present pillage.

1807 Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. 22 Aug. 269 It took him in the head to write against the rulers there [sc. in America] also.

(ii) to take (something) into (also in) one's head: = to get (something) into (also in) one's head at Phrases 4d(b). Chiefly in to take it into one's head.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of ideation > conceive, form in the mind [verb (transitive)] > take into the mind

conceive?a1425

to take (something) into (also in) one's head1570

attract1593

to get ideas (into one's head)1814

1570 T. North tr. A. F. Doni Morall Philos. iv. f. 96^v To driue out the suspition the Kinge hath taken in his heade [It. ha preso], that he thinketh there hath bene some trechery vsed towards him.

1612 T. Shelton tr. M. de Cervantes Don-Quixote: Pt. 1 iii. xii. 256 My Lord abandoning the purpose to purchase an Empire, would take in his head that of becomming a Cardinall.

1687 Bp. G. Burnet tr. Lactantius Relation Death Primitive Persecutors 69 Madly expenceful was he in the design that he took into his head of making Nicomedia equal to Rome it self.

1709 D. Manley Secret Mem. 74 From thence (flatter'd by Love) [she] took it into her Head, that it would not be long before she should be the Dutchess of ——.

1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 47. ¶7 When every Body takes it in his Head to make as many Fools as he can.

1748 M. Towgood Dissenting Gentleman's Third Lett. i. 10 One good Bishop..taking it into his Head that there ought to be a Trine-Immersion in Baptism.

1837 B. Disraeli Venetia I. 106 I took it into my head to walk up and down the gallery.

1876 E. Jenkins Blot on Queen's Head 17 Little Ben had taken it into his head..that the sign-board..could be improved.

1925 L. Hémon Battling Malone 277 [He] took it into his head that the household concerns did not really constitute a sufficiently serious occupation to absorb all his daughter's time.

1987 J. McCorkle Tending to Virginia 80 We would have had money if Raymond hadn't always taken it in his head that he had to buy the biggest and the best.

2009 D. Gabaldon Echo in Bone xxxi. 306 Someone from the Teal might take it into his head to liberate the sailors in the hold.

†(c) to take head against: = to make head against at Phrases 4k(a). Obsolete.

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1577 R. Willes in R. Willes & R. Eden tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Hist. Trauayle W. & E. Indies f. 458 How Captayne Olitus, whom Cortesius feared not a litle, & therefore sent vnder the pretexte of honour as it were to discouer other landes, tooke head him selfe agaynst Cortesius.

a1653 R. Filmer Patriarcha (1680) ii. 75 In no Kings Days were the Commons in greater Wealth, the Nobility more honoured, and the Clergy less wronged; who notwithstanding,..took head against him.

1681 R. Alleine Instr. Heart-work 162 When the People take Head against their Prince, what disorders follow?

P5. Proverbs and proverbial expressions.

a. to have a white (also grey, hoary, etc.) head and a green tail and variants: (of a man) to be lustful in old age. Now archaic and rare. [In early use, especially in metaphorical comparison to the leek, probably ultimately after Italian; compare Boccaccio Decameron (c1350) iv, il porro abbia il capo bianco, che la coda sia verde ‘although the leek may have a white head, its tail can still be green’.]

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c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Reeve's Tale (Ellesmere) (1870) Prol. l. 3878 Ffor in oure wyl ther stiketh euere a nayl To haue an hoor heed and a grene tayl.

1580 T. Crewe tr. G. Meurier Nosegay of Morall Philos. sig. B Q. What is an olde man amorous? A... He is like unto a hog with a white heade and a greene tayle.

1598 Bp. J. Hall Virgidemiarum: 3 Last Bks. iv. iv. 35 The maydens mocke, and call him withered Leeke, That with a greene tayle hath an hoary head.

1683 T. Tryon Way to Health xix. 613 How ill it looks to see..a Man, (according to the vulgar Proverb) appear like an Onion with a Gray Head and a Green Tail.

1721 J. Kelly Compl. Coll. Scotish Prov. 363 You breed of the Leek, you have a white Head and a green Tail. Spoken to old graceless prophane Wretches.

1841 Satirist 7 Feb. 47/2 There are three candidates for the hand of a Miss Piewell: an old Colonel Evans, with a grey head and a green tail—to his coat [etc.].

1949 L. Gay Wine of Satan xxviii. 255 I'll be laughed at, called that old man of Antioch who has a white head and a green tail, like an onion.

b. great (also big, mickle) head, little wit and variants: used to suggest that having a large head corresponds to a lack of intelligence.

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c1475 Mankind (1969) l. 47 Yowr wytt ys lytyll, yowr hede ys mekyll.

a1598 D. Fergusson Sc. Prov. (1641) sig. D4^v Meikle head, little wit.

1610 A. Cooke Pope Joane 124 Should the Church haue her wit, when she is bereaued of her head? The saying is, Great head, litle wit. But without question: no head, no wit.

1670 J. Ray Coll. Eng. Prov. 101 A great head and a little wit. This is only for the clinch sake become a Proverb, for certainly the greater, the more brains; and the more brains, the more wit.

1721 J. Kelly Compl. Coll. Scotish Prov. 253 Mickle Head, little Wit. A groundless Reflection; an eminent Instance to the contrary was John Duke of Lauderdale.

1845 Graham's Mag. Dec. 270/1 ‘A man with such a head can hardly be a fool.’ ‘There's nothing in heads, child,’ said the old lady..; ‘that's just a romantic notion... I know it's a common saying,..“Little head, little wit, Big head, less yet”.’

1885 Westville (Indiana) Indicator 10 Dec. The great difficulty with the Mug-wump party is that its mug is so much bigger than its wump—a clear case of big head and little sense.

1991 W. Mieder et al. Dict. Amer. Prov. 469 Big head, little sense. Vars.: (a) Big head and little wit. (b) Big head, little wit; little head, not a bit.

c. two (also many) heads are better than one and variants.Cf. Ecclesiastes 4:9, ‘Two are better then one; because they haue a good reward for their labour’ (King James Bible).

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a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) i. l. 1021 Tuo han more wit then on.]

1546 J. Heywood Dialogue Prouerbes Eng. Tongue i. ix. sig. Cii^v Two hedds are better than one.

1586 J. Norden Mirror for Multitude 53 This argument of many heads better then one, holdeth not in causes of heauenlye reuelations.

1591 E. Spenser Prosopopoia in Complaints 82 Two is better than one head.

1638 J. Taylor Bull, Beare, & Horse sig. B7^v The Butchers are crafty fellowes, and if you take not heed, they will cosin you, therefore I advise you to take the Dog with you, for two heads are better then one.

a1701 C. Sedley Speeches House of Commons 16 in Misc. Wks. (1702) Tho' it may be a Dispute, whether Many Heads are better than One, 'tis certainly true, that Many Votes are better than One.

a1777 S. Foote Nabob (1778) i. 5 Here comes brother Thomas; two heads are better than one; let us take his opinion.

1817 W. Scott Rob Roy I. viii. 167 O certainly; but two heads are better than one, you know.

1845 Amer. Whig Rev. Nov. 485 ‘Two heads are better than one,’ oraculizes the vulgar saw.

1876 Engin. & Mining Jrnl. 24 June 613/2 The intellectual reinforcement expressed in the proverb, ‘many heads are better than one’.

1906 Mrs. H. De la Pasture Man from Amer. xvii. 239 I was about to propose—two heads being better than one—that you should take me into partnership over this matter.

1951 E. Fitzgerald tr. A. Weissberg Accused ii. 47 Let's discuss whatever it is together. Two heads are better than one.

2000 Yahoo! Internet Life Mar. 168/1 When it comes to search services, two heads are better than one.

d. better (to be) the head of a dog than the tail of a lion and variants: it is better to be the most important or powerful person in a small or unimportant group, organization, etc., than to be an insignificant member of a larger or more prestigious one. Cf. big fish in a small pond at big adj. and adv. Compounds 2. [Apparently originally after Spanish (see quot. 1599), but similar proverbs exist in many countries.]

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1599 R. Percyvall & J. Minsheu Spanish Gram. 83 Mas vale ser cabeça de Ratón, que cola de León... Better to be the head of a Mouse then the taile of a Lyon... Better be chiefe in a meane place, then vnderling in a greater.

1670 J. Ray Coll. Eng. Prov. 101 Better be the head of a dog, then the tail of a lion... Better be the head of an asse, then the tail of a horse... These..proverbs have..the same sense, viz, Men love priority and precedency..though in an inferiour rank and quality.

1771 E. Barker New & Easy Gram. Eng. Tongue 331 It's better to be the head of a Pike, than the tail of a Sturgeon.

1823 I. D'Israeli Curiosities of Lit. 2nd Ser. I. 452 The ancient..spirit of Englishmen, was once expressed by our proverb, ‘Better be the head of a dog than the tail of a lion’; i.e. the first of the yeomanry rather than the last of the gentry.

1875 Phrenol. Jrnl. Apr. 270/2 It has been said that it is better to be ‘the head of a dog than the tail of a lion’. Would it not be better to be the head man in farming, blacksmithing, coopering, stone-cutting, than a ninety-ninth man in banking, law, medicine, or merchandising?

1919 K. C. McIntosh Amer. Merchant Marine 13 ‘Better the head of a rat than the tail of a lion,’ cries the Dominican. But since our military occupation this feeling is changing.

1998 J. R. Chaponnière & M. Lautier in M. Storper et al. Latecomers in Global Econ. iii. ix. 229 In a country where the social cost of failure is relatively low, workers are usually keen..to set up their own workshop... As the Chinese proverb has it: ‘Better the head of a chicken than the tail of a cow.’

P6. Miscellaneous phrases.

a. to make (also cut, etc.) shorter by a head and variants: to behead. Also to be shorter by a head: to have been beheaded.

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1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VI f. clxvj^v Beyng taken..was made shorter by the hedde.

1571 W. Baldwin et al. Myrrour for Magistrates (rev. ed.) f. 147^v I made him to be tane, And without iudgement be shortened by the head.

1575 T. Newton Summarie Saracens & Turkes in tr. C. A. Curione Notable Hist. Saracens f. 135^v Taking his chiefe Capitaine in the chase, [he] cut him shorter by the head.

1605 S. Rowley When you see Me sig. H4 Lets follow close To haue Queene Katherne shorter by a head.

1624 A. Darcie tr. P. Du Moulin Heraclitus 30 Many in Princes Courts put off their caps to them, whom they would gladly see cut shorter by the head.

1665 J. Crowne Pandion & Amphigenia 142 He slaughtered all that stood within the reach of his weapon, decollating some, making them shorter by the head, and dissecting others.

1793 tr. N. Bisani Picturesque Tour Europe xxxii. 148 They..made signs to us, that if we were seen by any one, they, as well as we, would run the risk of being made shorter by the head.

1806 J. B. Gilchrist Brit. Indian Monitor I. 258 A resident in Turkey will do well to learn the Turkish speech before he dabbles in mere Arabic lore, lest an insurgent rabble make him shorter by the head.

1878 A. H. Engelbach Danes in Eng. vii. 115 An thou brave thy King on this wise, thou shalt go back to thy father the shorter by a head!

1918 H. R. Haggard Moon of Israel (1920) xiii. 204 Be sure that I will remember your disobedience, and make you shorter by a head.

1999 D. Clemens & B. Purcell tr. E. Voegelin Hitler & Germans v. 193 [He] declared that people like Fleischer deserved to be made shorter by a head.

b. to worry (also trouble, bother, etc.) one's head: to concern oneself, to go to the trouble of thinking; to worry. Chiefly in negative contexts. Frequently with about, with, etc.

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1566 J. Rastell Third Bk. beware of M. Iewel f. 95^v To him that..wil not trouble his head with the euerlastingnes of the Soule, and a worlde to come, no Argumentes against M. Iewel can be sufficient.

1692 J. Locke 3rd Let. for Toleration ix. 199 He that troubles not his Head at all about Religion.

1765 L. Sterne Life Tristram Shandy VII. xxi. 74 The gardener..troubled his head very little with the hows and whens of life.

1813 M. L. Weems Drunkard's Looking Glass (ed. 2) 5 He does not trouble his head about asking the Fool where he has been, whether at a Funeral or a Wedding..or a Quilting-match.

1869 M. Bramston Erick Thorburn III. vii. ii. 264 Don't worry your head with thinking of business matters now—you are not up to them.

1940 C. Headlam Diary 11 Oct. in S. Ball Parl. & Politics in Age Churchill & Attlee (1999) v. 223 I talked very frankly to him:..told him not to worry his head about Ramsden, Topping & Co.

1978 W. M. Spackman Armful of Warm Girl 108 No birthright Philadelphia Quaker ever bothered his head over their slave-class preoccupation with the safety of their unappetizing souls.

2002 M. Daisey 21 Dog Years xiii. 174 Don't worry your pretty little head. We're going to make it up on the high-margin items.

c. to turn (also stand) (something) on its head: to put (something) into a state of disorder or confusion; to reverse or overturn (a system, situation, etc.).

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1883 Lake Park Vindicator (Oak Park, Illinois) 25 May Pattison is ineligible.., and Butler has stood the machinery of Massachusetts on its head.

1896 E. Eggleston Beginners of Nation iii. iii. 338 For a woman to teach and to have revelations was to stand the world on its head.

1918 T. Veblen Higher Learning in Amer. ii. 78 Plato's classic scheme of folly, which would have the philosophers take over the management of affairs, has been turned on its head.

1975 Guardian 22 May 23/8 Just when England looked as though they might stroll the rest of the evening Wales stood the game on its head.

1992 Time 22 June 30/3 The procedure is a form of gene therapy, but it turns conventional molecular engineering on its head.

2009 Independent 14 Sept. 1/3 Giving addicts drugs such as heroin on a maintenance basis, rather than weaning them off them, turns existing policy on its head.

d. to want (also demand, etc.) a person's head on a platter (also plate, etc.): to desire or demand the humiliation or punishment of a person for some (perceived) wrongdoing; esp. to desire or call for someone's resignation or dismissal, often as a scapegoat, after a political or professional error or scandal. Hence in similar phrases.With reference to the Biblical story of the daughter of Herodias, who requested the head of John the Baptist as her reward for dancing before her stepfather Herod Antipas (see quot. 1611).

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1611 Bible (King James) Matt. xiv. 8 Giue me heere Iohn Baptists head in a charger [c1384 Wycliffite, E.V. dische; 1526 (Tyndale) platter; 1560 (Geneva) platter; 1582 (Rheims) dish; L. in disco, Gk. ἐπὶ πίνακι] . ]

1885 Washington Post 12 May 1/7 He asks to be allowed to keep his seat until July 1, but the delegation..demand his head on a charger immediately.

1922 Our World Oct. 39 The Pan-Germanist group in Parliament..had been clamoring for Chancellor Schober's head on a platter.

1958 B. Wilder & I. A. L. Diamond Some like it Hot (film script) (O.E.D. Archive) 15 Jerry. What do you want—my head on a plate?

1986 E. E. Scharff Worldly Power viii. 128 The managing editor would not pull Williams out of Detroit, though there was no doubt that the industry wanted his head on a platter.

2011 D. W. Jacobson Katyn Order iv. 30 The station manager almost had my head on a platter when he found out.

e. colloquial (originally British). to do something (standing) on one's head: to do something with consummate ease. Usually with can or could. Cf. could do something in one's sleep at sleep n. 2a.In early use with reference to serving out a prison sentence.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > easiness > find no difficulty in [verb (transitive)] > do easily

to take in one's stride1832

to do something (standing) on one's head1872

to toss off1874

could do something in one's sleep1953

1872 Notes & Queries 18 May 404/1 Some incorrigible rogue or ruffian, who boasts his being able to ‘do it standing on his head’.

1877 Launceston (Tasmania) Examiner 6 Jan. He was now sentenced to seven days' solitary confinement, which he said he could do standing on his head.

1877 A. de Fonblanque Bad Luck III. vi. 120 About every other clearly convicted thief..when sentenced, put his tongue in his cheek, and declared he could do it on his head.

1896 G. B. Shaw in Sat. Rev. 24 Oct. 442/1 Of course, Mr Waring does the thing on his head, so to speak; but how can I compliment an actor who has done what he has done on stuff like that?

1922 A. A. Milne Red House Myst. xvi. 194 Right, old boy. Leave it to me. I can do this on my head.

1986 M. G. Eberhart Fighting Chance xv. 151 Well, there's one role that doesn't require many lines. You could do it on your head.

1996 D. Morehouse Psychic Warriors (1998) vi. 213 Don't worry too much about not being monitored—you've been around long enough to do this standing on your head.

2007 D. Blacklock False Advertising (2008) 273 I trained Helen for a couple of days last week and she could do the job standing on her head.

f. colloquial (originally U.S.). to need (to have) one's head examined (also checked, read) and variants: used to suggest that one's actions, opinions, etc., are irrational, wrong, or foolish.

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the world > health and disease > mental health > mental illness > be or become mad [verb (intransitive)]

dwelec900

wedec900

awedeeOE

starea1275

braidc1275

ravea1325

to be out of mindc1325

woodc1374

to lose one's mindc1380

madc1384

forgetc1385

to go out of one's minda1398

to wede (out) of, but wita1400

foolc1400

to go (also fall, run) mada1450

forcene1490

ragec1515

waltc1540

maddle?c1550

to go (also run, set) a-madding (or on madding)1565

pass of wita1616

to have a gad-bee in one's brain1682

madden1704

to go (also be) off at the nail1721

distract1768

craze1818

to get a rat1890

to need (to have) one's head examined (also checked, read)1896

(to have) bats in the belfryc1901

to have straws in one's hair1923

to take the bats1927

to go haywire1929

to go mental1930

to go troppo1941

to come apart1954

1896 Marion (Ohio) Daily Star 22 Jan. 5/4 When a young man becomes either too lazy or too rude to lift his hat to a lady he needs his head examined to see if it isn't internally injured.

1899 Boston Globe 6 June 11/2 (advt.) A working man who pays over $3 for a house lot in Weymouth..is wrong, and should have his head examined.

1907 Daily News (Perth, Austral.) 13 Sept. 1/8 Sheridan..meant much the same thing as the man who says, ‘You ought to have your head read,’ but being Sheridan he expressed it better.

1966 J. Bingham Double Agent ii. 25 If you think these chaps know nuclear secrets..you want your head examined.

1974 R. Jeffery & J. Keeble Mine i. 3 Sometimes I think I ought to have my head checked. What was I thinking to come up and bother you.

2005 B. Keating & S. Keating Blood Sisters (2006) xvi. 305 ‘You need your head examined!’ He turned away and poured himself some tea.

(a) coarse slang (originally U.S.). to have one's head up one's arse (also ass) and variants: to behave in an ignorant, inattentive, or self-absorbed manner.

ΚΠ

1946 Amer. Speech 21 33/2 Head up your ass, stupid, absent-minded.

1967 J. Heller We bombed in New Haven (1969) ii. 64 With my feet on the glass, And my head up my ass, I just got bomb, bomb, bombing along.

1979 Melody Maker 24 Feb. 20/3 Using a Bee Gees producer may not be too high, but we wanted someone who didn't have their head up their arse.

1998 R. L. Fleming She's All That (film script, revised) (O.E.D. Archive) 9 Then could I please talk to somebody who doesn't have his head up his ass? Yes, I'll hold.

2014 Sunday Telegr. (Nexis) 9 Feb. 22 John and I have to go to a lot of boring parties where there are lots of people with their heads up their arses, so a few glasses of wine make it more tolerable.

(b) coarse slang (originally U.S.). to get (also pull, etc.) one's head out of one's arse (or ass): to stop behaving in an ignorant, inattentive, or self-absorbed manner; frequently in imperative.

ΚΠ

1946 Amer. Speech 21 34/2 Pull your head out, pay attention to what you are doing.]

1949 V. Van Praag Day without End xiii. 184 If they'd get a few line soldiers back there, maybe they'd learn to get their heads out of their asses.

1988 S. Sewell Hate iii. ii. 70 Oh, get your head out of your arse, Michael. Don't you think she knew what was going on?

1990 H. G. Bissinger Friday Night Lights xiv. 267 Hustle off the field! Get your heads out of your ass!

2010 H. Jacobson Finkler Question ii. 67 ‘You tell me. What would Wittgenstein advise?’ ‘That you get your head out of your arse.’

2014 Northern Territory News (Austral.) (Nexis) 17 Dec. 13 Australians have got to pull their heads out of their ass and look around.

h. to put one's head on the block: see block n. Additions. to bash one's head against a brick wall: see brick wall n.¹ Phrases 1. to have eyes in the back of one's head: see eye n.¹ Phrases 4p. to need (something) like a hole in the head: see need v.² Phrases 2. to have a price on one's head: see price n. 10. not right in the head: see right adj. 8b. to have one's head screwed on right: see screw v. Phrases 2.

Compounds

C1. Uses relating to branch I.

a. General attributive.

(a) Of, for, or relating to the head as a part of the body (see sense 1). See also headband n. 1, headcloth n. 1, etc.

head attire n. [compare slightly earlier head-tire n.]

ΚΠ

1568 Bible (Bishops') Dan. iii. 21 These men were bounde in their coates, hosen, head attire, with their other garmentes.

1716 J. Blanch Speculum Commercii 26 The Fashion of high Head Attire, peaked up like Horns, and long train'd Gowns for Women.

1999 Western Daily Press (Nexis) 27 July 7 Even at Ascot one visitor snubbed the traditional floral head attire in favour of a Stetson.

head covering n.

ΚΠ

?1569 H. Gough tr. B. Georgijević Ofspring House of Ottomanno sig. F.i They..haue red heade coueringes, or of some other colour, made of cloth.

1836 E. W. Lane Acct. Manners & Customs Mod. Egyptians II. xv. 292 I have sometimes seen mourning women..having their faces.., and head-coverings and bosoms, besmeared with mud.

2002 D. B. Edwards Before Taliban viii. 303 [He] removes his head covering after Jabar has whispered in his ear that this friends will think he is a ‘villager’ if they see him wearing a turban.

head fillet n. [see fillet n.¹ 1a]

ΚΠ

1572 J. Higgins Huloets Dict. (rev. ed.) Head bande, or head fillet, vitta.

1870 J. Bonwick Daily Life & Origins Tasmanians 26 Both sexes often wore a head fillet of cord.

1982 Jrnl. Biblical Lit. 101 329 At least two score illustrations..show ‘Syrian’ figures wearing headbands and head fillets.

head hair n.

ΚΠ

OE Antwerp-London Gloss. (2011) 96 Capilli, heafodhær.

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. v. lxvi. 290 If a man is withoute hed her.

1596 L. Hutton Blacke Dogge of Newgate sig. C3 My heart did faint, my head hayre vpright stands.

1793 Bee 13 Nov. 55 Human head hair grows every day longer and longer.

1868 Belgravia 4 208 You will seldom find that the facial hirsutism of a man comes up to the perfect colour of his head-hair.

1999 Guardian 27 July ii. 10/4 Alopecia totalis..causes total loss of head hair.

head injury n.

ΚΠ

1839 Amer. Jrnl. Med. Sci. 25 217 There was but one order in the military hospitals..—to shave the whole head within an hour of admission in all cases of head injuries.

1928 Lancet 20 Oct. 816/2 Leriche considered that the hypotension in head injuries resulted from the formation of a porencephalic cyst on the brain surface.

2011 Daily Tel. 18 Nov. 11/2 They found a 41-year-old woman suffering from a head injury and airlifted her to North Devon District Hospital.

headknot n. [compare topknot n.]

ΚΠ

1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. iii. 98/1 Ear Knots, Forehead Knots, Head Knots, and Crown Knots falling backwards.

1717 M. Prior Alma ii. 332 Her scarf pale pink, her head-knot cherry.

1848 Puppet-show 13 May 68/1 Omnibus horses, decked out in all the glory of new reins and gigantic floral head-knots on the first of May.

2003 Internat. Herald Tribune (Nexis) 4 Oct. 8 The scarf of a Muslim woman..or the headknot of a Sikh cannot be concealed.

head massage n.

ΚΠ

1883 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 16 June 1198/2 Dr. Jensen spoke favourably of head-massage in fresh cases of ‘katatonie’.

1977 R. B. Tisserand Art of Aromatherapy viii. 131 We begin with head massage, in which no oil is used... Head massage can also be given as a preliminary to a back massage.

2007 Atlantic Monthly Sept. 135/1 At the San Marcos Holistic Centre, you can sign up for an Indian head massage.

head-top n.

ΚΠ

1545 G. Joye Expos. Daniel (xii.) f. 231 It is God that woundeth the head of his enimies & smyteth of the hearie head toppe of them that walke in synnes.

1843 Godey's Lady's Bk. May 231/2 His long black hair slightly mottled by age, was parted from the centre of his head top, and thrown over his shoulders.

1929 R. Hughes High Wind in Jamaica iii. 72 His sparse hair was pomaded so that it lay in a few dark ribbons across his baldish head-top.

2001 A. Wheatle East of Acre Lane 138 My hat ain't leaving my head-top, rasta.

head-trapping n.

ΚΠ

1814 C. A. Elton tr. Tryphiodorus in Specimens of Classic Poets III. 383 Round the cheeks and snowy neck he drew The curbing reins of purple-blushing hue; Head-trappings hung, that carved in ivory shine.

1933 Folk-lore 44 95 Some of the mules had white cord head-trappings with a border of blue beads on the outer edge.

2006 R. Yeomans Art & Archit. Islamic Cairo vi. 172/2 A woollen head-trapping for a horse showing a composite design of a cup between two lozenge-shaped napkins.

head trauma n.

ΚΠ

1888 Q. Jrnl. Inebriety Oct. 455 Under head trauma that affect the brain..may be included contusions, compressions, incisions, punctures, concussions, [etc.].

1984 Jrnl. Substance Abuse Treatm. 2 i. 10/1 A high proportion of chronic abusers suffer one or more instances of head trauma, either while intoxicated or as one of the vicissitudes of a drug-centered lifestyle.

2007 P. Green Pete Duel ii. 40 Often a head trauma will cause epilepsy.

head wing n.

ΚΠ

1610 J. Healey tr. J. L. Vives in tr. St. Augustine Citie of God vii. xiv. 273 [Mercury] had head-wings [L. pinnulae] also behind each of his eares.

1778 ‘H. Bowman’ Trav. viii. 361 Some of the Bonhommican ladies..still retained their own country manners; having..got small artificial head-wings.

1858 H. Adams & A. Adams Genera of Recent Mollusca I. 66 As they [sc. Gasteropods] grow,..the head-wings are absorbed.

2011 Our Kind of Stuff (Nexis) 3 Aug. Cap cycles through his classic costume (with pirate boots and little head wings).

head wound n. [compare Middle Dutch hooftwonde (Dutch hoofdwonde), Old Saxon hōvitwunda (Middle Low German hȫvetwunde)]

ΚΠ

eOE tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (Tanner) v. vi. 404 Ða heht he læce to him & him bebead, þæt he þa tolesdan geðiodnesse minre heafudwunde gesette & awriðe.

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 3796 Nennius..ne mihte finden bote of his hæfued wunde þe Julius smat mid honde.

1545 G. Joye Expos. Daniel 103^v Then contendeth this beaste to heale his awne deadly head wounde.

1658 W. Johnson tr. F. Würtz Surgeons Guid ii. viii. 70 When a Head-wound is healed, and riseth after the healing, and swelleth, and is very painful, then lance the Wound.

1754 H. Mason Extracts Old Treat. Surg. 5 In his Examples of Cures of Head Wounds, he writes [etc.].

1886 C. Heath Dict. Pract. Surg. I. 628 There has been an increase during later campaigns in the number of head wounds, which may be accounted for by the method of modern fighting.

1940 Lancet 12 Oct. 445/1 These cases included burns,..early head wounds and penetrating abdominals.

2002 M. Holroyd Wks. on Paper 41 His near-death from a combination of dysentery, malaria, septic sores and a serious head wound.

head wrap n.

ΚΠ

1844 Blackwood's Lady's Mag. & Gaz. Dec. 304 There can be nothing more elegant and comfortable for a head wrap on leaving the theatre or ball-room.

1905 Daily Chron. 15 May 3/3 A hood of this kind..will obviate any necessity for the wearing of those head-wraps.

2004 What's happening in Dar es Salaam Apr. 45 Rehema proudly displays an embroidered..blouse and trousers topped by a purple head wrap.

head wrapping n.

ΚΠ

1868 A. Wallace Desert & Holy Land vii. 135 Both they and the Bedouins..are particularly careful to cover their heads, and the different kinds of head wrappings..have a strange appearance.

1887 H. R. Haggard She xvii. 198 I looked up at Ayesha, whose head-wrapping had slipped back.

1998 Washington Times (Nexis) 3 Apr. a6 Many women in the crowd wore the brightly colored dress and head wrappings common in West Africa.

(b)

(i) Of, for, or relating to the head as the seat of the mind, reason, or intellect (see sense 2), as head decision, head logic, head notion, etc. Cf. heart n., int., and adv. Compounds 1b.

ΚΠ

1650 T. Mayhow Let. 7 Sept. in H. Whitfield Light Appearing (1651) 12 Head knowledge and lip prayers, without heart holinesse.

1671 T. Gale Theophilie vi. 143 The election of Christ for himself imports not only Head-logick, but Heart-logick also.

1768 W. C. Remarks upon Mr. Whitefield's Let. 42 You may despise correct Writing as a Species of Head Learning.

1780 F. Okely tr. H. Engelbrecht Divine Visions I. 61 The ratiocinative, or Head-Faith, is of no Use at all, Faith must be in the Heart.

1801 W. Huntington Bank of Faith Ded. 22 Filled with head notions from commentators rather than the grace of God in their hearts.

1856 C. Messent Autobiogr. Sunday School Teacher xiii. 116 Head logic was of more interest than heart worth.

1900 Lutheran Witness 21 Aug. 44/1 They regard the old Lutherans..as having only a dead kind of head religion, while they insist that a man must have heart religion.

1974 N.Y. Mag. 18 Feb. 46/1 I made a head decision. This was the time. I didn't really have any deep desire to get married, but I thought I should.

2008 K. R. Snodgrass Stories with Intent 90 For us faith is a head matter, whereas love is a heart matter.

(ii) Jazz. Designating a version or arrangement of a piece of music which is memorized rather than written down, and which thus gives scope for improvisation. Esp. in head arrangement.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > type of music > jazz > [noun] > improvisation or arrangement

screwball1936

head arrangement1944

1944 Billboard 12 Aug. 30/2 Because they use head arrangements the Dollodians are able to inject into their musical product a nice slice of interpretation.

1949 L. Feather Inside Be-bop iii. 21 He'd help to set up ideas for head arrangements.

1956 M. W. Stearns Story of Jazz (1957) xvii. 214 The Basic band developed the use of the ‘head riff’ (the improvised unison phrase, tossed back and forth by brass and reed sections) to the level of fine art.

2004 J. Sallis City Equal to my Desire 24 We worked up a head version of a slow, ballady blues, then put some time in on jamming ‘Take the A Train’ and ‘Lulu's Back in Town’.

2011 Herald-Palladium (St. Joseph, Mich.) (Nexis) 29 Dec. [He] has..earned a reputation for creating new head arrangements..for many of Goodman's classics.

b. Objective.

head-breaker n.

ΚΠ

?1518 Cocke Lorelles Bote sig. C.j Dyssymulynge beggers hede brekers.

1698 tr. L. Hennepin New Discov. in Amer. lxxvii. 293 They knock'd him down with their Clubs call'd Head-breakers, which are made of a very hard Wood.

1864 Duffy's Hibernian Mag. Feb. 113 He..shone as host, doctor, peace-maker, head-breaker, [etc.].

1998 R. Stone Damascus Gate ii. xxix. 210 What about this squad of head-breakers you told me about?

head-breaking adj. and n.

ΚΠ

1614 S. King in J. Taylor Nipping of Abuses sig. A The Poets old, (with much head breaking paine) Did learne of others to compose a verse.

1685 tr. F. M. van Helmont Paradoxal Disc. ii. App. 169 Each Mother might teach her Children to Read, Write, and cast Accounts, and that very naturally, without trouble, head-breaking, or charges.

1843 A. Bethune Sc. Peasant's Fire-side 8 To use your utmost endeavours to promote head-breaking.

1985 Listener 18 Apr. 7/1 Their allegations of old-fashioned head-breaking in a New Generation prison came as no surprise to the ACLU.

1992 R. Brown Before & After i. v. 62 This was a harder question than I had realized... It was like some ultimate philosophical head-breaking first question about the order of the universe.

head combing n.

ΚΠ

1777 P. Thicknesse Year's Journey France & Spain I. xxxi. 261 Head combing seems to be a principal part of the day's business among the women in Spain.

1827 T. Hood Craniology in Whims & Oddities 2nd Ser. 80 By simple dint of Head-combing.

1912 Cent. Mag. Aug. 498/1 His ear-washings, head-combings, tooth-brushings, and clothes-mendings,..were such as to make Miss Loring wish that [etc.].

2008 L. M. Knolhoff & D. W. Onstad in D. W. Onstad Insect Resistance Managem. vii. 132 Schools that are proactive in educating parents about head lice and regular head combing may lead to fewer incidents of head lice in children.

head-purging adj. and n.

ΚΠ

1591 E. Spenser Muiopotmos in Complaints sig. V2 Veyne-healing Veruen, and hed-purging Dill.

1710 W. Salmon Botanologia I. xiii. 20/2 All the Cephalick or Head-purging Pills in the World cannot purge the Head and Brain like to powerful Errhines, Gargarisms or Masticatories.

1998 E. M. Craik Hippocrates 235 The aim in both treatises is to alter the patient's physique... Both authors recommend head purging.

head-smashing n. and adj.

ΚΠ

1840 London Mag., Charivari, & Courrier des Dames Mar. 87/2 M'Kay—ever to be found like a spaniel at his side, although, in a ‘head-smashing’ business, more of an encumbrance than an aid.

1883 S. Robinson tr. Firdusi in Persian Poetry Eng. Readers 53 When Kākavi heard my voice, And saw the wounds of my head-smashing club.

1905 M. Nicholson House of 1000 Candles ii. 24 I was as hot an advocate as he of head-smashing as a means of restoring Ireland's lost prestige.

2009 R. Sacchetto Zombie Handbk. 104 Zombies..may even develop a resistance to head-smashing.

head tearing n.

ΚΠ

1647 N. Ward Simple Cobler Aggawam 57 Importable head-tearings and heart-searchings.

2008 A. James Catch Falling Star ix. 81 Thane was ready to do some head tearing as well.

C2. General attributive uses relating to branches II. and III.

a. Designating something which is located at the front or top, or in the leading part, of something.In quot. a1387: designating an initial letter.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > writing > written character > [adjective] > letter according to position

capitala1382

heada1387

final1530

initial1622

principial1625

subscript1683

mediala1749

superscript1793

adscript1812

epenthetic1831

epenthesized1880

non-final1896

the world > space > relative position > high position > [adjective] > of or relating to the top > situated at the top

head1556

surmounting1661

crowning1816

the world > space > relative position > front > [adjective]

furtherc1000

foremostc1275

formerc1384

farther1398

fornec1440

fore?a1513

forme1523

anterior1611

first1647

head1691

vanward1820

leading1825

forwardmost1834

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1872) IV. 299 Þe heed lettres [L. capitales litterae] of þe vers speleþ þis menynge.

1556 J. Heywood Spider & Flie sig. Hhiv^v Spiders, in head parts of windows: the heads be.

1691 J. Ashby Acct. Engagem. at Sea 2 Vice-Admiral Vandeputt having lost his Main Top-Mast, (which led our head Division,) put all his Division out of the Line.

1796 Instr. & Regulations Cavalry 202 The head division of each..regiment.

1799 J. Robertson Gen. View Agric. Perth 107 This fence..because it ran across the head of every farm..was called..the head-dyke.

1893 W. T. Wawn S. Sea Islanders 226 The vessel paid off under the weight of her head canvas.

1902 Mod. Amer. Tanning I. 74 The liquors used in the head row of vats stood at the desired barkometer degree of 16.

2011 B. Sutherland Mod. Warfare, Intelligence & Deterrence ix. 117 The inner envelope holds helium in the head section of the blimp and an ethane fuel gas in the three tail sections.

b. Chiefly Nautical. Designating a wind or current which comes from in front and impedes forward progress. See also headwind n. 2a.Earliest in head sea n. at Compounds 4.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > direction > specific directions > [adjective] > having forward direction > coming from ahead

headc1595

the world > the earth > water > flow or flowing > current > [adjective] > flowing in specific direction

westering1747

outsetting1763

western1814

head1829

south-easterly1883

c1595 Capt. Wyatt in G. F. Warner Voy. R. Dudley to W. Indies (1899) 52 The settinge of head seas in soe darke a night within soe straight and daingerous a passage.

1799 J. Sansom Let. 2 May in Port Folio (1812) Feb. 121 By ten o'clock the air thickened, and a head gale springing up, sent us all sick to bed.

1829 G. Head Forest Scenes N. Amer. 43 The wind was fair, but we were opposed by a violent head current, which caused a short chopping sea.

1849 Edinb. Christian Mag. July 80/1 The morning was gusty. We were breasting a head-breeze.

1879 H. H. Romilly Jrnl. in Lett. Western Pacific & Mashonaland (1893) iii. 21 We reached [Kandavu] late at night, being cold and wet, having been beating against a strong head trade wind for fifteen hours.

1906 M. S. C. Ross Around Mediterranean iv. 41 We left Tunis..in a strong head-gale of wind.

1999 Independent Rowing News 13 Nov. 34/1 There were flags flapping proudly in the head-breeze.

c. Of or relating to the head tube of a bicycle or tricycle. Cf. sense 24c. See also headpiece n. 8, headset n. 1.

ΚΠ

1893 Wheel & Cycling Trade Rev. 13 Jan. 22/3 They have a new method of adjusting the crank bearings and also the head bearings.

1953 Pop. Mech. Apr. 199/2 If the bearing shows appreciable wear it should be replaced. Complete head-repair sets are available for this purpose.

1959 Sears, Roebuck Catal. Spring 1017/1 Universal Head Bearing Set... Fits all bicycles.

2005 G. Andrews Mountain Bike Maintenance 134/1 If you find that the bottom bracket is too low or the head angle is too slack, run slightly less sag in the rear shock.

C3. General attributive, designating a person or thing in a position of command, superiority, pre-eminence, etc.; chief, leading, principal, most important (see branch IV.).Attributive use of head in this sense may sometimes be interpreted as adjectival; cf. headest adj.

(a) Applied to people.Some of the more established compounds of this type are treated separately.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [adjective] > most important

mosteOE

foremostc1000

headOE

headlyOE

nexta1200

umest1513

primary1565

headest1577

ruling1590

forward1591

capital1597

of the first magnitude1643

palmary1646

top1647

prepondering1651

headmost1661

home1662

life-and-death1804

palmarian1815

bada1825

key1832

première1844

the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > pre-eminence > [adjective]

firsteOE

headOE

highOE

greatc1350

upperestc1374

chief1377

singular1377

principala1382

royalc1425

cardinal1440

pre-eminenta1460

praisea1475

main1480

maina1525

primary1565

captain1566

arch1574

mistressa1586

capital1597

topless1609

primea1616

metropolitan1635

transeminent1660

whole1675

uppermost1680

primus inter pares1688

topping1694

Sudder1787

par excellence1839

banner1840

primatial1892

OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 2nd Ser. (Cambr. Gg.3.28) xxvii. 246 Abiathar, ðæra iudeiscra heafodbiscop.

OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 2nd Ser. (Cambr. Gg.3.28) xxxvi. 305 Þa twelf apostolas..synd ða heafodwyrhtan þyssere getimbrunge.

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 299 Aaron wass hæfedd preost.

c1450 (?c1400) tr. Honorius Augustodunensis Elucidarium (1909) 29 (MED) Þe hede preestis of þe chirche schulde chastise suche.

1489 W. Caxton tr. C. de Pisan Bk. Fayttes of Armes ii. i. sig. F6 The worthy conquerour prynce and hed capytayne of the grete oost of the romayns Scypyon the Affrycan.

1532 L. Cox Art or Crafte Rhetoryke sig. D.viii Milo had a..iourney to the city of Lauine..to poynte who shuld be hed preest there.

1533 J. More tr. D. de Góis Legacye Prester Iohn f. 22^v To theym she gaue here letters of commendacyon dyrected to the hed ruler of that prouynce.

1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. xj The lord Stuard nor the head officers could not cause them to abstaine.

1598 W. Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost iv. i. 43 Which is the head lady?

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Soubchantre, an vnder-chaunter..inferiour to the head Chaunter.

1691 A. Wood Athenæ Oxonienses I. 163 [He] was sent..into the north parts of England to stir up the first rebellion there, whereof Charles Nevile Earl of Westmorland was a head captain.

1710 Ld. Shaftesbury Soliloquy 159 How the inferiour Imps appear; when the Head-Goblin is securely laid.

1764 ‘G. Psalmanazar’ Memoirs 75 This mark of distinction did..entitle me to be head monitor and marshal of that whole school.

1803 G. Colman John Bull i. i. 16 Dan. I be head ostler, only we never had no horses nor customers.

1892 ‘R. Boldrewood' Nevermore II. 132 I knocked over the head warder at Ballarat.

1977 N.Y. Times 11 Dec. v. 9 There currently are 55 female head pros at clubs in the United States.

1981 R. M. Bramson Coping with Difficult People 35 Terry is the thirtyish head manager of a dynamic advertising agency.

2000 Independent on Sunday 2 Jan. (Review Suppl.) 27/1 An outstanding Bloody Mary recipe created by Jacqui Thomas, formerly head barwoman at Dust.

(b)

head chef n.

ΚΠ

1877 Sat. Rev. 15 Sept. 327/1 The head chef may be absent on leave..but his aides-de-camp place their best services at your disposal.

1922 Harper's Bazar Nov. 122/3 Three head chefs and eight assistants labored to delicious purpose over steaming vats, kettles, pans and grills.

2006 Independent on Sunday 3 Apr. 45/3 Blaise Vasseur, the head chef at Kent gastropub the George and Dragon.

head chorister n.

ΚΠ

1828 G. F. Lyon Jrnl. Resid. & Tour Mexico I. i. 31 The Alcalde..took me to the top of the church, of which he is the head chorister.

1874 C. A. Jones Tales on Parables iv. 88 ‘Come to church, Robert,’ said young Harry Lyte, the head chorister of S. Michael's and All Angels.

2009 Cathedral Music May 7/1 I rose, eventually, to the dizzy heights of solo boy and head chorister.

head clerk n.

ΚΠ

1514 in T. Percy Regulations & Establishm. Houshold Fifth Earl of Northumberland (1768) 51 Every Heede Clark of the Keching v marks.

1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. iv. 155 She followeth him into his cabine of leachery, where if any action be done, shee receiueth from the Head-Clarke her approbation thereupon.

1822 Ld. Byron Vision of Judgm. lxxxix. 32 He..scribbles as if head clerk to the Fates.

1900 L. B. Browne Words that Burn xvi. 123 He..gave a few orders to the head clerk and the bookkeeper, and prepared to leave.

2007 T. R. Metcalf Imperial Connections vi. 194 The chief engineer's department..possessed one English head clerk at Rs. 275 per month.

head coach n.

ΚΠ

1893 Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Sentinel 6 May 7/2 The university could not have taken a wiser step..than it did in appointing Mr. Stewart as head coach for the coming season.

1935 N.Y. Herald-Tribune 3 Dec. 23/7 He was ‘fired’ as head coach at Texas A. and M. College at the tag end of the 1933 schedule.

2011 New Yorker 25 Apr. 24/1 Lieberman is the head coach of a minor-league basketball team called the Texas Legends.

head cook n.

ΚΠ

1603 P. Holland tr. Plutarch Morals 425 When the head cooke or clerke of the kitchin gave up his account unto him and other his companions in government, of their ordinary charges for certeine daies; he misliked nothing in his bill but the great quantitie of oyle that was spent.

1790 Edinb. Mag. Jan. 66/1 Her great grandfather having, it is said, been head-cook to the first emperor of Gumala.

1857 Househ. Words 17 Jan. 54/1 A peasant once told me..that of all professions in life he should prefer that of head-cook in the house of a seigneur.

1951 Billboard 14 July 107/2 Billie Timberlake..has accepted a position as head cook at a resort hotel in Noel, Missouri.

2002 H. Kunzru Impressionist (2003) 143 She..is already back, washed and ready for her chota hazri, before the head cook has even made an appearance in the kitchen.

head gardener n.

ΚΠ

1700 tr. F. P. Dalairac Polish Manuscripts: Secret Hist. John Sobieski III v. 203 The Title..of Bachy, which the Turks give to the Chief Persons of every Profession; as to the Head-Gardner, the Head-Cook, [etc.].

1805 J. Carr Northern Summer 341 In one of the Prince's journies to the Crimea, Mr. Gould attended him, being at that time his head gardener.

1998 A. Sealy Everest Hotel (1999) 241 The head gardener comes to the arch and coughs.

head librarian n.

ΚΠ

1723 Freeholder's Jrnl. 4 May 450/1 Out of the above mention'd Sum, 60 l. per Ann. is to be settled on the Head Librarian of the University.

1862 A. Trollope N. Amer. I. 360 The librarianesses looked very pretty and learned..; the head librarian was enthusiastic.

1996 F. McCourt Angela's Ashes (1997) xiv. 355 Out or I'll call the head librarian and she'll have the guards on you.

head nurse n.

ΚΠ

1704 tr. A. Sepp Acct. Voy. Spain to Paraquaria iv, in A. Churchill & J. Churchill Coll. Voy. IV. 656/2 The Missionary is..obliged to be both Physician and Apothecary..; nay what is worse, he must be head Nurse.

1859 F. Nightingale Notes on Nursing vi. 36 The entente cordiale..between the doctor and his head nurse.

2008 N.Y. Times Mag. 27 July 66/1 The hospital's head nurse instructed that a protective net be fastened to the bed frame.

head prefect n.

ΚΠ

1847 Times 4 Aug. 6/3 I was called out of the play-ground..and told to go to the room of Mr. Speakman, the head-prefect.

1906 J. Blyth Lawful Issue iii. vi. 246 It fell to my portion as head prefect to read prayers at the Schoolhouse.

2011 Independent 28 Apr. (Viewspaper section) 7/2 Bully-boy head prefects..telling us to pull our socks up.

(a) Applied to things.

ΚΠ

OE Laws of Æðelred II (Corpus Cambr. 201) viii. v. §1. 264 Heafodmynstres griðbryce æt botwurðan þingan bete man be cyninges munde.

lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) anno 1086 Swylce eac on ðam ilcan timan forbarn fullneah ælc heafodport on eallon Englelande.

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 8469 Ȝerrsalæm wass hæfedd burrh Off issraæless riche.

?a1300 St. Eustace (Digby) l. 234 in C. Horstmann Altengl. Legenden (1881) 2nd Ser. 216 He axede..wy hy weren so I-fare Ouer þat heued felde.

c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig. A.xi) (1887) l. 4773 Sebriȝt & þe king of kent..At londone of seint poul an heued chirche gonne arere.

a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) vii. l. 811 The brighte Sonne stant above..for it is the hed Planete.

Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 232 Heed Cyte, Metropolis.

a1500 Form of Confession (Nero A.iii) in W. Maskell Monumenta Ritualia Ecclesiae Anglicanae (1882) III. 301 I haue not kepyd the statuts of oure order: specyally the hede vowes of religion.

1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VII f. lviii^v London..the hed citie of hys realme.

1658 W. Johnson tr. F. Würtz Surgeons Guid i. vi. 22 Having cleared the two head points..I will touch also other abuses.

1752 J. Louthian Form of Process (ed. 2) 82 At the Market Cross of the Head-burgh of the Shire, Stewarty, or other Jurisdiction.

1836 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. July 38/2 Impeach me just as bitterly as you please; they will reckon it for certain that you hide—the head charge of the impeachment.

1883 in Papers & Testimony C. T. O'Ferrall vs. J. Paul (U.S. House of Representatives, 48th Congr., 1st Sess.) (1884) Misc. Doc. No. 16. 62 The head grievance that he seemed to take exception to was that capitation-tax tickets had been given to others to distribute instead of him.

1924 K. Wicksell Let. in Econ. Jrnl. (1981) 91 200 I could shorten the paper very much..or even compress it into a single paragraph containing only the head argument.

1998 R. D. Lewis Road from Wigan Pier ii. 58 We learnt later that Lapinjärvi was in fact the head village (Kirkonkylä) for the area.

†(b) spec. Designating the cardinal virtues or the capital sins (see cardinal adj. 1, capital sin n. 1). Chiefly in head sin, head virtue. Cf. headly adj. Obsolete. [In head sin probably ultimately after post-classical Latin capitale peccatum or vitium capitale (see capital sin n.); compare Old Frisian hāvedsende , Middle Dutch hōvetsonde (Dutch hoofdzonde ), Middle Low German hȫvetsünde , Old High German houbitsunta (Middle High German houbetsünde , early modern German hauptsünde ), Old Icelandic hǫfuðsynd , Old Swedish hovuþsynd (Swedish huvudsynd ), Old Danish houæt synd (Danish hovedsynd ), all in sense ‘deadly sin’ (in modern use also ‘serious or notable sin’ more generally).

With head virtue compare Middle Dutch hōvetdoget cardinal virtue (Dutch hoofddeugd, now also ‘(a person's) main virtue’), Middle High German houbettugent (a person's) main virtue (German Haupttugend, in early modern German also in sense ‘cardinal virtue’).]

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > aspects of faith > spirituality > sin > kinds of sin > [noun] > mortal

head sinOE

capital vicec1522

capital sin1550

scapea1592

cardinal sin1603

society > faith > aspects of faith > spirituality > sin > kinds of sin > [adjective] > mortal

headlyOE

headOE

deadly?c1225

mortala1475

lethal1583

unvenial?1589

society > faith > aspects of faith > piety > [adjective] > cardinal virtues

heada1400

society > morality > virtue > [noun] > a virtue > specific groups of > cardinal

cardinal1340

head virtuea1400

cardinalc1450

OE Ælfric Homily: De Duodecim Abusivis (Corpus Cambr. 178) in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 296 Nu syndon eahte heafodleahtras [a1225 Lamb. heofod sunnan] þa us onwinnað swiðe.

OE Ælfric Homily: De Duodecim Abusivis (Corpus Cambr. 178) in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 297 Nu syndon eahta heafodmægna [a1225 Lamb. heafod mihtan] þe magon oferswiðan þas foresædan deoflu þurh Drihtnes fultum.

OE tr. Chrodegang of Metz Regula Canonicorum (Corpus Cambr. 191) l. 273 Gif hwilc broðor an preosthirede heafodgylt [L criminalem culpam] gefremme, ne beo him nan first læten, þæt he..sylfwylles dædbote do.

OE tr. Abbo of St. Germain Sermo in Cena Domini (Corpus Cambr. 190) in D. Bethurum Homilies of Wulfstan (1957) 372 Forþi ðonne ne sceal on eow belyfan ænig heafodsyn [L. criminale vitium].

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 10213 Grediȝnesse iss hæfedd plihht.

?a1300 in F. J. Furnivall Minor Poems Vernon MS (1901) ii. 767 (MED) Þe seuene heued sunne Þat we beþ ofte wiþinne.

J. Gaytryge Lay Folks' Catech. (York Min.) (1901) l. 448 The seuen heued synnes or dedely synnes.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 10010 Four vertus principals, þe quilk man clepes cardinals; All oþer vertus o þam has hald, For-þi er þai hede vertus tald.

1494 W. Hilton Scala Perfeccionis (de Worde) ii. xi. sig. kv Of pryde or enuye, of couetyse or lechery or of ony other hede synne.

1595 A. Fletcher Certaine Similies 154 Pride, gluttonie, abundance of worldly wealth, vainly and wickedly vsed, idlenes from all good works, and no stretching foorth of hands, vnto the poore, and needie, were the very capitall, and head sinnes.

1616 W. Gouge Πανοπλια του Θεου 204 Faith is a capitall grace... Wee ought to bee the more carefull of this head vertue, because [etc.].

1654 T. Gataker Disc. Apol. 67 His Popish reckoning of the seven Hed-sins.

1677 J. Brown Christ the Way vi. 115 These lusts are the lusts of sin, or of that Head-sin, which hath a law, or the force and impulse of a law, in the soul.

C4.

head affection n. [see affection n.¹ 7] now rare a disease or illness affecting the head.

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1818 Edinb. Med. & Surg. Jrnl. 14 328 In this state she continued a fortnight, with every appearance of a head affection of the most dangerous character.

1862 J. B. Harrison Lett. Dis. Children iii. 47 In relation to head affections.

1950 Gleaner (Kingston) 1 June 16/7 (advt.) For treatment of:—Coughs, Colds, Influenza, Heart or Head Affections,..Colics etc.

† head angle n. Geometry Obsolete rare either of two opposite (opposite adj. 1a) angles.

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1570 H. Billingsley tr. Euclid Elements Geom. i. f. 23^v If two right lines cut the one the other: the hed angles [L. anguli, Gk. γωνίας] shal be equal the one to the other.

head-axe n. †(a) Whaling an axe used for butchering the head of a whale (obsolete); (b) an axe having a head consisting of a sharp metal blade combined with a backward-pointing spike, used by some headhunting tribes in the Philippines (now historical).

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1818 T. Lynn Improved Syst. Telegr. Communication (ed. 2) sig. 2A4^v Ironmonger... Head-axe and helve.

1874 C. M. Scammon Marine Mammals N. Amer. 232 The rest of the cutting gear..which consists of toggles, spades..head-axes, etc.

1901 Jrnl. Amer. Folk-lore 14 205 The young Igorrote..goes forth, taking his head-axe with him. Within a radius of about three miles of his native village he is in honor bound to behead nobody.

2004 E. M. Coffman Regulars 66 One did not have to venture very far from Baguio to see warriors with their head-axes and spears along the trail.

headbay n. a stretch of water immediately above a lock or dam; cf. tail-bay n. (b) at tail n.¹ Compounds 2.

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1837 D. H. Mahan Elem. Course Civil Engin. 201 The head-bay is enclosed between two parallel walls, which form a part of the side walls of the lock.

1914 Engin. News 12 Nov. 961/2 The power bays are simple vertical cells divided by a floor..which separates the headbay from the tailbay or draft-tube section.

1999 J. E. Hite Model Study Marmet Lock Filling & Emptying Syst. ii. 12 Skimming weirs located in both the headbay and tailbay maintained essentially constant upper and lower pools during filling and emptying operations.

head betony n. North American (now rare) either of two plants used medicinally, the common Eurasian betony, Stachys officinalis, and a North American lousewort, Pedicularis canadensis; = wood betony n. at wood n.¹ Compounds 2c(b).

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1785 Mem. Amer. Acad. Sci. 1 460 Head Betony. The middle segment of the lower lip of the blossom is toothed. Blossoms purple.

1824 J. Monroe Amer. Botanist & Family Physician 46 Head-Betony. The plant is corroborant and errhine. The roots are emetic and cathartic.

1921 Amer. Botanist 28 65 ‘Head Betony’ is a variation of the name which might indicate that the lousiness was not always confined to cattle though it probably refers to the heads of flowers.

1972 Phytologia 22 375 Head-Betony—Flower without upper lip but with a long lower lip, the style and stamens long protruding and nearly erect.

head bone n. [compare Old Icelandic hǫfuðbein] the skull; any of the individual bones of the skull.

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the world > life > the body > structural parts > bone or bones > skull > [noun]

head boneeOE

head paneOE

panOE

brainpanOE

skull?c1225

harn-pan1340

brain skulla1400

calvairc1420

pot of the head?a1425

pan-bone1545

cranew1555

pannicle1590

pericranium1590

cranion1611

poll1721

braincase1726

brain-box1789

pericrane1804

cobbra1832

cranium1842

neurocranium1907

eOE Bald's Leechbk. (Royal) (1865) i. liii. 126 Monnes heafodban bærn to ahsan.

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 735 He smot Numbert..þat his hæfd-bon [c1300 Otho heued-bon] to-brec.

c1440 (?a1400) Sir Perceval (1930) l. 1190 (MED) He..Made þe Sarazenes hede-bones Hoppe als dose hayle-stones Abowtte one þe gres.

1638 A. Read Man. Anat. Body of Man (new ed.) 522 Those which are seated betweene the head bones, and rumpe bone, are either anterior, laterall, or posterior.

1790 J. Hassell Tour Isle of Wight II. xiv. 3 Seating themselves on the head-bone of a dead horse, they guide themselves down the steepest declivities.

1887 Pop. Sci. Monthly Oct. 761 The head-bone or skull of a wolf, when burned thoroughly and finely pounded, would heal racking pain in the joints.

1926 D. H. Lawrence David vii. 58 Surely the Lord was in that round stone, that digged the pit in Goliath's head-bone!

2008 T. Gore et al. Horse Owner's Vet. Handbk. (ed. 3) 279 A traumatic injury to the head may cause a fracture of the head bones in more than one location.

head boom n. Nautical a boom at the head of a ship; a jib boom or flying jib boom.

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1831 In Common Pleas 66 The vessel turned round, it came right under the head boom.

1890 Sunday Inter Ocean (Chicago) 20 Apr. 22/1 The rig of the Newark will be that of a bark without head booms.

1988 Mich. Hist. Rev. 14 51 The Queen Charlotte inexorably bore down on the Detroit, helplessly ramming her head booms squarely into Detroit's tangled mizzen rigging.

† head-bound adj. Obsolete having one's head bound; esp. wearing a turban.

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a1625 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Knight of Malta i. iii, in Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Kkkkk/2 Head-bound Infidels.

1733 Capt. Downes All Vows Kept ii. ii. 19 An holy War Against the Turk, or head-bound Saracen.

1888 R. Kipling Drums of Fore & Aft in Wee Willie Winkie 83 ‘'Tisn't so much the bloomin' fighting,’ gasped a headbound trooper of Hussars.

head bowler n. Cricket (now disused) a bowler who bowls tactically, as by varying deliveries with a view to deceiving the batter into making a mistake, rather than by straightforward repetition of a particular style of delivery; cf. to bowl with one's head at bowl v.¹ 4b.

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1856 Bell's Life in London 8 June 7/1 To run out, and to a clever ‘head’ bowler like Mr M'Cormick.

1870 New Sporting Mag. New Ser. 60 35 I must..see another little square man..before I believe that a better head bowler ever lived than Lillywhite.

1934 Observer 26 Aug. 19/5 The head bowler has died out. Most of those who change their pace and pitch..do not work on a plan.

† head bowling n. Cricket Obsolete bowling characterized by the use of tactics, rather than simple repetition of a particular style of delivery.

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1860 Sporting Life 29 Feb. 4/3 Clarke was the talented exponent of that peculiar style of effective head bowling that will always have followers, as long as the noble game of cricket continues a leading pastime.

1901 Sat. Rev. 31 Aug. 266/1 Head-bowling requires great keenness of observation and some power of consecutive thought.

1925 Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 30 Nov. He is an excellent first wicket man in association with a forcing bat against head bowling.

head boy n. (a) the boy designated to hold the senior position among the pupils in a school, or (in early use) one occupying a position of pre-eminence on grounds of ability, etc.; a male school captain; cf. head girl n. (b) (more generally) a boy (in various senses) occupying a position of authority or seniority.

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society > education > learning > learner > one attending school > [noun] > head boy or girl

captain1706

head boy1713

head girl1801

1713 R. H. Common Dialogues amongst School-boys iii. 18 The Head Boy [L. primus] of every class.

1738 Expos. Common Prayer 22 Nov. A numerous Appearance of the Reverend Clergy, and other Gentlemen, to whom was spoken an Oration..by the head Boy of the School.

1841 Mrs. Clemons Manners & Customs India ix. 87 After calling some time my horse-keeper and head boy made their appearance.

1905 Westm. Gaz. 4 Dec. 3/1 Over each gang [of miners] is appointed a Chinese ‘head boy’.

1991 Independent 5 Jan. 46/4 Stephen played rugby and cricket and was head boy at school.

2008 J. O. Coffey & B. Wood 100 Years 99 Enoka was..the head boy and first XV captain at Christchurch Technical College.

† head-brand n. Obsolete a large piece of wood placed in a fire in order to keep it going at night.

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c1350 Nominale (Cambr. Ee.4.20) in Trans. Philol. Soc. (1906) 15* Astre chenet et aumare, Herthe hed-bronde and louere.

a1425 Medulla Gram. (Stonyhurst) f. 56 Repofocilium, an hadbronde or a Skrene.

c1450 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 607/33 Repofocilium, an hedbronde.

head breakage n. [compare Old English hēafodbryce , early Middle English heafodbrice breaking of the skull, broken head ( < head n.¹ + bruche n.¹)] †(a) (in the usage of Thomas Carlyle) the causing of injury to a person's head; an instance of this (obsolete); (b) the breaking of the head of something.In quot. 1827 with reference to the contravention of grammatical rules (see to break Priscian's head at Priscian n. 1).

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1827 T. Carlyle tr. J. P. F. Richter in German Romance III. 218 The well-known head-breakages of Priscian [Ger. Donatsschnitzern] on the part of the Magnates in Pest and Poland.

1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. II. i. v. 43 How often has the broached barrel proved not to be for joy and heart-effusion, but for duel and head-breakage!

1843 T. Carlyle Past & Present ii. xvii. 114 Cain's slaying Abel by swift head-breakage.

1905 Daily Railway Age 21 June 1089/1 It is head breakage that scraps most of our couplers.

2002 U.S. Patent 6,354,963 7 The head [of the golf club] can be kept thick while maintaining a high moment of inertia. This prevents head breakage due to impact and the like.

head-brush n. now historical and rare a hairbrush.

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1596 T. Nashe Haue with you to Saffron-Walden sig. O3^v His case of head-brushes and beard-brushes.

1632 Edinb. Test. LVI. f. 23, in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at Hede, Heid Tuentie sevin heid brushes.

1850 Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Daily Sentinel & Gaz. 8 Oct. One of the hairs left in the head brush of Miss Lind at New York, has been sold for eleven thousand five hundred and seventy-seven dollars.

1993 P. Ackroyd House of Dr. Dee (1994) iii. 108 He asked the barber the price..of head-brushes and of beard-brushes.

head cap n. (a) a cap for the head; (b) a marking resembling this on the head of an animal; (c) Bookbinding (usually as one word) that part of a book's binding which covers the headband.

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1764 A. Masson Coll. Eng. Prose & Verse (ed. 4) xiv. 32 They were dressed in white satin waistcoats, brown lutestring petticoats, and fine laced head-caps.

1845 A. C. Bullitt Rambles in Mammoth Cave 29 In the knapsack..[was] one head cap, made of wove or knit bark,..of the shape of the plainest night cap.

1881 O. Finsch Rep. Birds Tonga in C. W. Thomson & J. Murray Rep. Sci. Results Voy. Challenger II. 57 Front and vertex delicate purplish-lilac, forming a pale and..circumscript head-cap [on a bird].

1946 E. Diehl Bookbinding ii. xv. 217 The leather forming the headcaps should just cover the headband.

1963 J. A. Hostetler Amish Society ii. vi. 136 One of the most highly symbolic of all garments among the women is the Kapp or head cap worn by every woman and even by infants.

1988 J. Greenfield Care of Fine Bks. i. 34 This plain, eleventh-century binding was..held in an outer case by the turn-ins which were folded around the lining and headcap cores.

2000 Times 25 Apr. i. 15/1 It [sc. a monkey] has a silvery-white upper body, an orange-yellow belly, a black tail and a grey head cap.

head capsule n. Zoology the hard case forming the head of an arthropod, esp. an insect larva.

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1884 Amer. Naturalist 18 1235 This conical head-part..being retrusible into the firm head-capsule..was supposed to be the coalescing mouth-parts.

1947 A. D. Imms Outl. Entomol. (ed. 3) ii. 10 The exterior of the head is formed of several sclerites which are amalgamated to form a hard compact case or head capsule.

2004 Jrnl. Wildlife Managem. 68 685/2 We based our determination on sclerotized chitin parts that were not affected by digestion (e.g., chelicers, mandible, legs, wings, head capsules).

head-carry v. transitive to carry (a load) on one's head; = head-load vb.

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society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance by carrying > transport or convey by carrying [verb (transitive)] > convey by carrying (of person) > on the head

head-load1945

head-carry1948

1948 Christian Sci. Monitor 27 Nov. 11/2 In Liberia, it takes a native 13 days to head-carry products from the interior to the sea.

1957 R. Campbell Portugal 84 Trundling, head-carrying, or pedalling their various contraptions.

2002 R. L. Paarlberg Governance & Food Security in Age of Globalization v. 36/2 African women learn from an early age how to head-carry heavy loads..over remarkable distances.

head-carrying adj. that carries loads on the head.

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1919 K. Jordan Against Winds ix. 54 The hip undulations and the statuelike poise of the upper part of the body inherited from headcarrying, savage women, centuries back.

1997 Urban Hist. 24 329 Food and drink hawkers, newspaper vendors and head-carrying women sellers walked the streets offering mobile shopping to passing customers.

head cell n. [after German Kopfzelle (1861 or earlier, with reference to plant hairs)] Botany a rounded terminal cell at the end of a stalked structure (as a trichome, or the manubrium in the antheridium of a stonewort); cf. capitulum n. 3c and sense 15g.

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1884 F. O. Bower & D. H. Scott tr. H. A. de Bary Compar. Anat. Phanerogams & Ferns i. 63 Elongated hairs bearing on a usually three-celled stalk a large oval or pear-shaped head-cell [Ger. Kopfzelle], not glandular.

1919 J. N. Martin Bot. for Agric. Students xiii. 334 The terminal cell [of a manubrium], known as head cell, divides into a number of cells and each of these produces a pair of long filaments.

1968 Bot. Gaz. 129 96/2 They [sc. glandular trichomes] consist of a single row of cells, differentiated into a rounded or elongate head cell and one or more stalk cells.

2000 Plant Physiol. 124 655/2 Small, capitate glandular trichomes, with a single secretory head cell.

head centre n. now historical the most senior officer in any of various Irish republican organizations (esp. the Fenian Brotherhood or the Irish Republican Brotherhood); see also centre n.¹ 16.

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1863 Times 19 Oct. 9/5 The ‘Head Centre’, or Grand Master, is one Colonel John O'Mahoney, of New York.

1915 P. A. Sheehan Graves at Kilmorna xi. 74 The document..appointed Captain James Halpin Head Centre for that district with plenary powers.

2008 Hist. Ireland 16 44/1 The lectures were chaired by Tipperary emigrant William Burke, head centre of the Tara circle of the Fenian Brotherhood.

† head chair n. Obsolete a chair with a high back constructed so as to provide a rest or support for the head.

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1889 Cent. Dict. Head-chair, a chair with a high back, made to support the head in a convenient position.

1923 Harmsworth's Househ. Encycl. III. 2063/3 Head Chair, this is a high-backed chair fitted with a rest for the head, generally in the form of extensions of the wings.

head cheese n. [probably originally after Dutch hoofdkaas (late 18th cent. or earlier); compare French fromage de tête (15th cent. in Middle French in fromage de teste de sanglier, lit. ‘boar's head cheese’)] North American a terrine made with meat from the head of an animal (usually a pig); brawn.

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the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > meat dishes > [noun] > pork dishes

souse1391

cockagricec1400

shieldc1400

head cheese1831

hogshead cheese1839

pig cheer1873

porchetta1929

carnitas1949

bak kut teh1969

sisig1987

samgyeopsal1993

1831 Lady's Bk. Sept. 137 She found..the table set out with all the dainties of Dutch cookery, crullers, rulleges, head-cheese and preserves.

1891 H. Frederic Copperhead (1894) 255 Reducing what remained of the [pig's] head into small bits, to be seasoned..and then fill other pans as head-cheese.

1942 C. Morley Thorofare (1943) xli. 159 Yes, Ma'am, over here we call it headcheese, but I remember my old gramp called it brawn.

1990 T. Ruprecht Toronto's Many Faces 354 Two Ukrainian delis that sell..head cheese..are Astra Meat Market..and Durie Meat Products.

† head-chute n. Nautical Obsolete a tube used to convey refuse from a ship's bows down to the water.

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1882 in C. F. Goodrich Rep. Brit. Naval & Mil. Operations Egypt (1885) v. 43 A puncture made by a shot striking the head chute and bringing up against the water-way of the mess deck.

1889 Cent. Dict. Head-chute, a canvas tube or pipe leading from a ship's head down to the water's edge, for the purpose of conveying refuse matter overboard.

head clause n. Grammar the principal clause of a sentence or statement.

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the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > syntax or word order > syntactic unit or constituent > [noun] > clause > other specific types of clause

clausulec1449

protasis1588

illative1604

apodosisa1638

incident proposition1725

subordinate clause1809

subclause1823

adjective clause1834

subject clause1840

nominative absolute1843

that-clause1845

head clause1915

contact-clause1927

content clause1927

wh-clause1957

1915 Mod. Lang. Rev. 10 364 In the earliest examples type A is the most frequently represented, ‘nie sô’ standing as the head-clause whether as a principal sentence or in indirect speech.

1928 H. Poutsma Gram. Late Mod. Eng.: Pt. 1 (ed. 2) I. i. 38 A subordinate statement with modal may often stands with a head-clause containing possible.

2001 Russ. Linguistics 25 186 In Old Church Slavic, as in Modern Russian, the agent of the gerund must be identical to the subject of the head clause.

head coal n. Mining the uppermost portion of a thick seam of coal, esp. when left unworked for the present.

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1830 Edinb. Encycl. XIV. 355/2 The head coals are brought regularly down in large tabular masses, of such thickness as suits best with the free partings.

1883 W. S. Gresley Gloss. Terms Coal Mining Head-coal (S[cotland]), the upper portion of a thick seam of coal which is worked in two or more lifts.

2002 R. Armstead & S. L. Gardner Black Days, Black Dust (2003) xiv. 118 As he moved in, the head coal fell down over the loading machine. A chunk of coal snapped out of the top and hit the loader on the head.

head cold n. a common cold, esp. when affecting mainly the nose and eyes.

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1848 Family Economist 1 18/2 During every season, certain people have ‘head colds’, coughs, and ‘feverish colds’.

1926 People's Home Jrnl. Feb. 27/1 (advt.) Also wonderful for clearing up head colds and snuffles, ‘Vaseline Jelly’ is safe for babies.

1977 P. Bowles Let. 3 Dec. in In Touch (1994) 480 The air is mausoleum-temperature, and everybody is afflicted with either head colds or bronchitis.

2007 Mighty Toddler (S. Afr. ed.) xii. 312 Complications from head colds, such as ear or chest infections, are more common in toddlers.

head collar n. a horse's headstall (headstall n.¹ 1); a similar harness for the head of a dog or other animal.

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1769 J. W. Baker Short Descr. Instruments of Husb. (ed. 3) 45 Dutch Head Collars or Halters, for Stables, with double Leather Reins.

1895 E. Wood Cavalry Waterloo Campaign v. 119 Horses are said to be linked when the collar chains or head-ropes are passed through the links of the head-collars of the horses on either side.

1988 Orange County (Calif.) Reg. (Nexis) 9 Dec. b2 Instead of a choke chain, Myles uses a head collar, which goes on the [dog's] head like a horse's halter.

2010 A. Dugdale Vet. Anaesthesia xxx. 262/1 The padding is to protect superficial nerves near bony prominences from the metal rings in the head collar.

head cone n. Zoology rare a conical appendage, present in two or three pairs, surrounding the mouth of some pteropod molluscs.

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1848 T. R. Jones in Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. IV. 176/1 The mouth of the Clio is a vertical fissure, that is easily displayed by slightly folding back the head-cones.

2000 Biol. Bull. 198 302 Single pair of posterior head cones.

head constable n. a senior or chief constable (in later use as a specific rank in certain police forces, notably in India and Pakistan where it is approximately equivalent to a police sergeant elsewhere).

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1562 Coll. Substaunce Certaine Necessary Statutes in Proclam. Observ. Certein Statutes sig. I.iii^v The sayde Churchwardens shal haue aucthoritie..to cal the said Baylife and head Constable before the Iustices of peace or two of them.

1798 J. Black Let. 8 Sept. in True Briton (1799) 29 Oct. He is Head Constable at Paramatta, and is much respected.

1839 Freeman's Jrnl. (Dublin) 24 July This reserve force is to consist of two chief constables, four head constables, and two hundred constables and sub-constables.

1868 Ann. Rep. Admin. Bengal Presidency i. 29 There are..two road posts in the Chittagong District, at which 2 head constables and 8 constables are employed.

1923 Scotsman 23 Mar. 4/5 Others who were presented [to the Prince of Wales] included Mr F. H. Caldwall, Head Constable of Liverpool; Mr G. Everitt, Assistant Head Constable of the city; [etc.].

1994 Friday Times (Lahore) 18 Aug. 8/5 The constable was stronger than the head constable and she threw her boss to the floor.

head cover n. (a) chiefly Military cover or protection for the head; (as a count noun) something serving to cover or protect the head; (b) a cover for the head of a golf club.

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society > armed hostility > military equipment > armour > helmet > [noun]

helmc725

hoodc1275

crestc1325

iron hatc1330

testerc1386

helmet1470

cap1530

hood-skull1537

headpiecea1555

caska1586

mazer1605

casque1696

head cover1839

1839 R. Fitzroy Narr. Surv. Voy. H.M.S. Adventure & Beagle II. viii. 147 In hasty, unforeseen skirmishes, they engage in as light order as the more northern Indians, without head-cover or mantle.

1860 Punch 18 Feb. 72/2 The Anglo-Saxon shields were oval and convex... But though they looked like dishcovers, their chief use was as head-covers.

1890 F. D. Lugard Diary 26 Mar. (1959) I. iv. 160 Along the top [of the Stockade] a log for head cover, and line below it for firing.

1909 J. D. Gatewood Naval Hygiene vi. 599 The majority of a crew seem to wear head-cover during most of their time awake.

1923 R. Kipling Irish Guards in Great War I. 24 The Battalion..next day quietly improved trenches and head-cover.

1934 Landmark Jan. 58 Another useful device to clip on to any old golf-bag is a leather head cover for one club.

1961 N. Lorch Edge of Sword iv. ii. 151 The trenches were not sufficiently deep; they had no head cover.

1998 Daily Post (Liverpool) 25 Apr. (Wales ed.) 3/3 (advt.) The Golf Store... MacGregor package. 9 irons, 3 woods, putter, bag & headcovers £299.00.

2000 Piecework Nov. 50/1 An embroidered length of cloth that may be worn as a shawl or head cover.

† head-cowl n. Zoology Obsolete rare one of two coverings on the head of some pteropod molluscs.

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1848 T. R. Jones in Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. IV. 174/2 The head-cowls are shown partially folded back, so as to display the conical appendages (head-cones) which the cowls enclose and protect.

† head-cracker n. Whaling Obsolete = head spade n.

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1889 Cent. Dict. Head-spade, a long-handled instrument..belonging to the cutting-gear used by whalers... Also called head-cracker.

head crash n. Computing a failure of a hard disk drive in which the read-write head comes into contact with the surface of the platter (platter n.¹ 4), causing permanent damage and loss of data.Head crashes are often caused by a sudden and severe movement of the drive while it is in use, such as when a laptop computer is dropped.

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1965 Brit. Patent 989,692 4/2 The spring bias and diaphragm natural resiliency act against the air pressure on the diaphragm to prevent the condition known as ‘head crash’ or ‘head-disc contact’.

1984 PC 18 Sept. 149/3 To prevent head crashes, hard drive manufacturers seal the disk (and drive works) inside air-tight cans or cartridges.

2010 N.Z. Herald (Nexis) 25 Nov. It's..more robust than the other MacBooks—no danger of bangs producing hard drive head crashes.

head cringle n. Nautical a cringle (cringle n. 1a) at the upper corner of a sail.

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1813 A. C. Twent Zeemans Woordenboek 84/2 Nok-leuver,..head cringle.

1841 R. H. Dana Seaman's Friend i. vi. 39 Fasten the head and reef earings to their cringles, reeving the end of the reef-earings through the head-cringle.

1973 K. Hankinson Rigging Small Sailboats v. 39 Several methods are used to attach the halyards to the head cringle of the sails.

head dip n. an act of dipping the head; (Surfing) a manoeuvre in which a crouching surfer dips his or her head into the face of a wave while riding it.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > washing > washing oneself or body > [noun] > an act of

wash1839

washdown1849

head dip1886

wash-up1887

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > water sports except racing > surfing > [noun] > actions of surfer

kick-out1801

ride1883

side-slip1913

surf1917

slide1935

pull-out1957

quasimodo1960

head dip1962

nose-riding1962

rolling1962

spinner1962

stalling1962

toes over1962

cutback1963

Eskimo roll1964

re-entry1968

right1968

rollercoaster1968

barrel roll1971

hold-down1982

railing1983

cross-stepping1990

cross-step1994

turtle roll2001

1886 Weekly Wisconsin (Milwaukee) 9 Jan. 2/3 A rousing head-dip at the pump-trough was all they required in the morning to make them clean and rosy.

1962 D. Muirhead Surfing in Hawaii 82 Most hot-doggers..want to do head dips, nose walking, toes over's, [etc.].

1977 W. J. Smith Behavior of Communicating (1980) xiv. 449 (caption) The hostess..terminates the distance salutation with a head dip, shutting her eyes.

2008 Orange County (Calif.) Register (Nexis) 23 Aug. Doyle was..shown doing a ‘head dip’. That is where you sort of bend over and stick your head into the wave with your hands clenched behind your back.

head-doctor n. colloquial a doctor dealing with mental health; a psychiatrist.

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the world > health and disease > healing > psychiatry > [noun] > psychiatrist

mad-doctor1697

head-doctor1850

mind-curer1856

psychiater1857

alienist1864

psychopath1864

psychiatrist1869

mind-curist1889

trick-cyclist1897

soul doctor1922

loony-doctor1925

witch doctor1930

psych1946

headshrinker1950

wig-picker1961

shrink1966

shrinker1967

1850 C. Kingsley Alton Locke II. xii. 180 D'ye ken a medicamentum that'll pit brains into workmen—? Non tribus Anticyris! Tons o' hellebore—acres o' strait-waistcoats—a hall police-force o' head-doctors, winna do it.

1956 ‘E. McBain’ Cop Hater (1958) xxi. 177 ‘What's the matter with this guy?’ ‘Nothing that a head doctor couldn't cure,’ Byrnes said.

1999 C. Creedon Passion Play xvii. 136 I sorta didn't know wat was real, or wat was a dream. It was Yvette convinced me to see a head-doctor.

head drop n. [after Japanese kubisagari ( < kubi neck, head + sagari, nominalized stem of sagaru to go down, drop)] Medicine †(a) a disorder (not identified) characterized by drooping of the head, occurring in parts of Japan, esp. north-eastern Honshu and eastern Shikoku (obsolete); (b) (more generally) drooping of the head towards the chest, esp. as a result of dysfunction of the neck muscles; an instance of this.

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1887 K. Nakano in Sei-i-Kwai Med. Jrnl. 6 206 Head-drop is the name by which the disease is called among the native people and its history is not known.

1890 J. S. Billings National Med. Dict. I. 624/1 Head-drop, name of a form of disease endemic in certain valleys in Japan, and characterized by..a feeling of weight of the head.

1894 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 4 Aug. 17/2 Marked fibrillary contraction in the wasting muscles... No head drop.

1949 H. W. C. Vines Green's Man. Pathol. (ed. 17) x. 216 Diphtheria toxin..also contains a neurotoxin which causes degeneration of nerve fibres resulting in peripheral neuritis and paralyses of muscles, especially..muscles of the neck, causing head-drop.

2005 Adv. Neurol. 95 85/1 In some children [with myoclonic epilepsy], there is an atonic component associated with a head drop.

head earing n. Nautical an earing (earing n.³) attached to a head cringle.

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1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Rabans de pointure, the head-earings, or reef earings of a sail.

1841 R. H. Dana Seaman's Friend i. vi. 40 Have the earings bent and secured.., and the bights of the head-earings hitched to the buntlines.

2001 R. Drumm Barque of Saviors vi. 68 The clew rings, head earings, and other hardware to which the lines are bent are attached as they are on traditional square sails.

head fake n. North American Sport a feinting manoeuvre performed with the head in order to deceive an opponent; also in extended use.

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1936 Athletic Jrnl. Nov. 5/2 An end must always try to outsmart the opposing tackle,..trying by head fakes to mislead the tackle in the use of his hands.

1941 R. H. Barbour & La M. Sarra How to play Better Basketball iii. 29 A head fake..will often provide an uninterrupted course to the basket.

2001 K. Walker & M. Schone Son of Grifter xix. 171 Mom and Ken tried to throw the D.C. Superior Court a final headfake on the morning of July 12.

2009 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 26 Mar. b14/4 Players use head fakes, ball fakes and elbows to try to get their defender off balance.

head-fake v. North American Sport intransitive and transitive to (attempt to) deceive with a head fake; also in extended use.

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1939 R. H. Barbour & La M. Sarra How to play Six-man Football 83 Center drives across, head-fakes as though going into defensive Half back's zone, and cuts right.

1975 Forbes 1 July 87/3 Taylor is uncertain about the meaning of this. Maybe another bank's traders are ‘head faking’—trying to throw the competition off base.

1990 Star-Ledger (Newark, New Jersey) 12 Jan. 92/2 When Short doesn't have a shot, he usually creates one by simply pump-faking and head-faking his man.

2001 Sporting News 26 Nov. 10/2 A smaller guy likes to try to get his body in front of you... I may shake and head-fake to get him to cheat one way.

head faking n. North American Sport the action of performing a head fake; also in extended use.

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1936 B. Gullion Basketball Offensive Fund. Analyzed 39 Head faking is especially effective with this pass.

1966 Salt Lake Tribune 14 Mar. 21/1 Months remain for CBS, NBC and ABC to accomplish the usual bluffing, head-faking and side-stepping (they call it ‘strategic counter-programming’).

2004 Lowell (Mass.) Sun (Nexis) 10 Mar. Last time we tried a lot of head faking with him, but tonight we went right at him.

head feast n. now historical (among certain headhunting tribes) a feast featuring ceremonial or ritual use of the head or heads of enemies.

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1857 Chambers's Jrnl. 26 Sept. 203/1 The grand entertainment is delayed till an abundant harvest should enable them to celebrate the head-feast in a manner suited to the dignity of the occasion.

1882 H. de Windt On Equator 82 These ‘Head Feasts’ are general among the aboriginal tribes throughout the island of Borneo.

1996 J. Hoskins Headhunting & Social Imagination S.E. Asia 22 In the invocation recited at the head feast, taking heads is seen as gathering the fruit of this tree in the afterworld.

head-felt adj. felt in or proceeding from the brain or intellect; chiefly contrasted with heartfelt.

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1834 M. Edgeworth 20 July in F. A. B. Edgeworth Mem. Maria Edgeworth (1867) III. 142 It is a heart-felt as well as a head-felt satisfaction to me that you do not think I have lowered what my father took such pains to raise for me.

1880 T. W. Allies Life's Decision 137 Heart-felt and head-felt difficulties.

1965 Jrnl. Legal Educ. 17 182 This may not produce any change in basic attitudes, nothing heartfelt or headfelt, but surely it is better than nothing.

2004 BackStage (Nexis) 10 Sept. It was the night's most heartfelt and head-felt rendition.

headfire n. a fire, or the front of a fire, spreading or moving in the direction of a prevailing wind, typically with great intensity and speed.

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1877 E. Baldwin Hist. La Salle County 147 The head fire in dry grass and a high wind is fearful, and pretty sure to have its own way unless there is some defensible point from which to meet it.

1968 J. McPhee Pine Barrens 108 A forest fire moves in a V, like the wake of a ship. The point of the V is called the head fire.

2002 Nature Conservancy Fall 32/1 Then, riding a sweetly timed northeast wind, the headfire lurches away from Avon Park Cut-Off Road, whooshing with the velocity of a bellowing locomotive.

head-fish n. †(a) an edible marine fish (not identified) found in Asian waters (obsolete rare); (b) (originally U.S.) an ocean sunfish (family Molidae), which has the appearance of consisting chiefly of a large head without a tail. [In sense (b) perhaps after scientific Latin Cephalus, former genus name of the sunfishes ( G. Shaw Gen. Zool. (1804) V. 437; < ancient Greek κεϕαλή head: see cephalo- comb. form), unless this is itself after English.]

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1811 J. Pinkerton Gen. Coll. Voy. & Trav. IX. xiii. 632 The head-fish is the most plentiful [fish in the seas around Siam]... Its form is nearly like that of a whiting, but much larger.

1812 Med. Repository 3rd Hexade 3 195 (heading) The cephalus, or head-fish, inhabits the waters of New-York.

1847 Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc. 1843–7 4 11 A fish found upon Squam Beach N.J. called by the fishermen the Head-fish.

1931 Copeia No. 3. 135 It has been the privilege of each of us to see a specimen of the little known sunfish or head-fish, Masturus lanceolatus.

2004 D. R. Khanna & P. R. Yadav Biol. Fishes xvi. 308 The Round-tailed Sun-fish (Mola) has a deep, circular and somewhat compressed body looking as though the tail end had been amputated.., a feature to which the popular name of ‘Head-fish’ refers.

head flannel n. now historical and rare a piece of flannel used as a protective wrapping for the head of a baby.

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1834 ‘P. Reedpen’ Our Town II. 173 I must get her to buy me a piece of flannel, my head-flannels are all worn out.

1861 I. M. Beeton Bk. Househ. Managem. xli. 1021 The infant..must not be exposed to strong light, or too much air; and in carrying it about the passages, stairs, &c., the nurse should always have its head-flannel on.

1913 L. A. Harker Ffolliots of Redmarley vii. 87 She opened the head flannel and displayed a small, dark head and a red, puckered countenance.

1920 A. K. Smith Cutting Out for Student Teachers 199 A Head Flannel may be as simple or as elaborate as the worker desires.

1993 E. Ross Love & Toil v. 138 Finally came a ‘monthly’ gown, flowing to well below the baby's feet and often pinned, and a ‘head flannel’.

† head flaw n. [ < head n.¹ + flaw n.²; compare earlier headwind n. 2] chiefly U.S. regional (New England) Obsolete a sudden gust of wind blowing from directly in front; (figurative) an adverse turn of events, a setback.

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1803 M. L. Weems Let. in Ford's M. L. Weems: Wks. & Ways (1929) II. 280 A head flaw..has taken me all aback again.

1834 S. Smith Sel. Lett. Major Jack Downing xxxvi. 90 I've had a good many head-flaws and worriments in my life there.

1842 H. W. Longfellow Let. 20 July (1967) II. 435 Finding his sails flapping in this head flaw, the old Viking puts about.

1908 G. S. Wasson Home from Sea iv. 132 You ain't need git rattled over no such little head-flaw as that, Clarry!

1909 Portsmouth (New Hampsh.) Herald 6 July 1/4 A head flaw of wind lost Ducker the first place when two lengths from the finish.

head fold n. Embryology a fold under the cephalic end of the blastoderm in an early amniote embryo, from which the anterior part of the body develops.

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the world > life > biology > biological processes > procreation or reproduction > embryo or fetus > embryo parts > [noun] > membrane and layers of cells

germinal layer1836

cell layer1843

mucous layer1846

germ layer1855

mesoblast1857

blastoderm1859

head fold1873

mesoderm1873

epiblast1875

hypoblast1875

splanchnopleure1875

mesenchyme1881

acroblast1884

mesothelium1886

epimere1890

mesectoderm1894

mesendoderm1894

cœloblast1895

placode1907

shield1913

mesentoderm1921

meristoderm1945

bilayer1962

1873 Q. Jrnl. Microsc. Sci. 13 275 The cells, again, are very small at the head fold, but are very much larger in front of this.

1951 G. R. de Beer Vertebr. Zool. (ed. 2) xiii. 176 Eventually this area vasculosa spreads over most of the blastoderm up to the germ-wall, except for a region immediately in front of the head-fold which is known as the proamnion.

2005 R. Bellairs & M. Osmond Atlas Chick Devel. (ed. 2) xii. 111/2 With the formation of the head fold and head it becomes shifted.

head-foot n. [ < head n.¹ + foot n., after head-footed adj.] Zoology (in molluscs) the soft structure lying below or anterior to the visceral mass, consisting of the head merging into the protrusible foot (in a gastropod) or into the tentacles (in a cephalopod).

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1929 Encycl. Brit. V. 150/1 On the posterior side of this head-foot (cephalo-pedal mass) is a muscular tube, the funnel.

1993 E. N. K. Clarkson Invertebr. Palaeontol. & Evol. (ed. 3) viii. 215/2 The head-foot, i.e. the protrusible part of the body, can be withdrawn inside the shell by retractor muscles.

head-footed adj. [ < head n.¹ + footed adj., after scientific Latin Cephalopoda cephalopoda n.; compare cephalopod n. and cephalopodous adj.] Zoology having a ring of tentacles attached to the head, as is characteristic of cephalopod molluscs.

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1826 A. Eaton Zool. Text-bk. 111 I include the whole grand division, Mollusca, in one class; though Cuvier subdivides it into the classes, Cephalopodia, head-footed—Pteropodia, wing-footed [etc.]

1851 T. Wright & G. F. Richardson Introd. Geol. (new ed.) viii. 248 [The head] is surrounded by a circle of fleshy processes, or feet, from whence the name of the class, ‘head-footed’, is derived.

1920 T. D. A. Cockerell Zoölogy xxxiv. 250 The Cephalopoda or head-footed mollusks include the octopus, squid, nautilus, and the extinct ammonites.

2012 J. F. Morrissey & J. L. Sumich Introd. Biol. Marine Life (ed. 10) 94 Squids, like other cephalopods, are called the head-footed mollusks because the head bears a crown of appendages that is homologous to the foot in other mollusks.

head fountain n. [compare earlier head well n.] now rare (chiefly U.S. in later use) = fountainhead n. (in either sense).

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the world > existence and causation > causation > source or origin > [noun]

welleOE

mothereOE

ordeOE

wellspringeOE

fathereOE

headeOE

oreOE

wellspringOE

rootc1175

morea1200

beginningc1200

head wella1325

sourcec1374

principlea1382

risinga1382

springinga1382

fountain14..

springerc1410

nativity?a1425

racinea1425

spring1435

headspring?a1439

seminaryc1440

originationc1443

spring wellc1450

sourdre1477

primordialc1487

naissance1490

wellhead?1492

offspringa1500

conduit-head1517

damc1540

springhead1547

principium1550

mint1555

principal1555

centre1557

head fountain1563

parentage1581

rise1589

spawna1591

fount1594

parent1597

taproot1601

origin1604

fountainhead1606

radix1607

springa1616

abundary1622

rist1622

primitive1628

primary1632

land-spring1642

extraction1655

upstart1669

progenerator1692

fontala1711

well-eye1826

first birth1838

ancestry1880

Quelle1893

the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > system > [noun] > head or source

headeOE

wellspringOE

springOE

uptaking1241

head wella1325

wellheadc1330

sourcec1386

headspringa1398

headstreama1398

risinga1398

surge1523

springhead?a1560

head fountain1563

water head1567

fountainhead1585

headwater1612

fill1622

water source1651

urn1726

vomica1838

sponge-swamp1901

1563 J. Foxe Actes & Monuments 546/2 Holy Prophetes, Patriarkes, Apostles, and other good faithfull people in olde tyme, in all tribulation and anguyshe resorted vnto the head fountayne, whiche is of grace infinite.

1600 R. Surflet tr. C. Estienne & J. Liébault Maison Rustique i. iv. 11 If it happen that the head fountaine be somewhat too farre from the farme, you may force the water to come thither.

1688 J. Norris Theory & Regulation Love i. iii. 24 The Heart is..the Head-fountain of Life.

1776 in W. W. Hening Statutes at Large: Coll. Laws Virginia (1821) IX. 263 All that part of the said district lying to the northward of the county of Augusta, to the westward of the meridian of the head fountain of Potowmack, [etc.].

1829 T. Dwight Sketches Scenery & Manners U.S. 35 A prayer..which he chanted in a few solemn words over the head fountain of those waters which pour down the mountain's side.

1852 Freemasons' Q. Mag. & Rev. 30 June 170 Canton..is the seat of an administration which has only in rare instances recourse to the head fountain of authority.

1911 Dental Summary 31 23 The deepest inspiration for work comes only to the one who can occasionally drink from the head fountain of knowledge.

1950 J. R. Smith Tree Crops (new ed.) xxv. 369 Two legislative blows at the very base of civilization—muddying the waters in the head fountain of knowledge and neglecting to save soil.

head frame n. (a) a framework at the top or head of something; spec. one at the top of a mine shaft or pit containing winding gear; (b) (in a sawmill) a frame of a carriage on which logs sit and are held (rare); (c) a framework for holding a person's head immobile.

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1797 W. Pain Pain's Brit. Palladio 12 The dimensions supposed to be 6 feet.., the circular head-frame to be veneered with wainscot.

1853 Rec. School of Mines I. 340 Each shaft being intended for a single rope or ‘band’, is surmounted by a head-frame carrying one broad pulley of cast iron.

1878 Sci. Amer. 11 May 291/1 The head frame..is supported by track wheels secured to axles.

1897 Patents for Inventions: Abridgm. Specif. Class 51, Furnaces & Kilns 295/1 Relates to convertible bedsteads and tables. The head frame i, hinged at k.., may fold down..to form a table top.

1902 S. H. Monell Syst. Instr. X-ray Methods ix. 64 To hold the head with absolute fixation while making two radiographs of the eye Davidson devised a head-frame which serves the purpose.

1950 Pop. Mech. Sept. 240/2 One old jungle gold prospector rigged a crude head frame of saplings over a deep excavation and dropped a bucket from a pulley.

1996 E. Watanabe in R. H. Taylor et al. Computer-integrated Surg. xx. 326/2 Because no head frame is necessary during preoperative CT scanning, the patient is spared unnecessary pain.

2010 Review (Rio Tinto) Sept. 19/2 Also under construction were the 31 storey headframe and ore conveyor for Shaft 2.

head game n. (a) a game, sport, etc., that exercises the mental faculties; cf. mind game n. 1; (b) originally North American (chiefly in plural) an instance of psychological manipulation, esp. used to gain an advantage over someone else; cf. mind game n. 2.

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1906 Sat. Rev. 9 June 720/1 Chess has one advantage over all head games.

1970 Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin) 11 Feb. (Green section) 1/1 Skeptics say Violet [sc. a clairvoyant] is only playing head games and should stick to working with his hands.

2000 L. C. Higgs Bookends (2005) xxi. 281 Golf was a head game, but it was a muscle game, too, and he was pathetically out of shape.

2003 N.Y. Mag. 10 Feb. 121/3 I am a chill kinda guy into maxin' and relaxin'... Not looking for drama, B.S., or head games.

head gasket n. the gasket which fits between the cylinder head and the cylinder block in an internal combustion engine.

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1908 Cycle & Automobile Trade Jrnl. 1 July 130/2 One piston ring... One head gasket.

1964 Pop. Sci. May 172 ‘Sure is water in the oil,’ announced Stan. ‘I'd guess the head gasket's blown.’

2011 Herald-Times (Bloomington, Indiana) 5 Mar. c1/2 Longing for speed, he flushed out the radiator..with some drain unclogger and checked for head gasket leaks.

headgate n. (a) a gate for controlling the entry of water into a sluice, channel, etc.; spec. a gate or pair of gates at the upstream end of a canal lock; (b) a gate at the end of a cage, pen, or chute, used as an aid to handling livestock, which allows the head to pass through but restrains the shoulders.

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1772 J. Smeaton Let. 12 Dec. in Lett. Morres & Smeaton (1773) 30 I put the Cloughs answerable to the Head Gates, upon Tunnels through the walls.

1839 C. M. Kirkland New Home xxix. 192 The tired fire-fighters raced..to the dam, where they found the water pouring through a hole near the head-gate.

1913 J. B. Bishop Panama Gateway v. ii. 3 The entrances [of the penstocks] are closed by cast-iron head-gates and bar-iron trash-racks.

1926 Jrnl. Amer. Vet. Med. Assoc. 48 208 After we have completed the testing of a chute full of cattle.., we check back on each animal to see if we have tested same before the head gate is opened.

1954 Cornell Extension Bull. No. 901. 8/1 A well-built chute with a head gate is one of the ‘must’ pieces of equipment on a beef-cattle farm.

1993 Dairy Guide (Winnipeg, Manitoba) Apr. 10/1 In the center of barn is an 8'-wide manger with locking head gates.

2003 D. Cadbury Seven Wonders Industr. World (2004) vii. 292 A new canal was dug on flatter land with no headgate to hold the river back when in flood.

head girl n. [probably after head boy n.] (a) the girl designated to hold the senior position among the pupils in a school, or (in early use) one occupying a position of pre-eminence on grounds of ability, etc.; a female school captain; (b) (more generally) any girl or woman in a position of authority or seniority.

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society > education > learning > learner > one attending school > [noun] > head boy or girl

captain1706

head boy1713

head girl1801

1801 S. Trimmer Oecon. Charity I. App. 231 For the head girl of the whole School is..provided a Medal, made of card.

a1833 F. B. Hoole in Juvenile Forget-me-not (1834) 191 Many laughed to see her walking between the head girl and another.

1884 W. Collins I say No (1886) i. v. 21 I have been forbidden to recite—I, the head girl of the school.

1941 Brit. Jrnl. Psychol. Jan. 194 The ‘head-girls’ [in a factory] wear an overall different in colour.

1964 M. Drabble Garrick Year xii. 179 I was a prefect, but I wasn't head girl.

2000 Fairlady (Cape Town) 21 June 18/2 Prof Sneddon attended Durban Girls' College, where she became head girl.

head-hanging n. and adj. (a) n. the action of hanging one's head, esp. in shame or despondency; (more generally) the expression of such emotions; (b) adj. (of a person) that hangs his or her head, esp. in shame or despondency; (more generally) that expresses, or is expressive of, these emotions in any way.

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1888 World (N.Y.) 16 Dec. 22/3 What puzzled me more..was the continuous head-hanging of the patients.

1890 J. Todhunter Sicilian Idyll i. 19 Went they not so?..With such head-hanging sighs? Their arms crost thus? Some woman was the cause.

1995 Star-Ledger (Newark, New Jersey) 22 Oct. v. 5/4 ‘There was no head-hanging at halftime,’ said junior linebacker Brian Sheridan.

2002 Amer. Art 16 51/1 The three-tiered frieze..shows at top and bottom a dirgelike procession of head-hanging men and beasts.

head height n. †(a) headroom; = headway n. 4 (obsolete); (b) the height reached by a person's head.

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the world > space > [noun] > unobstructed space > for passing or being clear of something > overhead

head heighta1652

headway1735

headroom1762

head space1856

a1652 I. Jones Most Notable Antiq. called Stone-Heng (1655) 59 There could not, possibly, be a convenient head-height remaining for a passage underneath.

1913 Boys' Life Nov. 24/1 Back swept the ball.., back to Kendall at head-height.

1948 L. Haberly Pursuit of Horizon vii. 69 Their inner walls were of upright logs, set close together in the ground and cut off at head-height.

2006 Daily Tel. 27 Apr. 11/1 The horizontal inversion bar..is most usually fitted across a door frame, just above head height.

† head-hid adj. poetic Obsolete rare (of a river) that has a hidden source; cf. sense 38a.

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1625 T. May tr. J. Barclay in K. Long tr. J. Barclay Argenis i. xii. 33 A Land where head-hid [L. incertus patriae] Nile his streames diuides.

head-high adj. as high as a person's head; at head height.

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1826 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Apr. 391/1 The ancient moss, with its heather head-high, and wide steep hags..is now drained, and limed, and ploughed.

1955 Times 9 July 4/5 Goddard..slashed at Tyson and Evans dropped a fast head-high catch.

2003 K. Slater & J. Borte Pipe Dreams (2004) iv. 77 The waves were head-high and perfect.

head-hung adj. that hangs one's head, esp. in shame or despondency; characterized by hanging the head in this way.

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the mind > emotion > suffering > dejection > [adjective]

ungladc888

wearyc888

drearyc1000

dreary-moodOE

heavyc1000

unmerryOE

droopy?c1225

mournc1275

sada1300

languishinga1325

amayedc1330

matec1330

unlightc1330

unblissful1340

lowa1382

mishappyc1390

dullc1393

elengely1393

droopinga1400

heavy-hearteda1400

joylessa1400

sytefula1400

mornifc1400

tristy?c1400

lightless?1406

heartlessa1413

tristc1420

amatec1425

languoring?c1425

mirthlessc1430

heavisome1435

darkc1440

gloomingc1440

comfortlessc1460

amateda1470

chermatc1475

tristfula1492

lustless?1507

dolorous1513

ruthful1513

downcast1521

deject1528

heartsicka1529

lumpisha1535

coolc1540

dowlyc1540

glum1547

discouraged1548

uncheerfulc1555

dumpish1560

out of heart1565

sadded1566

amoped1573

tristive1578

desolated1580

dejected1581

à la mort1586

delightless1589

afflicted1590

gladless1590

groanful1590

gloomya1593

muddy1592

sitheful1592

cloudy1594

leaden-hearted1596

disconsolated1598

clum1599

life-weary1599

spiritless1600

dusky1602

chop-fallen1604

flat1604

disanimated1605

jaw-fallen1605

moped1606

chap-fallen1608

decheerful1608

uncheerful1612

lacklustrea1616

pulled1616

dumpya1618

depressed1621

head-hung1632

grum1640

downa1644

dispirited1647

down-at-mouth1649

down in (rarely of) the mouth1649

unhearted1650

sunlessa1658

sadful1658

unlightened1659

chagrin1665

saddened1665

damp1667

moping1674

desponding1688

tristitious1694

unenjoying1697

unraised1697

unheartya1699

unked1698

despondent1699

dismal1705

unjoyful1709

unrejoiced1714

dreara1717

disheartened1720

mumpish1721

unrejoicing1726

downhearted1742

out of spirits1745

chagrineda1754

low-spirited1753

sombrea1767

black-blooded1771

glumpy1780

oorie1787

sombrous1789

morose1791

Novemberish1793

glumpish1800

mopeful1800

die-away1802

blue-devilish1804

blue-devilled1807

malagrugrous1818

down in the hip1826

yonderly1828

sunshineless1831

downfaced1832

broody1851

in a (or the) trough1856

blue-devilly1871

drooped1873

glummy1884

pippy1886

humpy1889

pipped1914

lousy1933

pissed1943

crappy1956

doomy1961

bummed1970

1632 J. Shirley Changes iv. 52 You must not be so headhung.

1913 E. Dejeans House of Thane xxv. 307 Her shining eyes were fixed on him... Then she drooped, head-hung and still.

2007 T. Bugansky Anywhere but Here 111 He walks with a head-hung shuffle, back bent and distant eyes drooping.

head job n. slang (originally U.S.) an act of fellatio; = blow job n. at blow- comb. form 2; cf. hand-job n. at hand n. Compounds 6.

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the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > oral sex > [noun] > fellatio > act of

gamahuche1865

cocksuck1940

suck1941

blow job1961

head job1963

gobble1965

gam1971

headfuck1974

1963 ‘D. W. Cory’ & J. P. Le Roy Homosexual & his Society 264 Head job, blow job.

1974 D. Jenkins Dead Solid Perfect iii. 162 The kind of whore lady who..took a man to a back booth and gave him a head job for $10.

2007 Age (Melbourne) (Nexis) 8 Nov. 17 If they're ‘lucky’, they'll score vaginal sex. Less so, and they'll get a ‘hand job’ or a ‘head job’.

head kidney n. [after German Kopfniere (1867 or earlier)] Embryology and Zoology = pronephros n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > animal body > general parts > substance or secretion and excretion > [noun] > anterior division of primitive kidney

head kidney1876

pronephros1877

1876 Jrnl. Anat. & Physiol. 10 25 This glandular portion is often called either the head-kidney or the primitive kidney.

1916 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2 232 All [Amblystoma] embryos from which both head kidneys had been excised died within eight to twelve days.

2011 G. de Iuliis & D. Pulerà Dissection Vertebr. (ed. 2) iv. 85/2 This will expose a small, dark, lobulated mass, the head kidney, lying immediately dorsal to the liver.

head knee n. Nautical each of a number of pieces of bent timber fixed to a cutwater in order to steady it; cf. knee of the head at knee n. 7a.

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1759 J. Lindsay Voy. Coast Afr. i. 4 He..damag'd several of her head-knees, and timbers.

1838 Chrons. of Sea 22 Sept. 346/2 A tremendous sea struck her on the starboard bow, carrying away the bowsprit, gammoning, head-knees, bulwarks, &c.

1886 Encycl. Brit. XXI. 594/2 They [sc. lashings] are passed..over a long saddle-shaped piece of wood..and through the holes in the head knees.

2002 D. A. Agius In Wake of Dhow v. 111 I was shown how the headknee is sewn to the stem of the bow.

head knife n. [with sense (a) compare earlier heading knife n.] (a) a knife with a semicircular blade set transversely to the handle, used chiefly in leather-working; †(b) Whaling a knife used in cutting off the head of a whale (obsolete); (c) a knife or machete having a blade with a backward-pointing spike, used by some headhunting tribes in Samoa and the Philippines; cf. head-axe n. (b) (now rare).

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1679 W. Jones Work for Cooper 20 He's much fitter to..mind his Ax and Saw,..the Crisle and the Head-knife,..the Tap and the Bung-bore, than to open intricate and abstruse places.

1792 D. Steel New & Compl. Tables Net Duties Payable 102 Tools used by sadlers, harness-makers, and bridle-makers, namely, Cattle-Strainers, Side-Strainers,..and Head-Knives.

a1884 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Suppl. 451 Head knife,..for cutting off the head of the whale.

1899 Morning Post 24 Apr. 7/6 On the seat beside him is placed one of the murderous-looking head knives peculiar to Samoa.

1912 C. de Witt Willcox Head Hunters N. Luzon vi. 51 Besides the spear and head knife, the Ilongots..use the bow and arrow.

1985 Pop. Sci. Dec. 126/2 (advt.) Largest selection available of genuine leathers, tools, kits, supplies. Includes Tandy's new professional head knife.

2001 C. H. Wendel Encycl. Antique Tools & Machinery 106 The head knife was one of the most important tools for the harness and saddle-maker.

head lease n. Law a lease granted directly by the freeholder, as distinct from a sublease.

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1799 Index to Statutes at Surrender, in Statutes at Large, Ireland VIII The head lease may be surrendered and renewed, without surrender of under-leases.

1882 Law Rep.: Queen's Bench Div. 8 329 The contract of a sub-tenant to perform the covenants of the head-lease.

2008 Sunday Business Post (Ireland) (Nexis) 6 Sept. O'Briens holds the head leases on most of the 85 stores around the country, and then subleases out the locations to its individual franchisees.

headledge n. Shipbuilding any of the sections of the frame of an opening in the deck which run across the width of the ship.

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society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > parts of vessels > other parts of body of vessel > [noun] > opening in deck > support or framework for

headledge1649

gutter-ledge1769

1649 Shipbuilding Contract (modernized text) in Mariner's Mirror (1955) 41 50 To have coamings, head-ledges with a grating hatchway before and abaft the mast.

1717 W. Sutherland Britain's Glory: Ship-building Unvail'd 82 To have..such Hatches or Gratings raised with Comings and Head-ledges, to keep the Water from between Decks.

1869 E. J. Reed Shipbuilding xv. 275 Half round iron is riveted to the upper edges of the plate coamings and headledges.

1993 J. Trefethen Wooden Boat Renovation 259 Fore-and-aft coamings that are extensions of the cabin trunk are called monkey boards, and the transverse sections are called headledges.

head lessee n. Law the holder of a head lease.

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1795 M. Concanen & A. Morgan Hist. & Antiq. Parish St. Saviour's, Southwark 277 Samuel Farmer, Esquire, and the head lessee of Southwark Park.

1845 B. Disraeli Sybil II. iii. iv. 55 There are no landlords, head-lessees, main-masters, or butties in Wodgate.

1994 Financial Post (Canada) (Nexis) 18 Jan. 18 In 1988 Woolworth, the head lessee, decided not to renew.

head linen n. [compare earlier head-line n.¹] linen worn as a covering for the head.

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1662 Will W. Coule in Rec. & Files Q. Courts Essex County, Mass. (1913) III. 61 Hand kerchers neckclothes & head linnen y^t is made for her.

1866 Gentleman's Mag. Feb. 173 The episcopal office was distinguished by the infula or head linen worn by the early Christian prelates.

1993 S. Fletcher Flight of Dragon Kyn (1997) vi. 43 It wore a matron's headlinen, but tilted all askew.

headload n. [compare earlier backload n.] a load carried on the head.

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society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance by carrying > [noun] > by a person > a load

back-burden?c1225

load?c1225

carriagea1398

birth1497

freight1618

porterage1666

headload1795

backload1823

1795 D. Lysons Environs London III. 81 Fruit for the table is carried in head-loads by women.

1831 O. Moore Staff Officer (1833) I. 110 His wife,..in addition to a heavy head-load, will often be seen carrying an infant in her arms, and another on her back.

1927 W. H. Todd Tiger, Tiger! 20 Carrying headloads of sand.

1998 A. Sealy Everest Hotel (1999) 9 The women..file down the track balancing headloads of firewood on pads wound from cloth.

head-load v. transitive to carry (a load) on one's head; = head-carry vb.

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society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance by carrying > transport or convey by carrying [verb (transitive)] > convey by carrying (of person) > on the head

head-load1945

head-carry1948

1945 Chicago Defender 7 Apr. 10/4 For centuries all trade goods brought to the coast [of Liberia] from the interior..had to be head-loaded in.

1959 Times 9 Nov. (Ghana Suppl.) p. iv/1 Much of the cocoa starts its journey to the coast by being head-loaded along the bush tracks.

2011 Daily Monitor (Kampala) (Nexis) 10 Jan. Head-loading agricultural produce over long distances is a very well documented phenomenon.

head lobe n. Zoology an appendage on the head of an animal, esp. the embryo or larva of some invertebrates.

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1845 J. Alder & A. Hancock Monogr. Brit. Nudibranchiate Mollusca 52 Head-lobes indistinct, forming a semicircular veil, produced at the sides.

1851 S. P. Woodward Man. Mollusca i. 99 The..eggs of the fresh-water limneïds..are not hatched until the young have passed the larval condition, and their ciliated head-lobes..are superseded by the creeping disk, or foot.

1897 T. J. Parker & W. A. Haswell Text-bk. Zool. I. 230 When it meets with the Snail, the embryo [of the liver-fluke] bores into it by means of the head-lobe.

1939 Pop. Sci. Feb. 153 (caption) The fire beetle, also of the American tropics, is actually a flash-light fly. Its head lobes flash a bright green fire!

2009 L. Nagy & M. Grbić in T. D. Schowalter Insect Ecol. (ed. 2) 317/2 The head lobes, the most anterior trunk segments, and the posterior terminus are patterned first.

† head-locking n. Obstetrics Obsolete rare entanglement of twin fetuses by their heads and necks during delivery; = headlock n.² 1.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > source or principle of life > birth > confinement > [noun] > childbirth or delivery > complications of childbirth or pregnancy

amblosis1706

breech case1774

breech1781

still-birth1785

breech presentation1811

footling1829

turning1842

prematurity1847

head-locking1870

breech position1876

headlock1876

breech delivery1882

breech labour1885

miss1897

postmaturity1902

abruptio placentae1905

preemie1927

breech baby1969

prematuration1977

1870 R. Barnes Obstetr. Operations xxix. 464 Head-locking of twins.

1923 Jrnl. Obstetr. & Gynæcol. Brit. Empire 30 680 Case of dystocia due to head-locking of twins.

head-lugged adj. rare dragged by the head.Now probably only in allusion to Shakespeare's use.

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1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear xvi. 41 A gracious aged man Whose reuerence euen the head-lugd beare would lick.

1945 M. B. S. Strode-Jackson Tansy Taniard vi. 62 If you have so much food to waste, I care not if you cram it down the gorge of a head-lugged snarling as silly as yourself!

2011 Indian Express (Nexis) 9 Jan. What's the point of continuing in government if Gilani is going to allow himself to be dragged around like a head-lugged bear?

head-maker n. a person who makes heads (in various senses).

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1545 R. Ascham Toxophilus ii. f. 20 I woulde wyshe that the head makers of Englande shoulde make their sheafe arrowe heades more harder poynted.

1634 G. Markham Art of Archerie xi. 110 The head-makers..Inuented new files and other instruments wherewith they brought heads for pricking to such perfection.

1826 Monthly Mag. Aug. 151 Bowman..is another head-maker, of great industry and much cleverness—but ignorant of drawing.

2000 Roanoke (Va.) Times (Nexis) 23 Mar. (Extra section) 1 It took Cassidy six months of experimenting..to make solid heads. Later on, Tremblay told her that his head-makers are trained in the art for exactly six months.

† head mass penny n. Obsolete a payment or offering made to the church for some particular service, esp. for having a mass said; cf. head penny n. 2, mass-penny n.

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society > faith > worship > benefice > other financial matters > [noun] > individual payment

head mass penny1402

head penny1548

society > faith > worship > benefice > other financial matters > [noun] > payment made for specific purpose > for saying mass

mass-penny1389

head mass penny1402

mass-money1897

1402 in Collectanea Topographica & Genealogica (1835) II. 44 (MED) Omnes minutas oblaciones in purificationibus, in baptismalibus ac sepulturis mortuorum pervenientes de hedemespenys.

a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. xiii. 137 To gyf all in my cofer, To-morne at next to offer Hyr hed-maspenny.

1521 in F. Collins Wills & Admin. Knaresborough Court Rolls (1902) I. 13 For nyght wakes and hedemasse pennys viij d.

1543 Will of Thomas Lorymer in C. Cross York Clergy Wills (1984) I. 53 And they ii churche wardens for to offer one hede masse penny.

head matter n. Whaling (now historical) a mixture of oil and other material (esp. spermaceti) obtained from the head of the sperm whale and certain other toothed whales.

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society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > other animal raw materials > [noun] > material from sperm whale

spermaceti1471

parmacety1545

head matter1747

slobgollion1851

head1874

twitter1891

1747 W. Douglass Summary State Brit. Settlements N.-Amer. I. 57 Any part of its Oil, but more abundantly the Head-Matter as the Whalers term it; if it stand at Rest and in the Sun will shoot into Adipous Fleaks.

1822 D. Porter Jrnl. Cruise to Pacific Ocean I. vii. 184 The ship bringing the greatest quantity of oil and head-matter, provided it exceeds thirty tons, is entitled to six hundred pounds.

1904 Sci. Amer. Suppl. 3 Sept. 23968/3 It is customary to cook the head matter of black-fish in fresh water.

2007 E. J. Dolin Leviathan vii. 111 The spermaceti and oil taken from the whale's head, commonly referred to as head matter, was delivered to the candleworks.

head metal n. Founding the metal in the head of a casting; cf. sense 44c, deadhead n.¹ 2a.

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society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > metal in specific state or form > [noun] > cast metal > other parts of casting

skin1786

head metal1854

hot spot1908

society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > metal in specific state or form > [noun] > cast metal > in other specific form

spray1831

T-bar1889

punt1895

head metal1902

1854 Encycl. Brit. VI. 185/1 The models and moulds of the breeching and head-metal are formed upon the same principles as that of the body of the cannon.

1902 J. G. Horner Pattern Making (ed. 3) xi. 80 These lighter matters are allowed to float into a ring of ‘head metal’ of the same diameter as the cylinder.

2011 Resources, Conservation & Recycling 55 768/2 Output of waste head metal in hot rolling process is as follows.

† head moss n. Obsolete rare (in a peatbog) moss which has yet to decompose into peat.

ΚΠ

1850 W. Rothwell Rep. Agric. County of Lancaster 32 The raw or head moss, is that part or parts of the moss from which no peat has been got, and requires more time and patience to bring it into a proper state for cropping, owing to its spongy nature.

headmount n. (a) a virtual reality display worn over the head; (b) a strap, band, hat, etc., to which a head-mounted device can be attached.

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1963 Mag. Fantasy & Sci. Fiction June 68/2 They stood up and began to shift into space suits, in order to reconnoiter the area... On came the suits—lugs bolted tight, limbs sealed in compartments, mechanical fingers tested, polarized headmounts fastened, oxygen tanks saddled, nitrogen content adjusted, thermostats set.

1976 Jrnl. Wildlife Managem. 40 189 The head mount as a means of attaching telemetry equipment appears to have some potential.

1992 H. Rheingold Virtual Reality x. 235 The other purpose of head mounts, and the special wide-angle optical systems that are used in these displays, is to present a wide field of view.

2003 Psychol. Sci. 14 109 Participants closed their eyes and removed the blindfold and the headmount was placed on their heads. After opening their eyes, they were encouraged to look around the virtual environment.

2012 Engadget HD (Nexis) 5 Nov. Sony will sell you a head-mount for the un-cased camera.

head-mounted adj. designating a device, esp. a camera or torch, that may be worn on the head, esp. so as to leave the hands free.

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1960 Visual Search Techniques: Proc. Symp. 7–8 Apr. 1959 (U.S. Nat. Acad. Sci. – Res. Council) 136 The Head Mounted Camera—A Second Attempt at TV Eye-Marking.

1993 Computer Weekly 4 Nov. 51/1 The user wears a lightweight head-mounted display incorporating a headtracker and stereo earphones, and can see, in full three-dimensional colour, everything that would be visible from a spectator's seat.

2010 Coarse Fisherman Apr. 51/1 These fully adjustable head-mounted torches literally bring brilliant white-light clarity to the dead of night.

head net n. a net worn over or placed around the head, esp. for protection against mosquitoes and other insects.

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1839 T. Mitchell in Aristophanes Frogs 255 Girdles of all sorts,—leather, hemp, and wool—Veil, head-net, puff-box with its proper tool.

1873 N.Y. Times 4 Aug. 1/1 I saw men digging at a road-track, each with his pocket head-net and thick gloves, and even then they could hardly get on with their work.

1968 C. Helmericks Down Wild River North i. vi. 102 We scratched perpetually at mosquito bites, although we disdained to use the stuffy headnets.

2003 Boys' Life Sept. 21 Out came the neoprene gloves, insect repellent and mesh-covered head nets.

head netting n. †(a) Nautical netting attached to the head of a ship, usually in order to prevent people from slipping overboard (obsolete); (b) netting worn over or placed around the head for protection against mosquitoes and other insects (cf. head net n.).

ΚΠ

1794 D. Steel Elements & Pract. Rigging & Seamanship I. 170 Head-netting is fastened to the horses in the head and upper rails, to save the men from slipping overboard.

1807 P. B. V. Broke in J. G. Brighton Admiral Sir P. B. V. Broke (1866) i. 64 The spray of the sea froze in icicles wherever it rested, particularly about the chains and head nettings.

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. 375 Head-netting, an ornamental netting used in merchant ships instead of the fayed planking to the head-rails.

1904 W. H. Workman & F. B. Workman Through Town & Jungle p. xii The blanket..makes an effective protection against mosquitoes... If, like us, he prefers to use a light head netting for this purpose, [etc.].

2003 Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois) (Nexis) 22 June b1 Consider..whether there is an alternative way to deter the insects, such as clothing or head netting.

head noise n. Medicine a noise perceived as occurring within the head (often as a form of tinnitus); noise of this nature.

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1871 Baltimore Med. & Surg. Jrnl. & Bull. 2 531 The patient left for home, delighted with the great success of the operation, unaccompanied by the fearful head noises and giddiness which had driven him nearly to despair.

1910 Practitioner Feb. 243 Sometimes the head-noises may be rendered more tolerable even if the hearing cannot be improved.

1933 Amer. Jrnl. Surg. 22 327/2 Pressure over the left common carotid caused abolition of the head noise, the pulsation and the bruit.

2002 Yoga Jrnl. Mar. 36/1 Soldiers, firemen, construction workers, and rock musicians often complain of head noise.

head noun n. Grammar the noun which other words in a noun phrase qualify; a noun which is a head (sense 33b).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > a part of speech > noun > [noun] > other specific types of noun

increaser1612

regulara1637

energizer1751

agent noun1782

nomen actionis1820

segolate1831

class noun1849

patrial1854

nomen agentis1859

metaplast1864

agent word1879

post-genitive1922

conversion-noun1928

noun adjective1930

head noun1933

relatum1933

actant1967

class name1994

1933 L. Bloomfield Lang. xv. 254 In languages which have a category of ‘definite’ noun-modifiers (such as, in English the, this, that, my, John's, etc...), the definite pronoun identifies the individual in the same fashion as a definite modifier identifies its head noun.

1988 A. Radford Transformational Gram. i. 38 Japanese is a language which..positions Possessive Phrases, Adjectives, and Relative Clauses before the head Nouns they modify.

2010 R. A. Akerkar & P. S. Sajja Knowledge-based Syst. xii. 342 In the sentence ‘I like the book that you wrote’, ‘book’ is the head noun because the adjective clause modifies it.

† head page n. Printing Obsolete a page on which the beginning of a book, chapter, etc., is printed.

ΚΠ

1755 J. Smith Printer's Gram. v. 137 The use of Flowers is not confined to Ornaments over Head pages only.

1838 C. H. Timperley Printers' Man. 114 Head page, the beginning of a subject.

1842 T. F. Dibdin Bibliomania (new ed.) 527 The Dr. (not understanding printers' marks) wrote on a head page ‘take out horizontal line at p. so and so’—the compositor inserted these words as a displayed line in the head-page whereon they were written.

† head pulls n. [ < head n.¹ + the plural of pull n.²] Obsolete (apparently) a name for the swan, crane, and bustard, as being pre-eminent or largest among the birds whose flesh is served as food.

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1555 in Corp. London Jrnl. 16 (London Metropolitan Archives COL/CC/01/01/016) f. 334^v That theare be no Swanne, Crane, nor bustarde, w^ch are wonte to be called hed polles shalbe spente at any feastes kepte in anye of the halles of any Companyes.

head pump n. Nautical (a) a small pump at the front of a ship for drawing up seawater (now historical); (b) a pump for pumping out waste from an on-board lavatory; cf. sense 22c(a).

ΚΠ

1759 Public Advertiser 18 Dec. Head Pumps, new and old Shiver, and Elm Planks.

1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast xiv. 33 The crew rig the head-pump, and wash down the decks.

1919 J. Hergesheimer Java Head (1922) 1. 12 ‘Six bells in the morning watch,’ he announced... ‘Head pump rigged and deck swabbed down?’

1967 B. D. Clark Houseboat Wastes 23 If the waste is pumped to..an auxiliary lift station used in place of individual high head pumps, a low head pump should be used.

1992 P. O'Brian Truelove v. 125 That dismal hour..when elm-tree pumps and head-pumps flood the already sodden forecastle.

1997 J. Roberts & S. Roberts Why didn't I think of That? 36/1 Raise the piston in the head pump to its highest position so that the path from the toilet bowl to the discharge hose is open.

head-reach v. [ < head n.¹ + reach n.¹ (compare reach n.¹ 14b); compare later reach v.¹ 16] Nautical (a) intransitive (of a ship, esp. a sailing vessel) to move quickly ahead, as while tacking; to gain on (also upon) another vessel by this means; (b) transitive to move ahead of (another vessel) in this way.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > action or motion of vessel > [verb (transitive)] > outsail another vessel > shoot ahead of

head-reach1796

society > travel > travel by water > action or motion of vessel > [verb (intransitive)] > make progress > move swiftly > increase speed

to shoot ahead1669

head-reach1832

1796 G. Quayle Jrnl. in Mariner's Mirror (1968) 54 302 He hauled his Wind & head reached us much & in the afternoon we saw no more of him.

1832 Day (Glasgow) 25 Jan. 82/2 I complained of head-ache and nausea, he informed me the boat herself was head reaching, and I had no cause to complain.

1892 Outing Apr. 57/1 Soon she had head-reached them all, Shadow included, and showed to the front of the fleet.

1938 ‘C. S. Forester’ Ship of Line 276 I want to hear instantly if they alter course, or if they headreach upon us.

1986 N. A. M. Rodger Wooden World (1988) vi. 236 The Penguin..found herself chased by two French thirty-six-gun frigates, which head-reached on her and ranged up on either side.

head register n. chiefly Music = head voice n.; cf. chest register n. at chest n.¹ Compounds 4.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > singing > singing voice > [noun] > register

voce di petto1742

voce di testa1742

head voice1806

head register1845

chest register1847

voce di gola1876

chest-voice1879

1845 G. J. Webb in J. E. Murdoch & W. Russell Orthophony App. 313 The tones of the ‘medium register’, are best acquired by directing the air a little above the upper front teeth:—in those of the ‘head register’, the air is directed vertically.

1909 H. Klein Phono-vocal Method 37 The blending of the medium and head registers will be practised upon the same plan.

1966 H. L. Shorto in C. E. Bazell In Memory of J. R. Firth 407 Henderson found that in Cambodian a sequence of head-register consonant and chest-register vowel..was the mark of a secondary pattern.

2006 E. Howard Sing! viii. 65 The vocal folds for the louder chest register tones require more focusing strength..than the same notes in the head register.

head rent n. Law (chiefly in Ireland) rent payable to a freeholder.

ΚΠ

1643 Ordinance of Parl. 26 Aug. (single sheet) Such persons as shall take the same Houses, shall discharge the head Rents due to be payd for such houses.

1794 W. Hales Observ. Tithes 4 The legislature established this equitable provision as a head-rent, payable next after the crown or quit-rent.

1839 T. Reynolds Life T. Reynolds I. ii. 99 This estate is leasehold for the term of 999 years from May, 1746, and is subject to an annual head-rent of 303l. 10s.

1922 J. Joyce Ulysses 702 Rental of £64, headrent included.

1996 Irish Times 23 Oct. 22/5 A portion of the ground floor..and eight car-parking spaces are let..on terms similar to the head rent.

head resistance n. Shipbuilding and Aeronautics the resistance which arises from the impact of the forward surfaces of a moving ship, plane, etc., with the water or air through which it moves; cf. drift n. 2e(a).

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > water > flow or flowing > wave > [noun] > retarding force

head resistance1800

wave resistance1889

1800 J. Charnock Hist. Marine Archit. I. viii. 115 Where the head resistance of the fluid is once overcome, the collateral friction being very trifling, it follows, that the longer the vessel the greater quantity of impelling power can be used.

1891 Railroad & Engin. Jrnl. 65 465/1 The head or hull resistance will probably be found to be the chief element which will limit the possible speed of flying machines.

1909 Westm. Gaz. 1 July 4/1 Allowing a coefficient of ·3 for the pointed ends, the total head-resistance would be reduced to 3,324 lb.

2001 C. Sinnott RAF & Aircraft Design v. 115 Eight guns would give a lot of head resistance.

head restraint n. something designed to restrict movement of the head; esp. an attachment to the seat of a vehicle to prevent the head from jerking back suddenly in the event of a collision or sudden stop.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [noun] > head restraint

headrest1833

head restraint1947

1947 Jrnl. Aviation Med. Dec. 563/2 It is believed that this or a similar head restraint is very desirable if subjects are to be exposed to 18 to 21 g.

1964 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 6 June 1491/3 The head-restraint [on the stretcher] incorporates an elasticated chin support which prevents the jaw from sagging.

1966 Las Vegas (New Mexico) Daily Optic 27 Sept. 1/1 New features incorporated in the auto safety bill include head restraints and padded seatbacks.

2000 Adv. Driving (Inst. Adv. Motorists) Summer 33/3 All six seats have proper three-point inertia reel seatbelts and head restraints.

2009 N.Z. Herald (Nexis) 23 Apr. Saltwater crocodiles Scar..and Goldie..were airborne on their way to a new life..when they broke their head restraints.

head-ridge n. [compare earlier headrig n.] chiefly Scottish (now rare) = headland n. 1.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > farm > farmland > land suitable for cultivation > [noun] > broken land > arable or ploughed land > headland

headOE

headlandOE

lea-riga1170

Land's endc1394

headrig1475

hade?1523

land-end1555

furlong1649

hade-way1649

head-ridge1659

sideland1763

headmark1820

turn-row1885

1659 in R. Renwick Extracts Rec. Royal Burgh of Lanark (1893) 172 That they na wayes wynd upoun the braidsyd..bot make ane heidrige within themsellfes.

1724 Treat. Fallowing 22 Take a Head-ridge of your strongest Clay or best Ground, plow it once or twice as deep as possible.

1859 Trans. Highland & Agric. Soc. Scotl. July 1857 – Mar. 1859 311 Having found diseased roots in head-ridges, along which the manure had been carted, or much trodden by the horses.

1949 E. R. R. Green Lagan Valley vi. 128 The corners of fields and wide head-ridges were left untilled, while lack of drainage prevented the farmer from tilling valley bottoms.

head rush n. slang a feeling of intense and sudden euphoria, esp. as the result of taking drugs; (also) a sudden dizzy feeling, esp. after standing up quickly; cf. rush n.² 2b.

ΚΠ

1977 Biloxi (Mississippi) Sun Herald 26 June c6/2 Individuals seeking the head rush and ‘high’ began buying ‘Amys’ over-the counter in large quantities.

1986 Los Angeles Times (Nexis) 12 Aug. iii. 7/4 After 13 days in bed, you stand up and get a head rush.

1994 S. L. Burks Managing your Migraine x. 162 In my premedication days, the first sign was usually a headrush..but I rarely experience that now.

1997 E. Hand Glimmering i. v. 115 Is not going to make you high or anything like that, you'll be disappointed if you're expecting some kind of teenage head-rush.

2005 Chicago Tribune (Midwest ed.) 13 Feb. viii. 9/2 Get a real head rush with a snowmobile tour.

head sea n. Nautical a sea in which forward progress is hindered by waves or currents coming from directly in front.

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the world > the earth > water > flow or flowing > state of sea > direction of sea > [noun] > counter

head seac1595

counter-sea1599

c1595Head seas [see Compounds 2b].

1627 J. Smith Sea Gram. ix. 41 If your course be right against it, you shall meet it right a head, so we call it a head Sea.

1726 N. Uring Hist. Voy. & Trav. 94 In about two Hours, by carrying a Press Sail, and having a Head Sea, we had the Misfortune to spring our Main Top-Mast.

1915 R. Kipling Fringes of Fleet 67 Dawn sees them pitch-poling insanely between head-seas.

2006 R. Marshall Rough Weather Seamanship iv. 104/2 I was helping to deliver a 52-foot cruising ketch when we ran into a stiff head sea.

head shell n. (a) the carapace of a turtle, crustacean, etc.; (b) (in a gramophone, record deck, etc.) a protective mount on the pickup arm into which the cartridge may be inserted; cf. sense 16f(a).

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1712 H. Curzon Universal Libr. I. 444 Several other Head-shells, Skulls, Hearts, Pizzles, and Eggs of Sea-Tortoises.

1795 Mrs. Frazer Pract. of Cookery (ed. 2) iii. iii. 240 Take the head shell, with the two long horns, and place it at the head of the body of the lobster.

1892 J. M. Wright Sea-side & Way-side No. 4. xvi. 119 Large or small they [sc. the trilobites] all had the head-shell and used it..not only for protection but as a mud-plough.

1947 Audio Engin. Nov. 38 The new RMC cartridge arm with plug-in head shell enables you to plug in any pick-up cartridge.

1993 What Hi-Fi? Oct. 149 The headshell can be removed but is not of standard fitting.

2007 H. Fearnley-Whittingstall & N. Fisher River Cottage Fish Bk. i. 90 You need to open up the crab by pulling the undercarriage (or ‘body shell’) away from the hard-topped carapace (or ‘head shell’).

head shield n. [after German Kopfschild (1830 in the passage translated in quot. 1830)] Zoology a plate or cover on the head of an animal, as a part of the exoskeleton of an arthropod, or each of the scales on a reptile's head.

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1830 tr. F. Eschscholtz in O. von Kotzebue New Voy. Discov. II. 331 The greater part have not the head divided from the head-shield [Ger. Kopfschild] by a line, and the breast is lengthened in front into a spine.

1893 H. N. Hutchinson Extinct Monsters 31 The eyes [of Pterygotus] are placed on the margin of the head-shield.

1907 L. Stejneger Herpetol. Japan 194 (caption) Head shields of scincid lizards.

1952 W. J. Miller Introd. Hist. Geol. (ed. 6) xviii. 239 The creature [sc. a trilobite] possessed a distinct head-shield with compound eyes.

2004 Nature 6 May 40/1 This specimen is preserved halfway through the act of moulting..squeezing out through an ecdysial opening at the front of the head shield of the old exoskeleton.

head shop n. colloquial (originally U.S.) a shop selling items associated with recreational drug use.In quot. 1966: the name of such a shop.

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society > trade and finance > trading place > place where retail transactions made > [noun] > shop > shops selling other specific goods > narcotics or drug paraphernalia

head shop1966

rock house1984

crack house1985

1966 East Village Other 15 Apr. 9/3 Soon I'll open The Head Shop, where beautiful things, many by local painters and makers, will be sold.

1967 Winnipeg Free Press 19 Aug. 9/4 The Experiment—Winnipeg's first and only ‘head shop’ and one of the few outlets of its kind in Canada.

2001 H. Marks Bk. Dope Stories ii. 160 Although my suitcase contained enough..paraphernalia to open up a head shop, I knew there was no dope in there.

2009 Honolulu Advertiser 14 Feb. (Business section) b6/2 While other businesses in the cradle of hippie culture are folding, head shops dealing in roach clips, rolling papers and hand-blown glass water pipes have proliferated on Haight Street.

head sill n. (a) a sill (sill n.¹ 3c) at the upstream end of a lock, weir, etc. (now rare); †(b) the upper horizontal section of the frame of a door or window (obsolete); (c) either of the timbers running transversely across the ends of a saw pit, on which one end of the piece to be sawn may be rested (now historical and rare).

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1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Surueyeng xl. f. l^v They be called grounde mylnes, bycause the ouersyde of the heed sylle lyeth euyn leuell with the ouersyde of the grounde, in the bottom of the water.

1651 in Suffolk Deeds (Suffolk County, Mass.) (1880) I. 191 [They] doe Couenant to & with the sajd Peeter Oliuer to make vp the head sill of the wharfe appertayninge to the sajd ground.

1679 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. viii. 148 The Window Frames are so framed, that the Tennants of the Head-sell, Ground-sell, and Transum, run through the outer Jaums about four Inches.

1779 G. Boswell Treat. on watering Meadows x. 82 The head sill is at least a foot thick, and let down a foot under the bed of the river.

1856 C. Holtzapffel Turning & Mech. Manip. II. xxvii. 703 The sawpit..has..transverse pieces at each end, called head sills, upon which the one end of the timber rests, whilst the other end is supported on a transome.

1894 Builder 18 Aug. 120/1 All dressings throughout, window headsills, mullions and transomes, door-ways,..&c, are being executed in red terra-cotta.

1912 E. H. Frothingham Second-growth Hardwoods in Connecticut ii. 16 Oak timbers are widely used in car construction for head sills, bumpers, and box-car frames, and the like.

1935 Water & Water Engin. 37 511/2 Some increase of the depth of the navigable channel could be secured, but it was not to be anticipated that the artificially created cross section bounded by the head sills would remain permanently clear.

1961 P. d'A. Jones & E. N. Simons Story of Saw 27/2 Two strong timbers ran the whole length (side-strakes), with cross-pieces at either end (head-sills).

head silver n. now historical = head money n. 1; cf. head penny n. 1.

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society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > impost, due, or tax > tax > types of tax > [noun] > poll tax

head pennyc1175

head silver1252

cense1458

chevage1461

poll money1468

head moneyc1515

polling-penny?1556

capitation?1608

poll-silver1610

census1613

headagea1631

poll1669

poll tax1692

capitation tax1695

1252 in W. H. Hart & P. A. Lyons Cartularium Monasterii de Rameseia (1884) I. 357 (MED) Ad visum franciplegii, pro hevedsilver, unum denarium.

1388 Inquisition Misc. (P.R.O.: C 145/238/1A) De certa consuetudine vocata hedsyluer.

1467–8 Rolls of Parl.: Edward IV (Electronic ed.) Parl. June 1467 §8. m. 7 Hidage, beaupleder, frithsilver, hede sylver.

1660 G. Swinnock Men are Gods in Beauty of Magistracy 227 Pompey first converted the capitation or head silver to the City of Rome.

1740 Student's Law Dict. Common fine, denotes a certain Fine which the Resiants within the Liberty of some Lords pay to the Lord of the same, and is called in divers Places Head-Silver or Head-Pence.

1874 J. Cave-Browne Hist. Brasted 10 Another and far more rare relic of feudalism remains in this manor, under the name of ‘head-silver’.

1994 C. A. Wilson New Lease on Life vii. 186 Tenants paid..an annual sixpence for head silver.

head skin n. Whaling the thick tough skin covering the head of a whale.

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1874 C. M. Scammon Marine Mammals N. Amer. i. viii. 75 This [whale's nostril], with the ‘case’, is protected by a thick, tough, elastic substance called the ‘head-skin’, which is proof against the harpoon.

1903 C. H. Stevenson Utilization Skins Aquatic Animals 191 The oil-yielding portions of the humpback are the body blubber; head skin; lips, which are small; tongue; entrail fat, [etc.]

1980 W. N. Bonner Whales 84 We suppose that, as the whale descends, its spermaceti is cooled by vaso-dilation of the head skin.

head spade n. Whaling (now historical) a bladed tool used to cut the bone which joins the whale's head to its body.

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1874 C. M. Scammon Marine Mammals N. Amer. App. 310/1 The ‘head-spade’ is thicker and heavier than the ordinary cutting-spade, and is used in cutting the skull-bone.

1983 Austral. Jrnl. Hist. Archaeol. 1 48/1 These ‘blanket pieces’..were usually cut with boat spades of several types, such as head spades, cutting (or blubber) spades and bone spades.

head-spinning adj. dizzying, bewildering; cf. spin v. 8b.

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1910 Arizona Republican 21 Apr. 7/2 Reed holds the records as the first jockey to successfully ride the head spinning horse Ranchero.

1921 H. Fish Great Way xxxv. 372 Wanda not forgetting to leave over her shoulder a climactically head-spinning smile for Mr. Clark, who stood gazing dazedly after this miracle-woman.

1976 Pop. Mech. Nov. 81/2 Like the Corkscrew, it slams passengers through head-spinning, spiraling loops over a 2190-foot course.

1997 J. H. Jackson World Trading Syst. (ed. 2) i. 1 The pace of international economic activity and the developing interdependence of national economies is head spinning.

2010 Yachting Monthly Apr. 57/2 So mightily toxic was it, that bottom-painting was an eyewatering, head-spinning experience bordering often on the psychedelic.

head-splitting adj. (a) (of a sound) painfully loud; = ear-splitting adj. at ear n.¹ Compounds 2; (b) perplexing, bewildering.

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the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > loudness > [adjective] > deafening

deafeninga1616

deafinga1625

obtunding1645

stunning1667

ear-splitting1761

splitting1821

head-splitting1824

shattering1842

ear-sore1859

1824 W. Cobbett French Gram. xxiii. sig. Q11^v Neither [phrase] is so good as that from which the French language flees as from head-splitting dissonance.

1903 W. J. Locke Where Love Is (1904) i. 3 Discussing the functions of art and other such head-splitting matters.

1990 N.Y. Times Mag. 19 Aug. 23 A studio sports anchor's job is potentially head-splitting.

1998 M. Harrison High Society 20 My ears were still ringing from the head-splitting sounds that had swept me away.

head station n. Australian and New Zealand the homestead and main buildings of a station (station n. 8).

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the world > food and drink > farming > farm > farmstead > [noun]

towneOE

steading1472

farm-steading1533

onstead1551

farmtown1609

homestead1610

farmstead1753

homesteading1812

werf1818

plaas1834

head station1835

1835 J. Lhotsky Journey from Sydney to Austral. Alps 97 This time of year is the conclusion of sheep-shearing, where the persons employed in it..were returning home, or to the head-stations.

1936 A. Russell Gone Nomad iii. 14 I had left the head station at sunrise and ridden all day.

2003 Sydney Morning Herald (Nexis) 1 Nov. 8 Taylor and Co..held a run that stretched from the Taylors Arm east to Warrell Creek, where its head station was located.

head-stool n. [with sense (a) compare Old Icelandic hǫfuðstóll] †(a) a town or city serving as the seat of government for a country; a capital town or city; cf. stool n. 1a (obsolete); (b) a support for the head in the form of a small stool, used in some cultures instead of a pillow when sleeping or resting (chiefly historical).

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eOE tr. Orosius Hist. (BL Add.) (1980) iii. ix. 68 He..Thebana fæsten abræc, & mid ealle towearp, þætte ær wæs ealra Creca heafodstol.

eOE tr. Orosius Hist. (BL Add.) (1980) iii. xi. 78 Crecas..wiðsocon þæt hie leng Læcedemonium hieran nolde, þær heora heafodstol wæs.

1813 Catal. Nat. Hist. in Mus. Dublin Soc. 129 Head-stool [from the Sandwich Islands] made of iron-wood.

1839 Chambers's Edinb. Jrnl. 13 Apr. 91/2 This is a head-stool, or hollowed piece of wood raised upon legs like a stool, which was used [in ancient Egypt] as a pillow for resting the head upon during the hours of sleep.

1908 F. Arnold Text-bk. School & Class Managem. I. ii. viii. 199 Mats may have a fancy border or design. Head-stools and cushions receive artistic additions.

1963 W. A. C. H. Dobson Mencius: New Transl. ii. 52 Mencius lay, leaning on a head-stool dozing, and took no notice.

† head-strain n. Obsolete = headstall n.¹ 1.

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the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > horse-gear > [noun] > halter or bridle > parts of

headstallc1330

trench1480

stalk1497

musrol1551

head-strain?1561

water-chain?1561

throat band1585

cavesson1598

mullen1598

nose bit?a1600

front-stall1601

ampyx1607

chain1607

fillet1607

cheek-band1611

cheekpiece1611

noseband1611

throat thong1611

headpiece1678

throatlatch1693

headband1704

trenchefil1730

bridoon1744

banquet1753

head1756

cheek1795

throat strap1803

frontlet1805

throat-lash1805

cheekstrap1834

brow-band1844

nosepiece1865

shank1879

?1561 T. Blundeville Newe Bk. Arte of Ryding i. iv. sig. A.viii In puttyng the headstrain on, you must vse your horse so gently, as he maye not onlye be content to weare it, but also to be quietly lead therby.

1658 J. Burbury tr. G. Gualdo Priorato Hist. Christina Queen of Swedland 371 With Furniture of Velvet..twisted with Silver, with buckles, bridles, and head-strains of the same metall.

1729 R. Bradley Gentleman & Farmer's Guide iv. 302 When a Colt has been bought to some Share of Discipline by the Musroll or Head-strain,..we may venture to put a Bridle in his Mouth.

1829 J. Lawrence Horse Varieties & Uses xv. 88 Blundeville..presents his readers with the figures of fifty different bits and a head strain.

headstream n. = headwater n. 3; also figurative.

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the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > system > [noun] > head or source

headeOE

wellspringOE

springOE

uptaking1241

head wella1325

wellheadc1330

sourcec1386

headspringa1398

headstreama1398

risinga1398

surge1523

springhead?a1560

head fountain1563

water head1567

fountainhead1585

headwater1612

fill1622

water source1651

urn1726

vomica1838

sponge-swamp1901

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xviii. ix. 1126 If þe heed of þat streme is ystopped many heed stremes brekeþ oute [L. uno meatu clauso multi erumpebant].

1613 R. Kilbye Serm. 1 These parcels of holy Scripture naturally divide and branch themselues into these foure head-streams.

1817 S. R. Brown Western Gazetteer 8 Navigation..can be pursued up the Coose to one of its head streams.

1956 D. L. Linton Sheffield p. xxiv Turning southwards round the headstreams of the Don our boundary passes above the long Woodhead tunnel.

2007 Independent 18 June 25/3 The Amazon's principal headstreams, the Marañón and the Ucayali, rise in the Peruvian Andes.

† head-suit n. Obsolete (historical in later use) a kind of close-fitting cap or coif for the head.

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a1600 ( Rec. Bluemantle Pursuivant (BL Add.) in Archaeologia (1835) 26 279 His hedde Sute and Pillowes were of the quenes owen Ordonnance.

1694 A. Boyer Compl. French-master ii. 138/1 A head-suit, une coiffure.

1701 in H. Rose & L. Shaw Geneal. Deduction Family Rose of Kilravock (1848) 390 ¾ ells camrick for a head-suit.

1752 Eunuch iv. 69 I..slipt off my gown, and head suit, and called up my landlord to shave me.

1861 R. Chambers Domest. Ann. Scotl. III. 240 At the marriage of a daughter of Smythe of Methven to Sir Thomas Moncrieff of that Ilk..there was a head suit and ruffles of cut work at nearly six pounds ten shillings.

1909 Sc. Hist. Rev. 6 145 The headsuit was composed of various materials.

head terret n. [see terret n. d] = head-ring n. 1.

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the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > general equipment > [noun] > tether > ring or loop

terret1724

head-ring1795

head terret1795

mink1801

1795 W. Felton Treat. Carriages II. 164 The Territs are what screws in the saddle or housin for the reins to run through... A short terret is often fixed at the top of a bridle, called a head terret, for the leading reins to go through.

1892 Freeman's Jrnl. (Dublin) 24 Dec. 5/8 The harness is mounted with..head territs for bridles.

1903 C. G. Harper Stage-coach & Mail II. xiii. 308 ‘What do you know about throat-lashings and head-terrets?’ contemptuously asked Harry Simpson, ex-coachman of the Devonport ‘Quicksilver’.

1946 G. White in B. S. Vesey-FitzGerald Bk. of Horse ii. 450 Pass the near lead rein through the inside head terret (or the bearing-rein terret) of the off wheeler, and then back through the middle pad terret of the near wheeler.

1969 T. Ryder On Box Seat v. 66 If one of the leaders has a habit of swishing his tail over the rein this may be overcome by passing his rein through a head-terret on the wheeler's bridle.

1980 V. Ellis & R. Ellis Donkey Driving 94 When putting to the leaders rein comes back threading through the head terret of the wheeler, and through the top part of the terret on the pad back to the hand.

head-tie n. something tied round the head for adornment or to confine the hair; esp. (among Caribbean women and those of west and southern African origin) a broad strip of colourful fabric traditionally worn tied around the head.

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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > headgear > [noun] > head- or hair-band > types of

frontalc1320

mitrea1382

counter-filletc1430

frontlet1478

mitra1638

head-tie1669

sévigné1826

sweat-rag1843

sphendone1850

agal1853

sweat-band1891

Alice band1944

1669 Psittacorum Regio 149 If you ask any of them now what Hair have you? what Ribbands? what Head-tyes? or the like; they answer all, 'tis A-la-mode.

1854 A. Hinderer Jrnl. May in Church Missionary Juvenile Instructor (1855) 4 9 We gave..a nice cap to the son, and a velvet head-tie, with a fine bead fringe, to the head wife.

1889 M. E. Wilkins Far-away Melody (1893) 94 I jest clapped on this head-tie an' this little cape over my shoulders, an' I'm chilled clean through.

1944 Trinidad Guardian 20 Feb. 2 In Trinidad, there still exist some of these gaily coloured costumes and head-ties or ‘foulards’.

1987 M. Collins Angel iii. 30 Ma Ettie loosened her headtie.

2001 A. Wheatle East of Acre Lane 87 She was wearing a head-tie that covered her eyebrows.

head tile n. (a) Building a roof tile of half the usual length, used at the eaves; = sense 50; (b) U.S. slang a hat (cf. tile n.¹ 3); now rare.

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1616 R. Cocks Diary 21 Mar. (1883) I. 121 We receved 1000 tiles of all sortes to tile the new porche, with 2 head tiles.

1880 Daily Inter Ocean (Chicago) 24 Jan. 4/6 [He] was observed searching anxiously among the head tiles for a covering to his scanty locks.

1916 Puck (N.Y.) 19 Aug. 12/1 Oscar's famous head-tile.

1996 W. Bucher Dict. Building Preserv. 228/2 Head tile, a half-length tile used at the eaves. Also known as head.

head timber n. Shipbuilding (now historical) each of the upright pieces of timber which support the frame of the headrails.

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1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine at Breast-hooks The connexion and solidity of the ship in this place willl be reinforced in proportion to the strength and extent of the breast-hooks, so that they may cover a greater number of the head-timbers.

1850 J. Greenwood Sailor's Sea-bk. 124 Head-timbers, the pieces that cross the rails of the head vertically. They are bolted through their heels to the cutting-down of the knee, and unite the whole together.

1933 C. G. Davis Built-up Ship Model 103 Our little brig had the head-timbers but no crossbeams.

2001 D. Poyer Fire on Waters (2007) xv. 192 It [sc. a wave] broke green and then white in the head timbers and then blew apart and exploded aft.

† head-tin n. Mining Obsolete the purest tin ore obtained during a process of mechanical concentration; cf. sense 52 and heading n. 15.

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1673 J. Ray Coll. Eng. Words 122 The head tin passes to the wreck, where they work it with a wooden rake in Vessels.

1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. (at cited word) When the [tin] ore has been pounded and twice washed, that part of it which lies uppermost or makes the surface of the mass in the tub, is called the Head-tin.

1858–9 J. Weale Rudim. Dict. Terms Archit. (ed. 2) 221/2 Head-tin, a preparation of tin-ore towards the fitting it for working into metal.

head tone n. a tone obtained when singing in the head voice (head voice n.); a note sung in this voice; = headnote n. 2.

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society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > [noun] > note or tone > head or chest note

head tone1829

headnote1845

chest-note1854

1829 Baldwin's London Weekly 7 Feb. 3/3 The compass of the voice is no less grand than its power—besides two octaves in the pure chest voice, the head tones are beautifully full and rich.

1848 Boston Daily Atlas 20 Jan. He begins with a good baritone, which is gradually merged into a weak head tone.

1914 Biblical World 44 139 It takes the most strenuous coaching to get a pure head-tone and real singing out of such lads.

1993 Time Internat. 18 Jan. 44/3 The arduous, uncomfortable range called the ‘break’, or passaggio where the voice switches from chest tones to head tones.

2010 Cathedral Music Nov. 22/2 Sometimes the younger ones [sc. choristers] will copy this too, resulting in more of a head tone, much desired in days gone by but less popular now.

head torch n. a small torch attached to a helmet, or worn strapped to the forehead.

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1933 Fur-Fish-Game June 8/2 [They] were sent back to our camp to bring me some food, a hunting jacket, and my electric head-torch.

2002 J. Simpson Beckoning Silence (2003) xvi. 263 My head-torch beam picked out the dark shadow of the Stollenloch door set into the rock.

2006 Independent 10 May 36/5 Hundreds of well-wishers who had gathered at the mine erupted in cheers as the men emerged, their head torches still glowing.

head tributary n. a tributary forming one of the headwaters of a river.

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1835 G. Dutton Let. 26 Oct. in Message President U.S. to Congr. 186 The time required for the increased discharges from the head tributaries to produce their final effect upon the lower sections of the river.

1925 N. E. Odell in E. F. Norton et al. Fight for Everest: 1924 iii. 292 A far-flung head tributary of the Dzakar Chu.

1998 Gloucester Citizen (Nexis) 18 July 22 The growing numbers of salmon reaching the head tributaries of the Severn in summer to spawn.

head tube n. (on a bicycle or tricycle) the hollow tube enclosing the steering column.

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1895 N.Y. Times 1 Oct. 6/6 See that you have a buffer of woolen cloth about the frame where it hangs or it will rub off the enamel of your head tube.

1991 Bicycle Guide Sept. 49/3 The group decided to weld a reinforcing gusset at the head tube and add a steering dampener to make the bike handle a little better.

2010 Triathlete's World Jan. 59/2 The head tube is rather high and so people who like to get into a low aero position may struggle to do so.

head valve n. Mechanics a valve at the upper end or inlet of a pump, pipe, etc.

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1836 6th Rep. Comm. Managem. Post-office Dept. App. 167 (table) in Parl. Papers XXVIII. 145 [Engine, fire]... Foot valves and head valves.

1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. II. 1087/1 Head valve (Steam-engine.), the delivering valve. The upper air-pump valve.

1905 Trans. Manch. Geol. Soc. 28 460 Bergmanns arranges a second head valve over the one situated in the cylinder, the space between the two having a regularising effect on the work of the pump.

2004 D. Summitt Tales Cold War Submariner xvi. 231 The head valve on the snorkeling mast was shutting and opening quite frequently as waves came in on over the snorkel's head and then fell away.

head veil n. a veil covering (part of) the head; (sometimes) spec. a veil worn over the hair as opposed to the face, such as the hijab or the veil worn by some orders of Christian nuns.

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1836 E. W. Lane Acct. Manners & Customs Mod. Egyptians II. xv. 291 Behind the bier walk the female mourners..with their hair dishevelled, though generally concealed by the head-veil.

1896 L. Eckenstein Woman under Monasticism 115 The dark head-veil is given up for white and coloured head-dresses.

1926 D. H. Lawrence David i. 9 Tissue from Egypt, head-veils from Pharaoh's house!

2004 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 1 Feb. i. 11/1 The storm..has inflated the woman's robe and head veil, pulling them away like a sail.

head vein n. [after post-classical Latin vena cephalica (c1230–50 or earlier); compare Old English hēafodǣder cephalic vein ( < head n.¹ + eddre n.)] Anatomy (a) the principal vein of the arm; = cephalic vein at cephalic adj. 1a; now historical; (b) any of the veins draining the head.

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a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. vii. v. 349 He schal blede in þe hede veyne [L. cephalica].

c1420 in C. Innes Liber S. Marie de Calchou (1846) II. 450 Þe hede vayn of þe samyn arme..þ^t lies nest abowin þe hart wayn..in þe bouat of þe arme.

a1500 in Archiv für Geschichte der Medizin (1912) 5 74 (MED) Blede on the veyne, that is called cephalica, that is to seye the hedde veyne.

1600 S. Rowlands (title) The letting of humours blood in the head-vaine.

1785 P. Tayler Ready Doctor 45 If the Head be troubled with a Megrim..Bleed in the Head Vein.

1884 Amer. Jrnl. Insanity 40 345 Some passive fullness of the head veins may be noticed.

1984 Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc. 74 56 These veins [of the arm] are the cephalic or head-vein; the median or cardiac vein; the basilic or hepatic vein; [etc.].

2005 R. Bellairs & M. Osmond Atlas Chick Devel. (ed. 2) vi. 55/1 The anterior cardinal vessels..are formed by the fusion of a number of vascular spaces which include the left and right head veins.

head waiter n. the chief or most senior waiter in an inn, restaurant, or other establishment.In quot. 1714: the most senior official in a custom house (see waiter n. 2c).

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > serving food > [noun] > server of food > in inn or restaurant > head waiter

head waiter1714

maître d'hôtel1850

maître1899

1714 Tractatus Navigationis: Treaty Navigation & Commerce at Utrecht 57/2 Having left them in the Power of the said Head-Waiter [sc. the warehouse-keeper of the custom-house].

1753 S. Richardson Hist. Sir Charles Grandison VI. xlii. 266. He professes to be an encourager of the people of the George in Northampton... I imagine the writer to be the head waiter of the house.

1823 L. Minor Jrnl. 29 Nov. in Atlantic Monthly (1870) Aug. 171/1 It is a singular spectacle to see a man, who has occupied such high and varied stations, bustling about a tavern at once as landlord, barkeeper, and head waiter.

1925 J. Dos Passos Manhattan Transfer ii. v. 218 Ellen was following the headwaiter's swallowtails along the edge of the dancefloor.

2005 Asian Woman Feb. 77/2 We were seen to by the head waiter approximately 5 minutes after being seated.

headwall n. (a) chiefly Architecture and Civil Engineering a supporting, protecting, or retaining wall built at the front or top of a structure, area, etc.; (b) Physical Geography and Mountaineering a steep rock slope at the head of a valley; esp. a rock face or cliff at the back of a corrie.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > support > [noun] > that which supports > a retaining wall

headwall1659

retaining wall1771

wing-wall1791

the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > cliff > [noun] > other cliffs

by-cliff1596

undercliff1829

headwall1875

rock pitch1897

1659 T. Willsford Architectonice 8 Part of..[the] head wall..is brick.

1794 J. Sinclair Statist. Acct. Scotl. XII. 476 Next above the farm-steadings, are the Outfields,..separated from the hill or moor by a head-wall.

1875 Overland Monthly Jan. 69/1 Its eastern slopes are longer in shadow than the western, consequently the ice-wombs of the former are deeper and their head-walls are sheerer.

1891 Official Gaz. (U.S. Patent Office) 11 Aug. 726/2 A head-wall dividing a water-way into upper and lower levels [in a lock].

1971 C. Bonington Annapurna South Face xv. 192 I climbed the initial icefield, then up the first rock groove... I was now below the final headwall of the Flat Iron.

1990 Mountain Nov. 23/3 Tuckerman's Ravine has climbable ice in November and December but fills with snow later on, much to the delight of the skiing enthusiast who attempts the famous headwall.

2004 T. Hald et al. in R. Robinson & B. Thagesen Road Engin. for Devel. x. 195 Most culverts have an upstream headwall and terminate downstream with an endwall.

† head well n. Obsolete = fountainhead n. (in either sense); cf. headspring n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > existence and causation > causation > source or origin > [noun]

welleOE

mothereOE

ordeOE

wellspringeOE

fathereOE

headeOE

oreOE

wellspringOE

rootc1175

morea1200

beginningc1200

head wella1325

sourcec1374

principlea1382

risinga1382

springinga1382

fountain14..

springerc1410

nativity?a1425

racinea1425

spring1435

headspring?a1439

seminaryc1440

originationc1443

spring wellc1450

sourdre1477

primordialc1487

naissance1490

wellhead?1492

offspringa1500

conduit-head1517

damc1540

springhead1547

principium1550

mint1555

principal1555

centre1557

head fountain1563

parentage1581

rise1589

spawna1591

fount1594

parent1597

taproot1601

origin1604

fountainhead1606

radix1607

springa1616

abundary1622

rist1622

primitive1628

primary1632

land-spring1642

extraction1655

upstart1669

progenerator1692

fontala1711

well-eye1826

first birth1838

ancestry1880

Quelle1893

the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > system > [noun] > head or source

headeOE

wellspringOE

springOE

uptaking1241

head wella1325

wellheadc1330

sourcec1386

headspringa1398

headstreama1398

risinga1398

surge1523

springhead?a1560

head fountain1563

water head1567

fountainhead1585

headwater1612

fill1622

water source1651

urn1726

vomica1838

sponge-swamp1901

a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 868 On heued-welle of flum iordan.

c1425 in E. Edwards Liber Monasterii de Hyda (1866) 223 Along the moris for to thow comyst to Wystwalan to the ston; then est to the hed-welle [c1425 (OE) æwylle] at Wudutune.

c1443 R. Pecock Reule of Crysten Religioun (1927) 233 Þis original riȝtwisnes..is as an heed welle out of whom flowen alle oþere moral vertues.

1685 D. Abercromby Disc. Wit xi. 149 Wit..is..the Headwel of Rebellion, Sedition, and Heresie.

1828 T. Wyse Let. 30 July in Hist. Sketch Catholic Assoc. Ireland (1829) II. p. clii The Association, the central point, the head well of all the public feeling in our body, might stand as it is.

† head-wise adj. Obsolete wise in intellectual, as opposed to emotional or practical, matters.

ΚΠ

1673 W. Penn Let. 4 Oct. in Wks. (1726) I. 162 Carnal, Headwise Opposers..skill'd in Science falsly so called.

1705 W. Yworth Compl. Distiller 155 To perform this, is not for the Head-wise Chymists, but for such indeed whom Experience hath made Heart-wise.

1839 Southern Lit. Messenger Feb. 98/1 Having been early imbued with the head-wise but heart-foolish Maxims of Rochefoucault.

1890 Internat. Dental Jrnl. 11 775 We are..invited..to pay less marked attention to theory; to give the attention to the practical which it should receive, and to make our dentists hand-wise rather than head-wise.

1911 E. H. Abbott Sick-a-bed Lady 209 You are clever in the affections. You are heart-wise as well as head-wise.

head-wrong adj. (of a person) misguided, in error; paired with headlong, headstrong.

ΚΠ

1863 C. C. Clarke Shakespeare-characters xvii. 415 The headlong and headwrong Richard II.

1895 ‘M. Maartens’ My Lady Nobody xxxvii. 302 ‘Head-strong and head-wrong’ was a favorite formula with Mopius, who, of course, considered himself to be neither.

1915 R. Francis Story Tower of London v. 151 The headstrong, head-wrong Stuarts.

1992 J. C. Humes Ben Franklin Factor xii. 97 (heading) To be headstrong is to be head-wrong.

headyards n. [compare earlier headsail n.] Nautical (now chiefly historical) the yards (yard n.² 5) in the foremast; cf. after-yards n. at after- prefix 3.

ΚΠ

1758 Exact Acct. Late Exped. 25 All with their head-yards, rigging, and a considerable quantity of stores on board.

1801 Naval Chron. 6 245 With an intent..to brace the head yards a-box.

1910 D. W. Bone Brassbounder (1911) iii. 43 ‘All hands off the deck!’ roared the Mate when the headyards were steadied.

2003 J. E. Fender Audacity iii. 32 Brace in the afteryards! Lay the headyards square!

Derivatives

ˈheadlike adj.

ΚΠ

1565 J. Hall Expositiue Table 58 in tr. Lanfranc Most Excellent Woorke Chirurg. Capitata: that is cabbege letuce, of his headlike roundnes.

1819 London Med. Repository 11 29 Body soft, very long, flat, jointed, terminated in the fore-part with a head-like nodule.

1916 Forum July 114 The tall, white, thin headstones, with their carved headlike top knobs, looking exactly like ghosts in the gloomy light.

2003 D. Koontz Odd Thomas (2004) v. 42 Although it possessed no discernible facial features, a portion of its silhouette appeared headlike.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2013; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	head
释义	headn.¹ Brit. /hɛd/, U.S. /hɛd/ Forms: early Old English heasdes (Mercian, genitive singular, transmission error), Old English eafd- (inflected form, rare), Old English hæafd- (inflected form, rare), Old English hæfad- (inflected form, rare), Old English hafod (rare), Old English hafud- (in compounds, rare), Old English heafu (Northumbrian, transmission error), Old English heafut (Northumbrian, rare), Old English heafvd (rare), Old English hefid- (Northumbrian, in compounds), Old English heofd- (inflected form, rare), Old English heofed (rare), Old English heofud (Anglian), Old English heouod (rare), Old English hiafd- (inflected form, rare), Old English (rare)–early Middle English eafod, Old English (rare)–early Middle English hæfd- (inflected form), Old English (rare)–early Middle English hæfod, Old English (rare)–early Middle English heafad, Old English–early Middle English heafd- (inflected form), Old English–early Middle English heafed, Old English–early Middle English heafod, Old English (rare)–early Middle English heafoð, Old English (chiefly Anglian)–early Middle English heafud, Old English (rare)–early Middle English heauod, Old English (rare)–early Middle English hefd- (inflected form), Old English–early Middle English heofod, late Old English hæafud- (in compounds), late Old English hæuod, late Old English hauud, late Old English heæfd- (inflected form), late Old English heæfed, late Old English heæfod, late Old English heafð- (inflected form), late Old English (early Middle English in copy of Old English charter) æfd- (inflected form), late Old English (early Middle English in copy of Old English charter) hefod, late Old English–early Middle English hæued, late Old English–early Middle English heafd, late Old English–early Middle English heuod, late Old English–Middle English heaued, late Old English–Middle English hefd, early Middle English eaued, early Middle English eueth (in a Latin text), early Middle English eved, early Middle English hæfd, early Middle English hæfed, early Middle English hæfedd ( Ormulum), early Middle English hæfet, early Middle English hæffod (in copy of Old English charter), early Middle English hæfued, early Middle English hæhued, early Middle English hæuet, early Middle English hafd- (inflected form), early Middle English hafed, early Middle English hafedd ( Ormulum), early Middle English hafot, early Middle English hafued, early Middle English haphed (in a place name), early Middle English hauod, early Middle English heafet, early Middle English heafeð, early Middle English heafoded (probably transmission error), early Middle English heaheafde (plural, transmission error), early Middle English heauet, early Middle English heaueð, early Middle English heauot (in a Latin text), early Middle English heawed, early Middle English hefad (in copy of Old English charter), early Middle English hefet, early Middle English hefued, early Middle English heofd (in copy of Old English charter), early Middle English heueed, early Middle English heuet, early Middle English heueð, early Middle English hevod (in copy of Old English charter), early Middle English hewid, early Middle English hewit, early Middle English hued, Middle English efd, Middle English eued, Middle English hade, Middle English haued, Middle English haved, Middle English havede, Middle English heafodde (in copy of Old English charter), Middle English heauede, Middle English heauyd (in copy of Old English charter), Middle English heedd, Middle English hef, Middle English hefde, Middle English hefed, Middle English hefede, Middle English heifd (northern), Middle English heried (transmission error), Middle English het, Middle English heud, Middle English heue, Middle English heued, Middle English heuede, Middle English heuid, Middle English heuyd, Middle English heved, Middle English hevede, Middle English hevid, Middle English hevyd, Middle English hewed, Middle English hewede, Middle English hewyd, Middle English heyd (chiefly north-east midlands and northern), Middle English heyde (chiefly north-east midlands and northern), Middle English hide, Middle English hied (northern), Middle English hiede (northern), Middle English hiued, Middle English hude (northern, perhaps transmission error), Middle English hyfdes (plural), Middle English (1700s North American) had, Middle English–1500s hedd, Middle English–1500s hedde, Middle English–1500s heed, Middle English–1500s heede, Middle English (chiefly northern)–1500s (1900s– Irish English (northern)) heid, Middle English–1600s hede, Middle English–1600s (1800s Irish English (Wexford)) heade, Middle English–1700s hed, Middle English– head, late Middle English heuesde (transmission error), 1500s ede, 1500s ȝaed, 1500s headde, 1500s heydd, 1600s headd, 1800s 'ed (nonstandard), 1800s ed (nonstandard), 1800s haade (Irish English (Wexford)), 1800s ned (nonstandard), 1800s– 'ead (nonstandard), 1800s– ead (nonstandard); English regional 1700s– had, 1700s– yead, 1800s haid, 1800s hede (northern), 1800s heoad (Lancashire), 1800s heyde, 1800s hidd (East Anglian), 1800s– ad (chiefly midlands), 1800s– 'eead, 1800s– hade, 1800s– hed, 1800s– heead, 1800s– heeade, 1800s– heed, 1800s– heid (northern), 1800s– hid (East Anglian), 1800s– hod (Worcestershire), 1800s– hud, 1800s– yed, 1800s– yedd, 1800s– yeead, 1800s– yud, 1900s– yod (Worcestershire); U.S. regional (southern, chiefly in African-American usage) 1800s hade, 1800s– haid, 1900s– hai'd; Scottish pre-1700 ed, pre-1700 hade, pre-1700 haed, pre-1700 heade, pre-1700 hed, pre-1700 hede, pre-1700 heidd, pre-1700 heide, pre-1700 heuit, pre-1700 heved, pre-1700 hevid, pre-1700 hevyd, pre-1700 hevyde, pre-1700 hewid, pre-1700 hewide, pre-1700 hewit, pre-1700 hewyd, pre-1700 hewyde, pre-1700 heyd, pre-1700 1700s– head, pre-1700 1700s– heed, pre-1700 1700s– heid /hid/, pre-1700 1800s haid, 1700s hide, 1800s hehd (north-eastern). Origin: A word inherited from Germanic. Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian hāved , hād , Old Saxon hōvid (Middle Low German hȫvet ), Middle Dutch hōvet , hooft (Dutch hoofd ), Old High German houbit (Middle High German houbet , German Haupt ), Old Icelandic haufuð , Gothic haubiþ , apparently reflecting a variant or alteration (see note) of the Germanic base of Old Icelandic hǫfuð , Norn (Shetland) huge , Old Swedish hovudh , hovuþ (Swedish huvud ), Old Danish hovæth (Danish hoved ), Old Gutnish hafuþ < the same Indo-European base as classical Latin capit- , caput (see caput n.), probably < a base meaning ‘cup, vessel’; further etymology uncertain, perhaps < the Indo-European base of classical Latin capere to take, lift (see capture n. and compare heave v.); compare (with different suffix) Sanskrit kapāla cup, skull. With the semantic development from ‘cup, vessel’ to ‘head’ compare French tête (see tête n.) and German Kopf (see cop n.² and the discussion at that entry), both now only in sense ‘head’; compare cop n.¹ The diphthongized base seen in the West Germanic and some other forms probably shows secondary influence from another word; suggestions for this include the Germanic base of houve n. and the Germanic base of eye n.¹ Old English inflection. In Old English usually a strong neuter; a strong masculine accusative plural hēafdas is attested once. The word sometimes appears to show dative plural hēafdum in singular sense, especially in locative function, as in the phrase æt hēafdum . Similar constructions are occasionally found in Old High German and Old Icelandic. The origin of such forms is uncertain and disputed. It has been suggested that they reflect an old instrumental singular form or a former dual, but they may also have arisen secondarily in contexts such as quot. OE at sense 18a and be influenced by the dative plural ending of fōtum feet, with which the word is often paired or contrasted. The form hēafdum in quot. lOE² at sense 38a may also represent such a locative form, but the later use of the plural in sense 38a is probably unconnected. Old English forms. In Old English the word usually shows the long diphthong ēa in the first syllable, the regular reflex of Germanic au ; occasional forms such as heofud occur especially in Anglian sources in which the graphic distinction between the diphthongs ēa and ēo is not always clearly maintained. Forms such as hæfod, hafod, showing a monophthong in the first syllable, are occasionally attested, and have sometimes been interpreted as showing the reflex of Germanic a , but they are rare and relatively late. Late Old English forms such as hæfod in particular clearly reflect monophthongization of the earlier diphthong rather than an inherited monophthong. The vowel of the second syllable (originally u , in West Saxon usually o ) is liable to syncope in inflected forms, but also to analogical restoration; the precise phonological history is complex and disputed, and subject to much dialectal and diachronic variation (see further R. M. Hogg & R. D. Fulk Gram. Old Eng. (2011) II. §§3.56–7, 3.63–6, 3.72). In late Old English shortening in the first syllable is liable to occur both in trisyllabic inflected forms such as genitive singular hēafodes , nominative plural hēafodu , and also in disyllabic forms before the consonant group, such as hēafdes , hēafdu . Later form history. The Middle English forms show reflexes of both long and shortened vowels, the latter further reinforced by shortening of long open ē (or its reflex) before d (after loss of the intervening fricative) in late Middle English or early modern English (compare e.g. bread n., dead adj., red adj., etc.). Older Scots did not share the tendency to shorten open ē in this environment, and the usual modern form heid reflects a long vowel (subsequently shortened by the operation of Aitken's Law). The form ned at Forms shows metanalysis (see N n.). Notes on specific senses. Compare post-classical Latin caput (see caput n.) and also Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French chief , chef (see chief n.), which have a similar semantic range. With sense 6 compare Anglo-Norman teste head of a stag, antlers (both first half of the 14th cent.). Earlier currency of this sense is perhaps shown by the following Old English gloss of post-classical Latin brunda , an obscure word, probably of Messapian origin, meaning ‘head (or perhaps antlers) of a deer’. The ultimate source of the gloss is Isidore ( Origines 15. 1. 49), who cites brunda (which he considers a Greek word) as etymon of the classical Latin name of Brundisium (now Brindisi): ‘Brundisium autem dictum [est] Graece quod brunda caput cervi dicatur,’ ‘Brundisium is so called in Greek because brunda is the head of a deer.’ The word is glossed elsewhere both as ‘head of a deer’ and ‘antlers of a deer’ (with the latter compare the Middle English quots. below); it is impossible to know which sense was uppermost in the mind of the Anglo-Saxon glossator:OE Antwerp-London Gloss. (2011) 48 Brunda, heortes heafod.?c1475 Catholicon Anglicum (BL Add. 15562) f. 61 A harthorne, brunda, cornu cerui.?c1475 Catholicon Anglicum (BL Add. 15562) f. 65 A Horne, brunda..cornu. With sense 17 compare Old English hēafodlic headly adj. in its rare sense ‘situated at the top’, attested only with reference to the architrave or capital of a column (compare sense 19g). With use in reference to columns perhaps compare also the following attestation of the Old English compound hēafodstōl (compare head-stool n. at Compounds 4), ostensibly glossing post-classical Latin capitella , plural of capitellum capital of a column (see capitellum n.), although the gloss is perhaps more likely to reflect confusion of post-classical Latin capitellum with classical Latin capitōlium Capitol n.: eOE Cleopatra Gloss. in W. G. Stryker Lat.-Old Eng. Gloss. in MS Cotton Cleopatra A.III (Ph.D. diss., Stanford Univ.) (1951) 97 Capitella, heafedstol. With sense 32a compare Old English (Northumbrian) hēafodweard chapter, heading (see headward n.²). With senses 40a and 41 (and the related place names discussed below) compare pen n.¹ and its Brittonic etymon. With sense 54 compare Anglo-Norman a bon chef to a successful conclusion, a mal chef to an unfavourable conclusion, to a bad end (both late 12th cent.), etc., and the expressions cited at to bring to a head at Phrases 4b and to come to a head at Phrases 4c. Use in place names. The word is attested in place names in a number of senses, including ‘upper end of a valley’ (compare sense 37), ‘source of a stream’ (compare sense 38), and ‘headland of a field’ (compare sense 39). However, a significant number of early place names appear to show the word as second element in sense ‘projecting piece of ground’ (compare branch II.*); this use differs both from later sense 40a (‘promontory, cape’) in that it is not typically found in coastal areas, and from later sense 41 (‘summit’) in that it does not seem to refer to the highest part of a hill, but chiefly to hill-spurs and the like; compare e.g. Dunehefde* , Somerset (1086, now Downhead), Duneheve , Wiltshire (1086; also to Dunheafdan in a 13th-cent. copy of a charter of 955; now Donhead), names probably to be interpreted as meaning ‘projecting end of a hill’ (compare down n.¹ 1). This sense of the word is not well attested in lexical use, although compare early Middle English westhēafod (c1155) in sense ‘western end of a hill’ in late copies of Anglo-Saxon charters; perhaps compare also the Old English phrase hlinces hēafod (and similar collocations, e.g. hlinces ende ) in charter bounds, probably in sense ‘end of a ridge or terrace’ (compare link n.¹, linch n.²). An unusually high proportion of place names of this type have the name of an animal as the first element; comparison of the shape of the hill-spur with the shape of the animal's head is probably sometimes implied, although other kinds of association between animal and hill are also possible. (An earlier theory connecting such names with early Anglo-Saxon practices of animal sacrifice is now usually discounted.) See discussion in M. Gelling & A. Cole Landscape of Place-names (2000) 175–6. Compare e.g. Gateshevet, Durham (1144–53, although earlier currency is implied by Bede's Latin translation as Ad Caprae Caput (731); now Gateshead), and compare also the following: OE Farm Accounts, Ely in A. J. Robertson Anglo-Saxon Charters (1956) 252 Twegen or[an wæ]ron to scipe & to net[tum] to Fearresheafde [i.e. present-day Farcet].OE Bounds (Sawyer 1329) in D. Hooke Worcs. Anglo-Saxon Charter-bounds (1990) 290 Of cynelde weorðe swa on þære lytlan mædwe, swa on swines heafde [i.e. present-day Swinesherd]. I. Senses relating to the part of the body. * The literal sense, and directly connected uses. 1. a. The uppermost part of the body of a human, or the front or uppermost part of the body of an animal, typically separated from the rest of the body by a more or less distinct neck, and containing the brain, mouth, eyes, nose, and ears. (a) With reference to humans. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > [noun] nolleOE headOE topa1225 copc1264 scalpa1300 chiefc1330 crownc1330 jowla1400 poll?a1400 testea1400 ball in the hoodc1400 palleta1425 noddle?1507 costard?1515 nab?1536 neck1560 coxcomb1567 sconce1567 now1568 headpiece1579 mazer1581 mazardc1595 cockcomb1602 costrel1604 cranion1611 pasha1616 noddle pate1622 block1635 cranium1647 sallet1652 poundrel1664 nob1699 crany?1730 knowledge box1755 noodle1762 noggin1769 napper1785 garret1796 pimple1811 knowledge-casket1822 coco1828 cobbra1832 coconut1834 top-piece1838 nut1841 barnet1857 twopenny1859 chump1864 topknot1869 conk1870 masthead1884 filbert1886 bonce1889 crumpet1891 dome1891 roof1897 beanc1905 belfry1907 hat rack1907 melon1907 box1908 lemon1923 loaf1925 pound1933 sconec1945 nana1966 OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: John xiii. 9 Non tantum pedes meos sed et manus et caput : ne þæt an foet mino ah eæc ða hond & þæt heafut [OE Rushw. heofod, OE West Saxon Gospels: Corpus Cambr. heafod]. OE Cynewulf Juliana 295 Ic Herode in hyge bispeop [read bisweop] þæt he Iohannes bibead heafde biheawan. a1200 (?OE) MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 205 (MED) He..hadde þornene helm uppen his holi hafde. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 800 He gurde Suard on þat hæfd. c1300 (?c1225) King Horn (Cambr.) (1901) l. 641 (MED) Þat heued i þe bringe Of þe maister kinge. c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 398 Corineus..smot him anowarde þat heued [c1425 Harl. hed]. c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Matt. v. 36 Neither thou shalt swere by thin heued. 1450 W. Lomnor in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 36 Oon of the lewdeste of the shippe badde hym ley down hys hedde. a1475 (?a1430) J. Lydgate tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Life Man (Vitell.) 12755 Hyr Eyen royllynge in hyr hed, Hyr fface colouryd was lyk led. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) Mark vi. 24 Ihon baptistes heade. 1546 J. Heywood Dialogue Prouerbes Eng. Tongue ii. vii. sig. K^v God sende that hed (saied she) a better nurs. For whan the hed aketh, all the body is the wurs. a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) iii. ii. 35 Keepe a good tongue in your head . View more context for this quotation 1655 T. Fuller Church-hist. Brit. ii. 109 They pour not water upon the Heads of Infants, but immerge them in the Font. 1726 J. Swift Gulliver I. ii. viii. 163 I had like to have gotten one or two broken Heads for my Impertinence. 1752 London Mag. Dec. 556/2 They beat their heads and tore their hair. 1824 C. M. Sedgwick Redwood II. xx. 135 [She] averted her head to conceal her blushes and her tears. 1859 ‘G. Eliot’ Adam Bede II. iv. xxvii. 233 He'd leave his head behind him, if it was loose. 1900 Internat. Monthly 1 239 People of short stature, with rounded heads and dark hair. a1935 W. Holtby South Riding (1936) viii. iii. 536 His pulses were leaping, his head ached, his whole body trembled in an ague. 1971 Daily Tel. 4 Mar. 15/4 A cashier who tried to ‘have a go’ was hit on the head with a gun butt. 2010 New Yorker 20 Sept. 102/2 The driver was wearing a helmet, while his passenger merely held hers over her head. (b) With reference to animals. ΚΠ eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Otho) (2009) I. xxiii. 490 Ða sceolde cuman ðære helle hund ongean hine, þæs nama wæs Cerueruerus [read Ceruerus], se sceolde habban þrio heafdu. OE Ælfric Old Eng. Hexateuch: Gen. (Claud.) iii. 15 God cwæð to ðære næddran:..heo tobrytt ðin heafod [L. caput tuum] & ðu syrwst ongean hire ho. lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) anno 1012 Hine þa þær oftorfodon mid banum & mid hryðera heafdum[OE Tiber. B. iv hryþera neata heafedum]. a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 3151 Ilc man..Heued and fet [of roasted lamb]..Lesen fro ðe bones, and eten. a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) i. l. 1536 He his horse heved aside Tho torneth. a1450 in T. Austin Two 15th-cent. Cookery-bks. (1888) 9 Take fayre garbagys of chykonys, as þe hed, þe fete, þe lyuerys. 1587 J. Hooker Chron. Ireland 157/1 in Holinshed's Chron. (new ed.) II The great & venomous hydra was thus shortened of one of his heds. 1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 219 It is said..that if the head of a wolfe be hanged vp in a doue-cote, neither cat, Ferret, weasil, Stoate, or other noysome beast dare to enter therein. 1676 London Gaz. No. 1143/4 A little motled Bitch, with yellow motles from head to toe. 1737 J. Brickell Nat. Hist. N.-Carolina 168 The Tobacco-worm..has two sharp horns on its Head. 1769 T. Pennant Brit. Zool. (new ed.) III. iv. 249 This species is in some places called the bull trout, from the thickness and shortness of its head. 1810 A. von Sack Voy. Surinam App. 263 The bird is of a yellow colour; the head is ornamented with a comb of feathers. 1888 G. Rolleston & W. H. Jackson Forms Animal Life (ed. 2) 333 Coelomata... A shorter anterior region or head which is preoral, and a longer postoral region, the body. a1933 J. A. Thomson Biol. for Everyman (1934) I. ii. 26 The head begins to come into its own for the first time in some of the bristle-footed marine worms. 1966 W. Percy Last Gentleman v. iv. 267 The dogs stuck their heads out the windows, grinning and splitting the wind. 1998 S. Lawrence Montenegro 108 He noted the thickness of the serpent, and the evil triangle of its head: a viper, no doubt. 2000 P. Moore Full Montezuma (2001) vii. 100 Our dog Sally would bail them [sc. snakes] up and I'd cut off their heads with a shovel. (c) figurative and in figurative contexts.Mainly in fixed phrases: see, for example, to bury (or hide) one's head in the sand at sand n.² 2d, to raise one's head above the parapet at parapet n. 1, to rear its (ugly) head at rear v.¹ 13e. ΚΠ OE Blickling Homilies 33 Cuþ is þæt se awyrgda gast is heafod ealra unrihtwisra dæda, swylce unrihtwise syndon deofles leomo. OE Ælfric Homily (Cambr. Ii.4.6) in J. C. Pope Homilies of Ælfric (1967) I. 488 Se Hælend..astah þa ana, ac him æfter fyligdon his agene lima [i.e. the saints], up to ðam Heafde [i.e. Christ]. 1563 N. Winȝet Certain Tractates (1890) II. 29 The auctoritie of the apostolik pouer put out the heid sua, that with maist hie seueritie it decretit. 1597 J. Norden Mirror of Honor 15 Let the two edged sword of faith and obedience cut off the head of sin in the head, that it may dye in the members. 1616 P. Simson Short Compend Hist. First Ten Persecutions III. viii. 152 This opinion of Transsubstantiation did no sooner put out its head, but assoone also contradiction was made vnto it. 1682 T. Otway Epil. Venice Preserv'd (single sheet) From the filthy Dunghil-faction bred, New-form'd Rebellion durst rear up its head. a1752 T. Fitzgerald Winter's Evening in Poems (1781) 79 From the Year are all its Honours fled, And dull November rears his gloomy Head. 1865 P. H. Gosse Land & Sea 5 An envious sea curled up its green head right over the quarter. 1883 London Bicycle Club Gaz. 12 July 156/2 Rayleigh Hill, which has long defied the attempts of all Essex men, has at length been compelled to lower its head beneath the triumphant wheel of our Captain. 1905 J. B. Bury Life St. Patrick iii. 51 Their [sc. the heretics'] doctrine was compelled to hide its head in Britain for a few years to come. 1952 C. Day Lewis tr. Virgil Aeneid iv. 77 Rumour..soon puffs itself up, And walking upon the ground, buries its head in the cloud-base. 2005 D. Plotz Genius Factory ix. 167 As AID [= artificial insemination by donor] became more common..it started to poke its head out into the open. b. The size or extent of a head used as a rough unit of measurement. (a) In expressions indicating relative height, esp. as compared to the height of a particular person or of people in general, as taller by a (also the) head, etc.Cf. also head and shoulders at Phrases 3o(a)(ii) and to make shorter by a head at Phrases 6a. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > bodily height > [noun] > measurement used in headc1400 the world > life > the body > bodily height > [adjective] statureda1460 taller by a (also the) head1788 statural1968 c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 333 Þe stif mon hym bifore stod vpon hyȝt, Herre þen ani in þe hous by þe hede & more. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Kings x. E Whan he stode amonge the people, he was hygher by the heade then all the people. 1598 W. Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost v. i. 41 Thou art not so long by the head as honorificabilitudinitatibus. View more context for this quotation ?1624 T. Scott Vox Dei 5 A tall proper man, higher by the head then the common sort. 1663 A. Gray Great & Precious Promises vi. 139 That idol of self indulgence..is as Saul, the head higher then the rest of all your idols within you. 1704 Clarendon's Hist. Rebellion III. xiii. 315 Near the head higher than most tall Men. 1751 Proc. Old Bailey 16 Oct. 314/1 The man..was a country looking, short punched person, about my height... Note, About the whole head shorter than Dixon. 1788 H. Repton Variety 36 My father was but five feet high, and he was taller by a head than me. 1847 Ld. Tennyson Princess iii. 55 She stood Among her maidens, higher by the head. 1875 B. Jowett tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) I. 480 A is taller by a head than B. 1913 A. Blackwood Prisoner in Fairyland ix. 117 She towered above him by a head at least. 1991 J. Wolf Daughter of Red Deer i. iii. 32 The fact that he was a full head taller than she only exacerbated her temper. 2009 B. Mitchell tr. G. Grass Tin Drum iii. 432 I was nearly two heads shorter than Sister Gertrud. (b) Originally Horse Racing. With reference to the amount by which one horse is ahead of or behind a rival in a race, or the margin by which it wins or loses. Later frequently figurative with reference to any narrow margin of victory. Chiefly in to win (also lose, etc.) by a head. Cf. neck n.¹ 4, nose n. 1d.See also short head n. (b) at short adj., n., and adv. Compounds 6a. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > horse racing > engage in horse racing [verb (intransitive)] > win to win (also lose, etc.) by a head1743 (to win or lose) by a neck1791 to win in a canter1853 to win cleverly1881 1743 London Evening-Post 26 May The first Heat was won with great Difficulty by Mr. Greswood's Horse Badger, he not beating the Duke of Ancaster's Chesnut above half a Head. 1750 Penny London Post 20 June The second Heat was so nearly run, that Fancy won it by half the Head. 1794 Edinb. Mag. July 79/1 The second heat was gained by a head, the third by rather less, and the last by half a length. 1805 Sporting Mag. Aug. 270/2 He [sc. a racehorse]..won his race by a head. 1816 W. T. Moncrieff All at Coventry ii. 47 ‘Who's going to start now?’—‘Blucher and Boney.’..‘Boney has lost by half a head.’ 1839 Amer. Turf Reg. Mar. 208 He ran four miles carrying 130 lbs. losing by a head only. 1873 K. King Lost for Gold II. vii. 181 ‘I am told Morton was fearful spoons on the same girl. Is it true?’ ‘True enough. I won by a head only.’ 1913 Field 3 May 849/3 Louvois..passed Sanquhar and Fairy King, and going great guns..beat the favourite by a head. 1995 Racing Post 14 July 9/1 He..held on to win by a head. 2008 P. Robinson To Death 292 The colt had not won the Irish Derby, but had been beaten by a head in a photo finish. c. Chiefly British colloquial. A headache. Cf. heady adj. 6b. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > ill health > pain > pain in specific parts > [noun] > in head headwarkeOE headacheOE headachinga1400 sodac1540 sood1547 a sore (Sc. sair) headc1550 raging1561 cephalalgy1607 head1783 splitter1860 headachiness1862 1783 H. Mann Let. 18 Nov. in H. Walpole Corr. (1971) XXV. 441 It is become warm again, my habitual heads have ceased. 1869 A. Trollope Phineas Finn I. xxiii. 189 Don't you know how one feels sometimes that one has got a head? And when that is the case one's armchair is the best place. 1888 R. Kipling Thrown Away in Plain Tales from Hills 15 He found whist, and gymkhanas,..good; but he took these..just as seriously as he took the ‘head’ that followed after drink. 1889 St. James's Gaz. 10 Aug. 3/2 He is decidedly feverish, and, in the pleasing vernacular of the modern youth about town, he has a ‘head’ on him. 1928 R. Macaulay Keeping up Appearances xxv. 291 ‘God, I've got a head.’ ‘You look rotten..better go straight to bed.’ 1961 J. Wade Back to Life xi. 164 I get one of those blinding heads. 2007 C. J. Pendergest Videls xvi. 97 Delany woke up with a bit of a head. He hadn't drunk Bacardi for a long time. 2. a. The head considered as the centre of mental activity; the seat of the faculties; a person's mind. Often contrasted with heart as the seat of the emotions (see heart n. 9); also sometimes contrasted with hands, representing manual labour.See also to get into one's head at Phrases 4d(b), to put into a person's head at Phrases 4n(a).to let one's heart rule one's head: see heart n., int., and adv. Phrases 6d.With quot. ?c1450 cf. to have an evil head at evil adj. 7a. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > intellect > [noun] > head as seat of intellect headeOE headpiece1581 the (also one's) upper storey (also storeys)1699 eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Hatton) (1871) xviii. 131 Ðæt heafod [L. caput] sceal wisian ðæm fotum, ðæt hie stæppen on ryhtne weg. OE Maxims I 67 Hond sceal heofod inwyrcan. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 6469 Þeȝȝ..fellenn dun..To buȝhenn. & to lutenn himm Wiþþ hæfedd. & wiþþ heorrte. c1400 J. Wyclif On the Seven Deadly Sins (Bodl. 647) in Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) III. 134 Monnis hond helpis his heved. a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1882) iii. l. 894 Discrecioun out of youre hed is gon. ?c1450 tr. Bk. Knight of La Tour Landry (1906) 22 Thei that haue an euell[e] hede and wold chide. 1559 W. Cuningham Cosmogr. Glasse 159 There is now an other dout entred into my hed. 1574 J. Baret Aluearie H 263 They remembred, or it came into their heads. 1577 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Serm. Epist. Ephesians xlii. f. 299^v If a woman haue a froward head of hir owne, so as shee must bee brawling euery minute of an houre, and wil not be subiect to hir husband. 1640 J. Mabbe tr. M. de Cervantes Exemplarie Novells iv. 187 A discreet designe which she had in her head. 1663 J. Goodwin Prelatique Preachers 63 A corrupt ambitious heart, and an head rank of wit, and learning. 1683 tr. F. Pallavicino Whore's Rhetorick 108 To..change her method as may make the deepest impression in the capricious head of that Man she is about to perswade. 1703 R. Neve City & Countrey Purchaser 46 To set their Heads to work at it. 1708 J. Swift Elegy on Partridge in Wks. (1755) II. i. 258 He had often had it in his head. 1748 S. Richardson Clarissa IV. lii. 314 These lines of Rowe have got into my head; and I shall repeat them very devoutly. 1753 N. Torriano tr. J. B. L. Chomel Hist. Diss. Gangrenous Sore Throat 76 Very odd in her Head, talking irrationally. 1801 M. Edgeworth Forester in Moral Tales I. 188 Accounts..which he kept in his head. 1814 J. Austen Mansfield Park I. i. 6 She could not get her poor sister and her family out of her head . View more context for this quotation 1863 E. C. Gaskell Sylvia's Lovers II. xiv. 259 Tell him, Sylvia..for my head's clean gone. 1866 Rural Amer. (Utica, N.Y.) 15 Dec. 370/2 One labors both with his head and hands, while the other discards all kinds of ‘book farming’..and leaves all to manual labor. 1912 F. M. Hueffer Panel i. iv. 109 You meant to get her out of your head. 1930 J. M. Gibbon Melody & Lyric vi. 55 Shakespeare may very well have had the old tune in his head when he wrote the words of the song we know. 1941 D. Thomas Let. 28 May (1987) 486 My head's been whirling with wondering how to get twopence. 1975 Jackie 15 Feb. 34/3 Your head usually rules your heart, but don't be surprised if you're swept off your feet one day! 2002 C. Newland Snakeskin vii. 76 I..willed Mrs Jenkins to use her head before it was too late. b. Aptitude in a particular subject or sphere. Frequently in to have a (good, bad, etc.) head for.See also business head n. (b) at business n. Compounds 5. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > [verb (transitive)] to have a (good, bad, etc.) head for1642 1642 R. Wright Speech in House of Commons 1 I shall not speake as a Lawyer, for I have no Head for Law. 1674 J. Dryden et al. Notes Empress of Morocco 70 A man should be learn'd in severall Sciences, and should have a reasonable Philosophicall, and in some measure a Mathematicall head. 1726 G. Crawfurd Lives Officers Crown & State Scotl. 381/1 He seems to have had..a good Head for Business. 1763 C. Johnstone Reverie (new ed.) II. xiii. 81 I can't tell how it is, I have a bad head for politics myself. 1832 J. B. Fraser Highland Smugglers III. x. 256 What..would you have done without Glenvallich's good business head? 1876 C. H. Webb Sea-weed & what we Seed 101 Do not let anything I may have said lead you to believe that my friend Briggs has not a great financial head. 1895 Windsor Mag. 2 509/2 I didn't rightly understand it, never having had a good head for figures. 1930 J. B. Priestley Angel Pavement vi. 301 You say I haven't a head for business. 1985 J. Kerman Musicol. 163 Since not everybody has a head for theory, a lot of fuzzy material of this kind is written by ethnomusicologists long past their student days. 1996 Flying Aug. 109/2 Justin, whose father is a pilot, has a good math head. 2007 C. Berg Flesh & Spirit iv. 35 Your explanations were very clear, and you've surely a good head for maps and scouting. c. A person's ability to tolerate something. (a) A person's ability to tolerate the effects of alcoholic drink or (in later use) other intoxicating substances. In early use with modifying word, esp. in strong head; in later use frequently with for. Cf. hardhead n.² 4. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > drink > drinking > [noun] > drinking capacity lading1526 load1594 jag1678 heada1686 hardhead1794 bibosity1823 a1686 T. Watson Body Pract. Divinity (1692) 531 It must be a strong Head that bears heady Wine. 1748 R. Arnald Crit. Comm. Bk. Wisdom Jesus Son of Sirach xxxi. 165/1 Value not thyself upon a strong Head, much less affect the Character of a hard Drinker. a1827 W. Hickey Mem. (1913) I. iv. 35 I replied that I could drink as much as the best of them, and..I had, for such a youngster, a tolerable strong head. 1919 E. O'Neill Moon of Caribbees 191 I've a head for strong drink, as ye know, but he hasn't. 1932 E. Bowen To North xiii. 131 Markie had a good head; if he had been very drunk he was not drunk now. 1990 C. Davis Dog Horse Rat ix. 102 He had a head for dope, he said, never lost himself entirely. 2000 C. McCullough Morgan's Run 164 Jimmy Price was a Somerset yokel with a poor head for rum. (b) A person's ability to tolerate heights. Now frequently in to have a (good, bad, etc.) head for heights. ΚΠ 1850 W. A. Bromfield Let. 7 Nov. in Lett. Egypt & Syria (1856) iv. 48 With by no means a strong head for climbing dizzy heights, I found I could look down from any part of the ascent without the least feeling whatever of giddiness. 1854 R. Curzon Armenia ix. 138 It requires much activity, and a good head for looking over a height, to attempt to come up with them [sc. wild sheep]. 1900 C. E. M. Russell Bullet & Shot xv. 275 I have a very bad head for precipitous ground. 1954 I. Murdoch Under Net vi. 98 I..looked at the drop, and decided that I was not a daring fellow. I have no head for heights. 2001 Adventure Trav. July 27/2 You need a good head for heights on all climbing paths. 3. The head as a part of the body essential to life; (hence) one's life, esp. with reference to the fact or danger of being killed. Sometimes also more generally: a person's physical safety or well-being, esp. as entrusted to another person (chiefly in keeper of a person's head, after quot. a1382).Frequently in various idiomatic phrases involving the idea of beheading, and often with literal reference to this. See also to lose one's head at Phrases 4j, to make (also cut, etc.) shorter by a head at Phrases 6a, heads will roll at roll v.² Phrases 11. ΘΚΠ the world > life > source or principle of life > [noun] > as possession headOE lifeOE heart-blood?c1225 innocent blood1382 heart's-blood1562 fanny1936 ass1948 butt1964 arse1970 OE Laws of Edgar (Nero E.i) iv. xi. 212 Gif..þæt leas bið, sy he þeof & þolige heafdes & ealles þæs þe he age. OE Seven Sleepers (Julius) (1994) 34 Gif man ahwer ofaxian mihte þæt hi [sc. the Christians] manna ænig on genere heolde, þæt se wære his heafdes scyldig. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 14049 Min hafued [c1300 Otho heued] beo to wedde þat isæid ich þe habbe. soð buten lese. a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1963) 1 Kings xxviii. 2 I kepere of myn heuyd schal puttyn þee alle daies. c1425 Bk. Found. St. Bartholomew's (1923) 21 (MED) Hym I haue made and deputid keper of my hede and of all thyng that parteyneth to me. a1450 (c1385) G. Chaucer Complaint of Mars (Tanner 346) (1871) l. 205 Somtyme if that ielousye hit knewe They myghte lyghtly ley her hede to borow. c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 109 He yat rebellis to the prince..suld be the law of armes tyne the hede. 1559 W. Baldwin et al. Myrroure for Magistrates Clarence f. lxxvii The peril of my hed. 1620 Bp. J. Hall Contempl. V. O.T. xiv. 65 Achish dares trust Dauid on his side; yea, to keepe his head for euer. 1635 W. Jones Comm. Epist. St. Paul 520 She hazarded her owne life: if her house had beene searched, and the Spies found with her, it had cost her her head. a1704 T. Brown Dialogue Oxf. Schollars in Wks. (1707) I. i. 4 I'le wager my Head against thee. 1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones II. v. iv. 135 Many's the Man would have given his Head to have had my Lady told. View more context for this quotation 1822 A. M. Porter Roche-Blanche II. x. 417 Yet will I give my head to the block, instead of his, if need come! 1859 Hebrew Rev. 16 Dec. 133/2 Thou art the keeper of my head, and the watcher of my health. 1887 Princess Christian tr. Mem. Wilhelmine 142 Proofs enough against this scoundrel, Fritz, to cost him his head. 1928 N. Richardson Mother of Kings iii. 181 Poor fellow—it cost him his head, this and his friendship for Dubarry. 1999 J. Wood Broken Estate 1 He [sc. Sir Thomas More] is also seen as..an English Cicero of the pre-Reformation who nobly gave his head to forces beyond his control. 4. a. A representation, figure, or image of a head. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > representation in art > [noun] > an artistic representation > of living thing > of human figure > of part of handOE headOE heart1446 face1488 tongue1488 mask1790 OE Ælfric Homily: De Falsis Diis (Corpus Cambr. 178) in J. C. Pope Homilies of Ælfric (1968) II. 689 Þa wæs Dagones heafod æt þære dura forcorfen.., and Dagon læg heafodleas ætforan þam scrine, for þam þe hit ne gedafenode þære deofollican anlicnysse þæt heo wið þæt halige scrin swa healice stode. lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough interpolation) anno 1070 Þa ut-laga..namen þa þe kynehelm of ure Drihtnes heafod eall of smeate golde. c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig. A.xi) (1887) l. 6596 He..is kinges croune nom, & sette is vpe þe rode heued, & sede þat he alone Was worþe to croune bere. a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) iv. l. 236 How besy that he was Upon clergie an Hed of bras To forge. 1415 in F. A. Page-Turner Bedfordshire Wills (1914) 28 A litil gilte ewer of a pynt stondynge opon ladys hed. c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) ii. l. 696 Many gargoyl & many hidous hed. a1500 (?a1325) Otuel & Roland (1935) l. 1226 Men Brouȝt hym an helm bryȝt..þere-on an adderes heued aplyȝt. 1585 T. Washington tr. N. de Nicolay Nauigations Turkie ii. iii. 33 The statue of a woman..certaine yeeres before the head had been taken away. 1616 T. Coryate Traveller for Eng. Wits 44 I haue a very curious white marble head of an ancient Heros or Gyant-like Champion. 1625 S. Purchas Pilgrimes II. viii. xi. 1356 He gaue him three Turkes heads in a Shield for Armes. 1705 J. Addison Remarks Italy 36 A Head of Titian, by his own Hand. 1782 H. Walpole Vertue's Anecd. Painting (ed. 3) IV. iv. 192 The Shrimp-girl, a head, by Bartolozzi. 1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. x. 650 William and Mary must be king and queen. The heads of both must appear together on the coin. 1866 Edinb. Rev. Oct. 519 It [sc. a cameo] represented..a profile head of Flora, in very high relief. 1921 G. C. Williamson Miniature Collector xi. 133 Cosway produced a Head of one of the Virtues done in chalk. 1982 A. D. Trendall & A. Cambitoglou Red-figured Vases of Apulia II. xxv. 808 The heads on these two vases..are somewhat cruder in style. 2010 Art Q. Summer 5/2 A painting showing a head of Christ, which had hung unremarked for 70 years in a Bradford-on-Avon church. b. In plural or (less commonly) singular. The side of a coin which bears the figure of a head (opposed to tail n.¹ 4h); the obverse. Chiefly paired with tails, esp. with reference to the practice of tossing a coin to determine a winner or to make a decision.Recorded earliest in heads or tails n., adj., and int. at Phrases 3r(b). See also heads I win, (and) tails you lose at Phrases 3r(c). ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > [noun] > obverse or reverse of coin pilea1393 cross and pile1584 reverse1605 averse1655 ranverse1656 obverse1658 heads1675 tail1684 endorse1688 woman1785 mazard1802 man1828 mick1918 1675 T. Duffett Mock-tempest iv. ii. 37 I'le tell y'what, wee'l play heads or tails, who goes first, that's fair now, e'nt it? 1729 B. Wilson tr. J. A. de Thou Hist. Own Time I. iv. 207 The Inscription on the Head of the Farnesian Coin..was P. Alois. Farn. Parm. et Plac. Dux. 1756 Ladies' Diary 46 Suppose 12 Half-pence to be thrown up, and those that come up Heads to be taken away, and the remaining ones to be thrown up again. 1801 J. Strutt Sports & Pastimes iv. ii. 251 One person tosses the halfpenny up and the other calls at pleasure head or tail. 1834 T. De Quincey Sketches Life & Manners in Tait's Edinb. Mag. Mar. 86/2 ‘We tossed up’ to settle the question... ‘Heads’ came up. 1838 A. De Morgan Ess. Probabilities 82 In 100,000 tosses, between what limits is it 99 to 1 that the heads shall be contained? 1884 St. James's Gaz. 5 Dec. 6/1 A coin can be so ‘doctored’ as to fall almost invariably heads or tails at will. 1911 Collier's 7 Oct. 28/1 [They] lifted their fingers from the coins. ‘Four heads and two tails,’ said Nalakiel. 1931 P. A. Taylor Cape Cod Myst. viii. 120 I lost every bet I ever made in my life. If I called heads, it came tails. 1960 A. Rapoport Fights, Games, & Deb. (1961) vi. 117 A coin is tossed. If a head turns up, you win 1¢. 1980 A. J. Jones Game Theory iv. 177 Suppose on the toss of a fair coin one can win $20 on heads and lose $10 on tails. The expected value of the game is $5. 2005 V. Swarup Q & A 23 Time to make a decision. I take out my trusted one-rupee coin. Heads I cooperate with her. Tails I tell her ta-ta. †c. British colloquial. A postage stamp; (sometimes) spec. a penny stamp. Obsolete (historical in later use).So called from the figure of the sovereign's head depicted on all British stamps. Cf. queen's head n. at queen n. Compounds 3b. ΘΚΠ society > communication > correspondence > postal services > payment for postage > [noun] > postage stamp postage stamp1829 stamp1837 label1839 head1840 queen's head1840 postage label1852 adhesive1854 sticker1863 1840 R. H. Barham Let. 30 July in R. H. D. Barham Life (1870) II. viii. 99 One of those abominable little heads which the wisdom of our Post Office people has invented. 1854 R. S. Surtees Handley Cross (new ed.) xix. 147 Take that to the Post, and mind you don't pick the 'ead off. 1872 Frank Leslie's Pleasant Hours 12 187/2 Would ye plaze put a red head on it (anglice, a postage-stamp). 1891 Lincs. Notes & Queries 2 251 Penny postage-stamps are still frequently called ‘heads’, the other kinds seem always to go by the name of stamps. 1927 G. Sturt Small Boy in Sixties i. 2 One very curious request would sometimes come from a villager; the man or woman asking for ‘a head’. 5. a. A person's hair; the whole mass or body of this. Now chiefly in head of hair. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > hair > hair of head > [noun] lockeOE faxc900 hairc1000 hairc1000 headOE topc1275 toppingc1400 peruke1548 fleece1577 crine1581 head of hair1587 poll1603 a fell of haira1616 thatcha1634 maidenhair1648 chevelure1652 wool1697 toupet1834 nob-thatch1846 barnet1857 toss1946 OE tr. Medicina de Quadrupedibus (Vitell.) ii. 238 Genim þone camb þe heo ana hyre heafod [?a1200 Harl. 6258B heafad, L. capillos] mid cemde. OE Monasteriales Indicia (1996) xcvi. 40 Ðonne þu þe..biddan wille þæt þu þin heafod þwean mote, þonne stric þu mid bradre hande on þin feax, swilce þu hit þwea. a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 41 Summe bi þa fet..summe bi þe hefede [L. capillis]. ?c1225 Ancrene Riwle (Cleo.: Scribe B) (1972) 310 (note) Hwa se wule ieveset, ah ha mot te oftere weschen & kemben hire heauet. 1340 Ayenbite (1866) 176 Ynoȝ þer is of ydelnesse aboute hire heaued, to kembe, to wesse, ine trossinge, an ine sseweres pouringe. c1400 (?a1300) Kyng Alisaunder (Laud) (1952) l. 1999 (MED) His heued was crul and ȝeluȝ þe her. 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 662/1 I holde best to polle my heed. 1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus Sig. Gg2/2 Emissi crines,..heare cast abrode as a woman loosinge hir head. 1587 J. Hooker tr. Giraldus Cambrensis Vaticinall Hist. Conquest Ireland ii. xxxviii. 55/1 in Holinshed's Chron. (new ed.) II This head of haire they call a glibe. 1678 T. Duffett Psyche Debauch'd ii. iii. 28 Let him have shirt full clean, Let head be comb'd, and wash'd his face. 1717 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. 1 Apr. (1965) I. 327 I never saw in my Life so many fine heads of hair. 1775 R. B. Sheridan Rivals i. i. 4 He'll never forsake his bob, tho' all the college should appear with their own heads! 1809 W. Nicholson Brit. Encycl. V. at Peruke It appears that this term was originally applied to describe a fine natural head of long hair. 1832 J. Morier Zohrab III. iii. 73 A barber, whose good offices he had secured, to trim his head, beard, mustaches, and curls. 1882 Day of Rest 206/1 [His] frizzly, unkempt head of hair stood out..round his head like a halo. 1931 W. Faulkner Sanctuary ii. 18 She saw him..: a thin man in shapeless clothes; a head of thinning and ill-kempt hair. 1977 ‘J. le Carré’ Honourable Schoolboy xiii. 292 He looked into the ceiling mirror and caught the glitter of an electric-blue suit and a full head of black hair well greased. 2007 Nylon Feb. 131/1 A giant, wilting hat atop a head of shiny curls. b. The hair as dressed in a particular (elaborate) style; esp. a style popular in the 18th cent., characterized by powdered or pomaded hair drawn up over a cushion or stuffing and dressed with gauze, ribbon, etc.; a removable wig or headdress in this style. Cf. high head n.², lace head n. at lace n. and adj. Compounds 2. Now historical and rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the hair > styles of hair > [noun] headc1450 coiffure1633 tiff1703 cock1768 top1780 Madonna style1818 Madonna front1849 hairstyle1871 Madonna coiffure1890 haircut1895 do1918 hairdo1932 c1450 (?a1400) Quatrefoil of Love (BL Add.) (1935) l. 473 (MED) Denyvs damysels..With purfelle and peloure and hedys full hye. 1484 W. Caxton tr. G. de La Tour Landry Bk. Knyght of Toure xlviii. sig. d viii The remenaunt of their heedes was lyke two hornes. a1513 R. Fabyan New Cronycles Eng. & Fraunce (1516) I. ccxxiiii. f. cxlvi For that tyme Clerkes vsed busshed and brayded hedys. 1580 J. Stow Chrons. of Eng. 490 Piked shoes, high heads, and long tayled gownes. ?1695 E. Ward Auction 15 Two of your Metropolitan Sash Window Cherubins, that er'e [sic] Cut out a Muslin Head on a Counter. 1696 London Gaz. No. 3199/4 A striped Muslin Head, laced with a fine small edging. 1712 J. Addison Spectator No. 323. ¶7 At my Toilet, try'd a new Head. 1731 Gentleman's Mag. Mar. 124/1 Her Majesty..wore a flower'd Muslin Head, and Edging. 1752 S. Johnson Rambler No. 191. ⁋9 Ladies..asked me the price of my best head. 1792 Northampton Mercury 20 Dec. The ladies now wear the lappets to their gauze heads worked with aces of spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs, and call them quadrille heads. 1828 ‘Mrs. Markham’ Hist. France II. xxxix. 447 I have seen caricatures of hairdressers mounted on ladders, dressing the ladies' heads. 1882 C. Hoey & J. Lillie tr. A. Challamel Hist. Fashion in France xv. 138 For thirty years those gigantic ‘heads’ held their place at Versailles, under the eyes of the old monarch who ‘protested in vain against towering head-dresses’. 1957 C. W. Cunnington & P. Cunnington Handbk. Eng. Costume 18th Cent. 375 These elaborate ‘heads’ were sometimes made to remain untouched for a month or more. 6. Hunting. The antlers of a deer. Cf. attire n. 5. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > male > [noun] > body and parts > antler > collectively headc1400 rightc1425 attire1562 attirement1566 head of horns1626 stag-horns1663 head of antlers1839 antlery1849 rack1915 c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 1154 (MED) Þe herttez..with þe hyȝe hedes. c1425 Twiti Venery (Vesp. B.xii) 151 He [sc. a hart] goth wexyng tyl he come to xxxij yere..his hed aftir that tyme wexith no furthere. c1500 King & Hermit in M. M. Furrow Ten 15th-cent. Comic Poems (1985) 249 I saw a dere..So gret a hed as he bare, Sych one saw I neuer are. 1557 Earl of Surrey et al. Songes & Sonettes sig. A.ii^v The hart hath hong his olde hed on the pale. 1575 G. Gascoigne Noble Arte Venerie xviii. 46 If you geld an Hart before he haue an heade, he will neuer beare heade. 1615 G. Markham Countrey Contentments i. i. 29 Stags yeerely cast their heads in March, Aprill, May or June. 1674 N. Cox Gentleman's Recreation i. 34 The Rain-deer..intrapped with Nets..by reason of his great and spreading Head. 1718 G. Jacob Compl. Sportsman ii. 84 Having cast their Heads, the old Deer immediately withdraw to some Thickets. 1859 J. Conway Lett. from Highlands xii. 138 We are momentarily expecting Sandy to arrive with the two deer... If you like, I promise you one of my first two ‘heads’. 1892 Chambers's Jrnl. 14 May 318/2 The state of a deer's antlers, by which his age is known, is spoken of as his ‘head’. 1958 Times 4 Aug. 9/5 Local farmers..have watched the stags steadily grow their new ‘heads’. 1978 D. Hart-Davis Monarchs of Glen ii. 6 A good modern royal—a head of twelve points—would measure thirty-two or thirty-three inches. 1989 Country Life 22 June 174/2 One stag has grown a head of 18 points. †7. A horse's headstall (headstall n.¹ 1). Usually coupled with reins. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > horse-gear > [noun] > halter or bridle > parts of headstallc1330 trench1480 stalk1497 musrol1551 head-strain?1561 water-chain?1561 throat band1585 cavesson1598 mullen1598 nose bit?a1600 front-stall1601 ampyx1607 chain1607 fillet1607 cheek-band1611 cheekpiece1611 noseband1611 throat thong1611 headpiece1678 throatlatch1693 headband1704 trenchefil1730 bridoon1744 banquet1753 head1756 cheek1795 throat strap1803 frontlet1805 throat-lash1805 cheekstrap1834 brow-band1844 nosepiece1865 shank1879 1756 Gazetteer & London Daily Advertiser 4 May Heads, without Reins, 2s. 3d. each. 1834 Horse 44 The heads and reins will last much longer by..drawing them..through a clean oily rag. 1907 Army & Navy Co-operative Soc.: Rules & Price List 303/1 Ladies' or gentlemen's Weymouth heads and reins, with noseband, billeted, complete. †8. Whaling. = head matter n. at Compounds 4. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > other animal raw materials > [noun] > material from sperm whale spermaceti1471 parmacety1545 head matter1747 slobgollion1851 head1874 twitter1891 1874 C. M. Scammon Marine Mammals N. Amer. iii. 239 The oil taken from the case of the Sperm Whale is..when put into casks..known as head, or head-matter. 9. slang (originally U.S.). Oral sex; fellatio or cunnilingus. See also to give head at Phrases 4e(c). ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > oral sex > [noun] head1941 oral1943 oral sex1958 plating1965 1941 G. Legman in G. W. Henry Sex Variants II. 1168 Head, a generic noun or predicative nominative referring to a fellator, as, e.g. ‘looking for head’. Term reported from Montreal in 1940. 1969 C. Major All-night Visitors 9 I now pop the question in the middle of all this intense gratification: ‘Some head, baby?’ 1993 M. Gribble Ten go In 30 I still think we should..buy her a few schnapps and get some head. 2003 J. Nelson Sexual Healing iv. 44 We're selling sex, not relationships... Truth, justice, and great head. A person, animal, or group of animals. 10.** In enumeration. See also per head at per prep. 1a. a. An individual person. Frequently in a head: per person. ΘΚΠ the world > people > person > [noun] > individual person headOE polla1350 singular1420 specialc1450 individuala1500 particular1576 monad1855 the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > individual [phrase] > individually or separately > per person headOE per capita1621 per mana1687 per capita1834 per caput1856 per caput1911 a skull1922 OE Wulfstan Homily: Be Mistlican Gelimpan (Hatton 113) in A. S. Napier Wulfstan (1883) 170 Swa æt heafde peninc, swa æt heorðe peninc, swa æt sulhgange peninc. ?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) (1996) ii. 134 Þei..left..þe lond on a forward dere to pay ilk a hede a peny to þam bi ȝere. c1450 King Ponthus (Digby) in Publ. Mod. Lang. Assoc. Amer. (1897) 12 95 They be made tributorye, and euery hede pays a besaunt of gold. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Chron. xiii. C This is the nombre of the heades harnessed vnto the warre, which came to Dauid vnto Hebron. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Chron. xxiv. C Counted after the nombre of y^e names heade by heade. 1679 P. Rycaut Present State Greek Church 92 From every Papa, or Priest, [he receives] a Dollar yearly per Head. 1716 B. Church Entertaining Passages Philip's War i. 45 The Captain with his Company..received their Praemium, which was Thirty Shillings per head, for the Enemies which they had killed or taken. 1748 H. Walpole Let. 11 Aug. in Corr. (1941) IX. 70 A play at Kingston where the places are twopence a head. 1847 M. M. Sherwood Life xxi. 355 An anna a head for each boy. 1869 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest III. xi. 57 Except by taking the votes not by heads, but by tribes, cities, or cantons. 1892 W. Besant London ix. 467 The quantity of tea imported about this time amounted to no more than three-quarters of a pound per annum for every person in the three kingdoms, whereas it is now no less than thirty-five pounds for every head. 1958 P. Berton Klondike Fever iii. 137 Soon she was shuttling passengers to St. Michael at one thousand dollars a head. 1992 Observer 29 Nov. 51/1 They suffered their sixth home loss in front of a crowd a few heads short of 20,000. 2000 Independent 8 June i. 5/1 Delegates will start the day with a ‘coffee, tea and danish’ at £5.95 a head. b. An individual animal, esp. a herd animal.Usually with plural unchanged after a numeral or other quantifier. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > [noun] > unit in numbering animals headOE poll1494 headage1962 OE Manumission, Bath (Corpus Cambr. 111) in J. Earle Hand-bk. Land-charters (1888) 268 Leofenoð..hæfð geboht hine & his ofspring ut æt Ælfsige..mid fif oran & mid xii heafdon sceapa. 1472–3 Rolls of Parl.: Edward IV (Electronic ed.) Parl. Oct. 1472 1st Roll §38. m. 17 The said mysdoers come to Trelowya, and there fett .ix. ^xx hede of shepe. 1482 in T. Thomson Acts Lords Auditors (1839) 109/1 The awaytakin..of xiiij hede of nolt, that is to say three kye, thre oxin, viij twa ȝere aldis. 1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid viii. i. 96 Wyth thretty heyd..of grysis syne. 1533 in F. W. Weaver Wells Wills (1890) 105 x hed of shepe and lams. 1642 in New Haven Colonial Rec. (1857) 82 A peny a head for goates and kids, half to the bringer in of the cattell & half to the pound. 1677 W. Hubbard Narr. Troubles with Indians New-Eng. i. 92 They had killed twenty head of Neat Cattle. 1758 Case of Five Millions 23 At Cork, where Eighty-thousand Heads of Cattle have been slaughtered annually, for several Years. 1773 Ann. Reg. 1772 160/2 The low grounds were laid under water, and many head of cattle drowned. 1838 C. Gutzlaff & A. Reed China Opened II. xxvii. 549 If a person refuses to receive a traveller for the night, and he perishes with cold, the owner of the tent shall forfeit nine heads of cattle. 1866 A. Trollope Belton Estate II. v. 119 Every head of cattle about the place had died. 1900 Country Life Illustr. 1 Sept. 262/1 If they all..killed 30,000 head in a season, there would be 1,800,000,000 head of game killed in the year. 1948 Life 6 Sept. 28/2 Only an emergency pumping system kept 250 head of his cattle from dying of thirst. 2007 B. F. Noble & S. N. Kulshreshtha in B. D. Thraves et al. Saskatchewan xv. 357 Owners are charged a per diem for each head of livestock pastured. 11. a. A person (of a specified type). Chiefly with modifying word indicating mental attitude or ability. ΘΚΠ the world > people > person > [noun] > as having character or qualities thingc1225 headc1300 vesselc1384 soul1498 sprite?1507 spirit1559 stick1682 character1749 fish1751 hand1756 subject1797 person1807 good1809 specimen1817 a (bad, good, etc.) sortc1869 proposition1894 cookie1913 type1922 city1946 c1300 St. Thomas Becket (Laud) l. 871 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 131 (MED) Betere it were þat on heued In peril him brouȝte, Þane al-holie churche were..i-do to nouȝte. c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) xviii. l. 85 Þorw werre and wrake and wycked hyfdes May no preiour pees make. 1551 T. Wilson Rule of Reason sig. Xv Some heades are very bolde to entre farther, then witte can retche. 1574 J. Baret Aluearie P 436 A pleasant companion; a mery head. 1579 E. K. in E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. Gen. Argt. Sauing the leaue of such learned heads. 1641 Naunton's Fragmenta Regalia sig. B^v Pestered through the admission of too many young heades. 1715 T. Burnet Second Tale of Tub Ded. p. xxii The Lower House of Convocation, where so many learned, ingenious, and I may add cool Heads, meet for the Benefit of our Ecclesiastical Constitution. 1795 G. Morris Diary 29 June (1888) II. xxxi. 94 Montesquiou (whatever may be his heart) is certainly one of their best heads. 1828 T. De Quincey Elements Rhetoric in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Dec. 900/1 Different crowned heads..bidding against each other. 1887 Princess Christian tr. Mem. Wilhelmine 281 Those wise heads came to the conclusion that there was hope. 1934 W. McDougall Relig. & Sci. of Life vii. 110 Is it not clear that you, the biologist Emperor, will call to your counsels all the wisest heads of your nation? 1998 Independent 25 May ii. 2/1 The flight of crowned heads after the Second World War. 2009 Sunday Independent (Ireland) (Nexis) 17 May Shrewd heads like Ed Mulhall..were saying..that the Late Late would not be a good move for her. b. As the second element in more or less fixed compounds used (usually disparagingly or humorously) to denote a person having a mind or head of the sort specified by the first element. Also in compounds of this type used attributively to designate such a person (more or less equivalent to headed adj. 1a). Cf. pate n.¹ 1b.Recorded earliest in blockhead n. 2. See also hardhead n.² 2, hothead n., thick-head n. 1a, etc. ΚΠ 1549 M. Coverdale et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. II. 1 Cor. xi. f. xxxi^v A blockeheade that hathe loste the iudgemente of nature. 1591 A. Fraunce Countesse of Pembrokes Yuychurch i. ii. iii. sig. D3 Trope-turned tale, or ryming ditty, deryued From foole-hardy Poets, or vaine-head Rhetoricasters. 1602 T. Dekker Satiro-mastix sig. I3^v To bite euery Motley-head vice by'th nose. 1825 Universal Songster I. 399 I say, old Bumble Head, give us a pen'orth of bread, and a ha'purth of small beer. 1828 W. Scott Fair Maid of Perth iii, in Chron. Canongate 2nd Ser. II. 90 The swaggering Smith, and one or two other hot heads. 1909 Z. Grey Short-stop vii. 119 In the dressing-room after the game the players howled about this one run that Chase's stupidity had given Wheeling. They called him ‘wooden-head’, ‘sap-head’, ‘sponge-head’, ‘dead-head’. 1915 Dial. Notes 4 iii. 205 My sister likes the country but she gets so tired of trying to make anything of the noddy-heads. 1952 J. Lait & L. Mortimer U.S.A. Confidential iii. xxviii. 355 Oscar Ewing, the blubber-head from the Bronx, sells the party along with his socialized medicine. 1994 R. Gunesekera Reef (1998) 9 Stupid idiot, you chicken-head bumpkin, you pumpkin-face. Have you no respect for property? 2011 Herald-Times (Bloomington, Indiana) 22 Aug. b4/2 ‘It's over, frizz-head,’ chanted hundreds of jubilant men and women. 12. A group or indefinite number of animals; esp. a stock or managed population of game or (now usually) fish. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > animals collectively > [noun] peoplea1375 mouncela1500 troop1587 head1601 the world > animals > animals hunted > [noun] preya1250 wildc1275 felon1297 wild beastc1325 gamec1330 venison1338 venerya1375 chase1393 waitha1400 quarryc1500 gibier1514 wild meat1529 hunt-beast1535 beasts of warren1539 outlaw1599 course1607 big game1773 head1795 meat1851 1601 A. Munday & H. Chettle Death Earle of Huntington sig. H3^v Howling like a head of hungry wolues. 1645 J. Vicars Gods Arke 155 They had rescued a head of cattle, which were driven away by the enemy toward Newcastle. 1795 W. Marshall Rev. Ess. i. iii, in Rev. Landscape 76 A head of deer, arranged in such close and regular order, as to give the idea of a spot, or a clump of meagre Scotch firs. 1833 Sporting Mag. Mar. 382/2 A plantation..in which he has been most particularly desirous to establish a head of pheasants. 1852 C. W. Hoskyns Talpa 5 Adapted for the..accommodation of a better and larger head of stock. 1894 Times 16 Apr. 7/3 Shooting tenants ought to be obliged to wire-in their woods where they kept a large head of rabbits. 1912 Forest & Stream 10 Aug. 163/1 Parts of the Balnagown estate have for centuries carried a superior head of deer. 1986 Trout Fisherman July 74/4 The water had been neglected and held a large head of coarse fish. 2010 Irish News (Nexis) 23 Sept. 61 The Erriff has been having a very good couple of weeks and there should now be a good head of fish throughout the river. 13. colloquial (originally U.S.). a. With preceding modifying word: an addict, or (later) a habitual user of a particular substance (as alcoholic drink, a drug, etc.). Later also without modifying word: a drug addict or drug user.acidhead, crackhead, dopehead, hophead, meth head, pothead, etc.: see the first element. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > drug addiction or craving > [noun] > drug addict head1856 narcotist1860 drugger1870 drug fiend1873 druggard1882 narcomaniac1888 dope-fiend1896 addict1899 dopehead1901 hypo1904 drug addict1905 drug abuser1915 junker1922 junkie1923 hype1924 needle artist1925 needleman1925 schmecker1931 dope-addict1933 ad1938 dopester1938 narco1958 pillhead1962 druggie1966 freak1967 drugster1970 1856 F. C. Adams Justice in By-ways xv. 171 They don't give them much to eat in jail I admit, but it is a great place for straightening the morals of a rum-head like Tom. 1915 Railway Conductor July 479/2 Those were good switchmen if they would only let the booze alone! But a ‘gin-head’ can't get along on a railroad these days. 1936 L. Duncan Over Wall i. 21 I saw the more advanced narcotic addicts.., laudanum fiends, and last but not least, the veronal heads. 1952 Time 7 July 19/3 Being a ‘head’, Marti feels, is being part of a whole new culture. ‘Everybody's a head now. One out of every five persons you meet on the street are [sic] heads.’ 1958 M. Cooper High School Confidential 89 Laughing like a grasshead now, she made another determined lunge and this time successfully caught her hands around the wheel. 1969 It 11 Apr. 3/3 Berlin is alive with heads, dropping acid and STP in cinemas, parks, buses. 1991 Texas Monthly Dec. 48/1 The smoke-free world, where I could scowl at tobacco-heads and use little coughs to signal my disapproval and moral superiority. 2006 J. C. Oates Missing Mom 178 A crystal meth-head, the detective had called Ward Lynch. Desperate for cash, to feed his addiction. b. Usually with preceding modifying word. A person who is very enthusiastic about a particular interest or activity; a devotee, an avid fan. Cf. addict n. 2.breadhead, metalhead, petrolhead, etc.: see the first element. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > love > [noun] > one who loves > devotee worshipperc1450 votary1594 prostitute1624 devote1630 devotist1641 devotee1669 devotionary1671 devil1690 devoté1728 votarist1806 nut1915 addict1919 head1960 1960 ‘Lord Buckley’ Hiparama of Classics 7 The Reed Heads, the Lute Heads, and the Flute Heads. 1969 It 18 July 9/4 Nightride was taken from a spot so convenient to many music heads and put on at an awkward hour. 1987 K. Lette Girls' Night Out (1989) 152 Mum and Dad are trying to pair me off with Costa. He's a total soccer-head. 1999 Kred Nov. 24/4 One for the masses and heads alike. 2012 Atlantic Jan. 44/2 Michael Stipe [is] a profound Patti-head—he once described his encounter with her 1975 album, Horses, as ‘an epiphanal discovery’. 14. North American colloquial (a) A fellow, a guy. (b) A young woman. ΘΚΠ the world > people > person > man > [noun] churla800 werec900 rinkeOE wapmanc950 heOE wyeOE gomeOE ledeOE seggeOE shalkOE manOE carmanlOE mother bairnc1225 hemea1250 mother sona1250 hind1297 buck1303 mister mana1325 piecec1325 groomc1330 man of mouldc1330 hathela1350 sire1362 malea1382 fellowa1393 guestc1394 sergeant?a1400 tailarda1400 tulka1400 harlotc1405 mother's sona1470 frekea1475 her1488 masculinea1500 gentlemana1513 horse?a1513 mutton?a1513 merchant1549 child1551 dick1553 sorrya1555 knavea1556 dandiprat1556 cove1567 rat1571 manling1573 bird1575 stone-horse1580 loona1586 shaver1592 slave1592 copemate1593 tit1594 dog1597 hima1599 prick1598 dingle-dangle1605 jade1608 dildoa1616 Roger1631 Johnny1648 boy1651 cod1653 cully1676 son of a bitch1697 cull1698 feller1699 chap1704 buff1708 son of a gun1708 buffer1749 codger1750 Mr1753 he-man1758 fella1778 gilla1790 gloak1795 joker1811 gory1819 covey1821 chappie1822 Charley1825 hombre1832 brother-man1839 rooster1840 blokie1841 hoss1843 Joe1846 guy1847 plug1848 chal1851 rye1851 omee1859 bloke1861 guffin1862 gadgie1865 mug1865 kerel1873 stiff1882 snoozer1884 geezer1885 josser1886 dude1895 gazabo1896 jasper1896 prairie dog1897 sport1897 crow-eater1899 papa1903 gink1906 stud1909 scout1912 head1913 beezer1914 jeff1917 pisser1918 bimbo1919 bozo1920 gee1921 mush1936 rye mush1936 basher1942 okie1943 mugger1945 cat1946 ou1949 tess1952 oke1970 bra1974 muzhik1993 the world > people > person > young person > young woman > [noun] daughterOE maidenOE young womanOE mayc1175 burdc1225 maidc1275 wenchc1290 file1303 virginc1330 girla1375 damselc1380 young ladya1393 jilla1425 juvenclec1430 young person1438 domicellea1464 quean1488 trull1525 pulleta1533 Tib1533 kittyc1560 dell1567 gillian1573 nymph1584 winklota1586 frotion1587 yuffrouw1589 pigeon1592 tit1599 nannicock1600 muggle1608 gixy1611 infanta1611 dilla1627 tittiea1628 whimsy1631 ladykin1632 stammel1639 moggie1648 zitellaa1660 baggagea1668 miss1668 baby1684 burdie1718 demoiselle1720 queanie?1800 intombi1809 muchacha1811 jilt1816 titter1819 ragazza1827 gouge1828 craft1829 meisie1838 sheila1839 sixteenc1840 chica1843 femme1846 muffin1854 gel1857 quail1859 kitten1870 bud1880 fräulein1883 sub-debutante1887 sweet-and-twenty1887 flapper1888 jelly1889 queen1894 chick1899 pusher1902 bit of fluff1903 chicklet1905 twist and twirl1905 twist1906 head1913 sub-deb1916 tabby1916 mouse1917 tittie1918 chickie1919 wren1920 bim1922 nifty1923 quiff1923 wimp1923 bride1924 job1927 junior miss1927 hag1932 tab1932 sort1933 palone1934 brush1941 knitting1943 teenybopper1966 weeny-bopper1972 Valley Girl1982 1913 J. P. Buschlen Canad. Bankclerk xii. 202 Willis is one of the decentest heads around this dump. 1941 A. J. Liebling in New Yorker 26 Apr. 24/1 There are lady heels, too, but if they are young Morty calls them ‘heads’..which has the same meaning as ‘broads’ or ‘dolls’. 1943 R. Chandler High Window xxxi. 200 ‘Gents like Alex Morny..don't like private detectives.’ ‘Morny's a good head,’ Eddie Prue said coldly. 1972 Ski Nov. 86/3 Crouch was not a bad-looking head, but somehow I couldn't see taking her out late to the Blue Whale. 1995 L. Stavsky et al. A 2 Z 46 I knew there'd be trouble when I saw the ride full of heads pull over. II. A thing or part of a thing resembling a head in form or position; a position analogous to that of the head. * The top, upper, or principal part or end of something. (In the case of physical objects typically differentiated from the rest of the object by projecting or by having a distinctive shape.) 15. With reference to plants and fungi. a. A bulb of garlic. Also: the bulb of various related plants, as onion and leek (now rare). ΚΠ eOE Bald's Leechbk. (Royal) (1865) ii. xxxii. 234 Genim garleaces þreo heafdu & grene rudan twa handfulle. lOE Recipe (Vitell. C.iii) in T. O. Cockayne Leechdoms, Wortcunning, & Starcraft (1864) I. 376 Nim þes leaces heafda & dryg swiðe. Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 232 Heed of garlek, lely, or oþer lyke [c1500 Harl. 2274 or of a leke], bulbus. 1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry ii. f. 61 Garlicke groweth both of the head & the seede, as the Onyon and other of this kinde dooth. a1697 J. Aubrey Wiltshire (1862) 198 The mowers..have always a pound of beefe and a head of garlick every man. 1753 J. Lind Treat. Scurvy ii. iv. 233 They should..eat a bit of raw onion, or a head of garlic, in a morning before they are exposed to the rains and the washings of the sea. 1769 S. Cooke Compl. Eng. Gardener 134 To destroy Moles. Take a head or two of garlic, onion, or leek, and put it into their holes. 1839 Army & Navy Chron. 14 Mar. 171/1 It is pretended that a head of garlic will preserve a child from witchcraft. 1923 Times 25 July 10/1 A roast leg of mutton..is improved by two heads of garlic near the bone. 1977 Bakersfield Californian 27 July 56/1 One reason we prize the Wolfert recipe is that it uses the 40 cloves (about three heads of garlic) unpeeled. 1998 N. Lawson How to Eat (1999) 70 Reckoning on half a head of garlic and 125g of shallots per person, peel the shallots and put them in a tray in the oven. b. The rounded leafy top of a tree or shrub. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > part of plant > part of tree or woody plant > [noun] > tree-top cropa1300 heada1387 tree-crop14.. tree-copc1425 treetop1530 crownet1578 crown1589 coma1870 stag-horn1879 a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 61 (MED) Schroysbury is a citee..isette vppon þe coppe of an hill..Britouns cleped hit somtyme Pengwern, þat is þe heed of a faire [?a1475 anon. tr. firre; L. abietis] tree. ?1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Husbandry f. xliii And euery boughe woll haue a newe heed. a1599 E. Spenser Canto Mutabilitie vii. viii, in Faerie Queene (1609) sig. Ii Most dainty trees; that..Seeme to bow their bloosming heads full lowe. 1676 M. Cook Manner of raising Forrest-trees xxxv. 119 If a Tree be blasted in part, or the whole head, cut all that is blasted or dead close off to the Quick, and take out all dead boughs. 1712 J. James tr. A.-J. Dézallier d'Argenville Theory & Pract. Gardening 157 Your Trees..should be cut..by taking off their Heads. 1794 W. Cowper Needless Alarm 11 Oaks..that had once a head. 1861 A. Pratt Flowering Plants & Ferns Great Brit. V. 80 A large tree..with a bushy head. 1917 J. E. Rogers Trees Worth Knowing 78 The wind breaks the branches, destroys the symmetry of the tree's head. 2007 M. J. McGroarty Easy Plant Propagation 21 These multiple buds will form the head of the tree, and you need to prune them. c. The rounded seed pod of various plants, esp. a poppy. Cf. poppy head n. 2. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > part of plant > reproductive part(s) > seed > seed-vessel or pericarp > [noun] > capsule heada1398 boll?a1500 bladder1578 bollen1578 bullion1589 bob1615 hive1665 seed box1677 capsule1693 amphora1821 pyxis1821 pyxidium1832 pore capsule1878 a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xvii. cxxviii. 1023 Popy..haue grete hedes as a pomgarnat and þerinne is the seed yclosed. 1649 N. Culpeper Physicall Directory 112 Take the heads of white Poppies and black, when both of them are green, of each six ounces. 1699 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 21 119 Lychnis's, Poppies, Antirrhinum's, and many others have their seeds in heads, which when ripe, are open at top. 1798 Trans. Soc. Encouragem. Arts, Manuf., & Commerce 16 374 A small Instrument..used by the Natives of Hindoostan for scarifying the Heads of Poppies. 1831 G. Don Gen. Syst. Gardening & Bot. I. 131/2 From the white-seeded variety [of poppy]..opium is obtained from the heads by incision and sometimes by expression. 1907 Pharmaceut. Jrnl. 7 Sept. 836/1 White poppy is the one richest in opium, and women and children are set to work gathering the heads. 2010 J. Wright Hedgerow 35 If necessary leave them a few days to ripen and when the heads rattle with their seeds turn them upside down and shake. d. The compact round or conical mass of leaves characteristic of certain types of cabbage, lettuce, etc.; (also) the closely packed overlapping leaf stalks of the celery plant and similar vegetables. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > part of plant > head or heart > [noun] > head or top cropa700 top?1523 head1577 headlet1577 come1578 pome1658 cyma1706 cyme1725 capitulum1791 1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry ii. f. 56 The great Cabbedge, with brode leaues and a great head. 1620 T. Venner Via Recta vii. 135 The great, hard, and compacted heads of Cole, commonly called Cabbage. 1693 J. Evelyn tr. J. de La Quintinie Reflect. Agric. xiii. 59 in Compl. Gard'ner Onions are formed within the ground almost after the same manner as the Heads of Cabbages and Lettuces are on the surface of it. 1736 C. Carter Compl. City & Country Cook (ed. 2) 1 Put in a Head of Celery, and some Parsly Roots. Boil it very tender about an hour. 1786 J. Abercrombie Gardeners Daily Assistant 39 Borecole..is of the cabbage or colewort tribe, with a large curly-leaved open head, and tall stem. 1824 J. C. Loudon Encycl. Gardening (ed. 2) ii. iv. 439 Preserving heads or leaves of vegetables is effected in cellars or sheds. 1885 Times 25 Apr. 14/2 Retail prices:—..celery, 2d. to 6d. per head. 1949 L. P. DeGouy Soup Bk. iv. 146 Shred 1 medium-sized head of fresh green cabbage. 2009 M. Bittman Kitchen Express 168 Core and thinly slice a head of fennel. e. The (usually stalked) seed-containing structure of a cereal plant, as an ear of wheat, oats, etc., or a cob of maize. ΚΠ 1589 J. Sparke in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations iii. 541 For the Indians with the head of mayis roasted, will trauel a whole day. 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics i, in tr. Virgil Wks. 62 Bearded Grain: While yet the Head is green. View more context for this quotation 1725 R. Bradley Surv. Anc. Husb. 106 The..Hexastichum of Columella..grows like the former, both in Stalk and Ears, only differing in having..more Rows of Grains upon one Head. 1784 J. F. D. Smyth Tour U.S.A. I. xxxviii. 195 The male flowers..appear something like to the heads or ears of rice. 1822 New Monthly Mag. 6 23/1 The top of each head of corn was bare of seeds. 1898 Jrnl. Agric. & Industry Nov. 316 Wheats do not readily cross-fertilise, but the best and largest heads should be selected year after year, and be cultivated separately. 1914 H. F. Macmillan Handbk. Trop. Gardening & Planting (ed. 2) 233 The unripe tender heads or cobs are..considered by most persons a delicious vegetable. 1947 Science 24 Oct. 398/1 The oats produce heads, but instead of ripening to a normal yellow color, these heads tend to have a whitish-green color, and very little grain is produced. 2011 D. Chapman Walking Penwith 50/1 The statuesque, shapely nodding heads of barley. f. Any of various kinds of compound inflorescence, as the mass of closely packed flower buds in cauliflower or broccoli, or a dense cluster of flowers arranged in a corymb, umbel, etc.; = capitulum n. 3a. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > forward movement > [noun] > against some opposing force head1597 society > authority > lack of subjection > rebelliousness > insurrection > [noun] arising1340 rebeltyc1384 rebellion1409 rebela1425 insurrection1459 commotion1471 mutationa1513 revolting1539 mutine1560 head1597 sollevation1605 sublevation1612 liftinga1662 insurgence1863 the world > plants > part of plant > reproductive part(s) > flower or part containing reproductive organs > inflorescence or collective flower > [noun] crowna1350 knop1398 tuft?1523 coronet1555 crownet1578 head1597 seed head1597 truss1688 capitulum1704 glome1793 glomerule1793 glomus1832 flower-head1839 inflorescence1851 1597 J. Gerard Herball ii. xxxvi. 246 Cole Florie, or after some Colieflorie, hath many large leaues sleightly endented about the edges,..in the middest of which leaues riseth vp a great white head of hard flowers closely thrust togither. 1652 N. Culpeper Eng. Physitian (new ed.) 217/1 At the tops hereof [sc. stalks of scabious] which are naked and bare of Leaves for a good space, stand round Heads of Flowers, of a pale blewish colour set together in a head. 1704 J. Harris Lexicon Technicum I Capitulum, in Botanicks, is the Head or Flowring Top of any Plant, being composed of many Flowers and Threads (or Stamina) closely connected in a Globous, Circular or Discous Figure. 1785 T. Martyn tr. J.-J. Rousseau Lett. Elements Bot. vi. 70 An aggregate or capitate flower, or a head of flowers. 1830 J. Marcet Conversat. Veg. Physiol. xxxi. 344 The head of a cauliflower has..much the appearance of a blossom, but it consists only of numerous ramifications of the peduncles. 1880 A. Gray Struct. Bot. v. 147 A Head or Capitulum is a globular cluster of sessile flowers, like those of Red Clover. 1915 H. H. Thomas Bk. Hardy Flowers 457 The flat heads of flowers are a pretty pink shade. 1975 Times 18 Jan. 11/1 Trim the cauliflower and if a whole head is used, cut into medium sized sprigs. 2001 C. Whitehead John Henry Days i. 69 The pliable tang of overcooked heads of broccoli. 2004 S. Morhardt & E. Morhardt Calif. Desert Flowers 29 Asteraceae members have tiny specialized flowers in a tight cluster called a head that usually resembles a single flower. g. Any of various rounded non-floral structures of a plant or fungus, as the rounded root of a vegetable, the cap or pileus of a fungus, or the rounded end of a trichome (cf. head cell n. at Compounds 4); = capitulum n. 3b, 3c. ΚΠ 1665 R. Hooke Micrographia 128 Resembling the head of a mushroom. 1714 J. Gay Shepherd's Week vi. 56 How turnips hide their swelling heads below, And how the closing coleworts upwards grow. 1834 Paxton's Mag. Bot. 1 63 The manner in which the stamens are spread out renders them incapable, without some assistance, of casting their pollen on the head of the stigma. 1928 New Phytologist 27 265 The greater portion of the inner wall is supplied with trichomes in which the head is divided into four cells. 1964 Amer. Biol. Teacher 26 101/1 In those mosses where the sexes are separated, the antheridia often occur in great numbers in flat-topped flower-like heads. 1985 Plant Physiol. 79 1029/2 Brushing removed the vast majority of heads from trichomes but apparently left most of the stalk cells intact. h. A flower, esp. one growing at the end of a stem.See also deadhead n.¹ 6. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > part of plant > reproductive part(s) > flower or part containing reproductive organs > [noun] flower?c1225 woman?1440 floscle1599 head1704 1704 Dict. Rusticum Pendulous-heads, thus Botanists call those Flowers that hang downwards, the Stalk not being able to stand upright. 1787 H. Blair Lect. Rhetoric (ed. 3) I. xvii. 439 Such are the Similies of a hero to a lion, of a person in sorrow to a flower drooping its head. 1842 Floricultural Cabinet Aug. 189 Fuchsira corymbiflora, six feet high, with numerous pendant heads of its splendid flowers, produced a brilliant show. 1889 R. Broughton Red as Rose (new ed.) v. 36 How much pleasanter to be out of doors, tweaking off dead rose heads. 1902 Garden 19 Apr. 254/1 S[axifraga] apiculata is just now at its best, looking very bright with its pale sulphur-coloured heads of flower. 1970 D. Tangye Cornish Summer iv. 44 The daffodil is now picked as soon as the head has dropped. 2012 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 14 July 7 Deadhead bush roses to prolong flowering. Remove heads along with a short piece of stem. 16. a. The striking or cutting part (as distinct from the shaft or handle) of various weapons and tools, as axes, spears, arrows, hammers, clubs, etc.axe, club-, spearhead, etc.: see the first element.In quot. OE: the striking part of a battering ram. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > cutting tool > [noun] > cutting part of headOE bit1594 web1600 cutting edge1825 society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > sharp weapon > [noun] > head headOE society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > missile > arrow > [noun] > head of arrow headOE arrowhead1384 bolt-head1483 arrow point1655 OE Riddle 53 9 Nu he fæcnum wæg [read weg] þurh his heafdes mæg[en] hildegieste oþrum rymeð. c1300 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Otho) (1978) l. 11868 Me tok him..ane saft..þar was in þan eande an hefd [c1275 Calig. spærere] swiþe hende. a1399 in W. G. Benham Oath Bk. Colchester (1907) 7 (MED) Un xij Lancez with heds, ob.; withowtyn heds 1/4 d. c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Sir Thopas (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 171 His spere was of fyn Cipres..The heed ful sharp ygrounde. c1440 (?a1400) Sir Perceval (1930) l. 2023 The clobe wheyhed reghte wele..The hede was of harde stele. a1450 (?a1300) Richard Coer de Lyon (Caius) l. 2213 in K. Brunner Mittelengl. Vers-roman über Richard Löwenherz (1913) 199 (MED) Kyng Rychard..Let hym make an axe..The heed was wrought ryght wele, Therin was twenty pounde of stele. c1515 Ld. Berners tr. Bk. Duke Huon of Burdeux (1882–7) viii. 19 A spere with a sharpe hed. 1545 R. Ascham Toxophilus ii. f. 12 A shaft hath three principall partes, the stele, the fethers, and the head. 1556 in W. H. Turner Select. Rec. Oxf. (1880) 248 The hedd of the mase fell of. 1611 Bible (King James) Deut. xix. 5 A stroke with the axe..and the head slippeth from the helue. View more context for this quotation a1646 D. Wedderburn Vocabula (1685) 38 Baculi caput, the head of the Club. 1723 D. O'Connor tr. G. Keating Gen. Hist. Ireland 238 The Head of the Spear struck against a Stone, and, by the Force of the Blow, the Point of it was bent. 1771 Gentleman's Mag. Mar. 118/1 The handle of a hammer is fixt in its head. 1826 C. Fletcher David i. 26 Six hundred shekels weigh'd the weapon's head. 1857 J. G. Swan Northwest Coast 84 The head of the spear, made like a salmon spear..was attached to a line thirty fathoms long. 1932 Pop. Sci. Monthly Mar. 10/2 When we put the hatchet..through the same blow test, the handle flew off after thirty-five blows... The claws cracked and chipped away before the head came off. 1971 N. Brown Antarctic Housewife vii. 61 The big whale-gun stood in readiness with the head of the harpoon projecting from the barrel. 2001 Sentinel (Stoke-on-Trent) (Nexis) 20 Aug. 5 He accepted he used it but said he hit with the shaft and not the head of the hammer. b. Mining. In a stamp mill: a block, typically of iron, for crushing ore; each of a number of such blocks which together form the battery (battery n. 7); = stamp n.³ 9a.Recorded earliest in stamp-head n. (a) at stamp n.³ Compounds 2. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > equipment for treating ores > [noun] > for crushing ore > for gold gold mill1683 head1758 1758 W. Borlase Nat. Hist. Cornwall 178 The lifters..are armed at the bottom with large masses of iron..called Stamp-heads. 1848 Mem. Geol. Surv. Great Brit. II. ii. 678 In the newest erected set, the ‘head’ of cast-iron, weighs 260 to 280 lbs. 1896 Daily News 11 Mar. 11/5 The new ten heads are running well, but the old 10-head mill has been giving trouble. 1946 V. N. Wood Metall. Materials viii. 221 Mottled and white irons..find application for articles where resistance to abrasion is the primary factor, as in chilled rolls, plough shares, crusher heads, grinding balls [etc.]. 1954 Official Year Bk. Commonw. Austral. xviii. 794 A ten-head battery is situated on the Maranboy tin-field and crushes ore for all parties. 2011 S. Lawrence & P. Davies Archaeol. Austral. since 1788 Uncovered vii. 155 The Garfield waterwheel..drove a 15-head stamp battery. c. A part of a machine that contains a (detachable) tool or device for performing a particular action, as cutting, grinding, etc.; the tool or device itself. Frequently with preceding modifying word.cutter-, grooving-, micrometer, shower head, etc.: see the first element. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > other parts > [noun] > other specific parts armOE button?1561 running gear1663 relax1676 collar1678 drumhead1698 long arm1717 drum1744 press cloth1745 head1785 absorber1789 bearing plate1794 crown1796 rhodings1805 press box1825 alternator1829 cushion1832 saw tooth1835 shoe1837 keyboard1839 returner1839 cross-head1844 channel shoe1845 baster1846 water port1864 shifter1869 magazine1873 entry port1874 upsetter1875 mechanism1876 tapper1876 tension bar1879 buttonholer1882 take-up1884 auger1886 instrument panel1897 balancer1904 torsion bar1937 powerhead1960 1785 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 75 448 The division answering to the index on the head of the micrometer was carefully noted. 1856 Jrnl. Franklin Inst. 3rd Ser. 31 282 The rotating head of the machine..had but a single cutter to each moulding, and the dividing saw tooth. 1874 Manufacturer & Builder Nov. 246/1 Matchers, with two driving-pulleys, upper and lower feed-rolls, with tonguing and grooving heads. 1949 Our Industry (Anglo-Iranian Oil Co.) (ed. 2) ii. 36 The hole is drilled by the rotating action of a cutting head. 1951 F. Whiteley Gear Manuf.: Bk. 3 ii. 23 A spiral milling attachment or universal milling head is also necessary to obtain the required angular movement of the cutter. 1991 Mech. Engin. Sept. 28/1 Model E3W2 consists of a light source, a sensing head, and a compact controller. d. The forward end of a shell, torpedo, or similar projectile; the part of a missile containing the explosive or otherwise harmful material. Cf. warhead n. at war n.¹ Compounds 4. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > missile > ammunition for firearms > [noun] > bullet or shell > shell > parts of shell head1853 nose cap1916 1853 Mech. Mag. 12 Feb. 123 The inventor has improved upon it by extending the cavity a towards the nipple c, into the head of the shell. 1898 F. T. Jane Torpedo 19 The explosive head (war head)..is only fitted when the torpedo is to be used in earnest: for practice, a collapsible head is fitted. 1900 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 12 May 1156 With regard to the head of the bullet, the..type which offers..least resistance is that known as ogival. 1917 Pop. Mech. July 82/1 The head of the projectile continues in advance, followed by the diaphragm, powder tube, etc., and the spread of scattering shrapnel. 1982 Pop. Sci. Oct. 78/1 A sensor in the head of the missile detects laser light reflected off the target. 2012 DNA (Nexis) 23 June The victims are understood to have picked up the unexploded missile head and were playing with it when it exploded. e. The flammable mass forming the tip of a match; = match-head n. at match n.² Compounds 2. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > fuel > material for igniting > [noun] > match, spill, or taper for lighting > specifically ignited by friction > part of coal1590 matchstick1791 head1856 match splint1880 match-head1898 1856 A. Albright Brit. Patent 2249 (1857) 1 The use of flour paste to cause the materials of which the head of the match is composed to adhere to the splint of wood. 1900 Weekly Underwriter 16 June 424/2 Matches of this type readily ignite when the heads are picked with the point of a knife. 1937 Pop. Mech. Dec. (Advertising section) 38/1 A newly patented match package has an inner flap which covers the heads of the matches. 1978 R. H. Stone & D. W. H. Tripp Chemistry (ed. 2) iv. 44 The original substances, both in the head of the match and on the side of the box, contain potential energy in chemical form. 2003 E. B. Basilici Legacy of Hero v. 24 He..fumbled a match out of the box on the shelf. He scraped the head against the iron stove and cupped the light. f. (a) In playing or making a gramophone record: a component for converting the physical motion of a stylus into variations in an electrical signal, and vice versa; spec. such a component mounted at the end of a record player's pickup arm. ΚΠ 1931 Pop. Sci. Feb. 139/1 The weight of the pick-up head you are using. 1962 L. Deighton Ipcress File xxvii. 172 He laid a huge shiny L.P. on the..turntable and delicately applied the diamond head. 1973 Daily Tel. 12 Oct. (Colour Suppl.) 29/2 The recording head that drives the cutting stylus. 2010 W. Newton Mistress of Abha (2011) 71 As I entered he lifted the head off the record. (b) In an audio, video, or computer system: a component for converting variations in an electrical signal into variations in magnetization or some other property, and vice versa, allowing recording to or reading from a storage medium. Frequently with preceding modifying word.erase, record, tape head, etc.: see the first element. ΘΚΠ society > communication > record > recording or reproducing sound or visual material > sound recording and reproduction > sound recording or reproducing equipment > [noun] > head head1948 1948 C. Chu in Theory & Techniques Design Electronic Digital Computers III. xxvii. 6 The dimensions of the elementary magnets recorded on the medium..also depend on the crosswise length of the gap of the head. 1964 F. L. Westwater Electronic Computers (ed. 2) iv. 68 Each track must have its read/write head. 1983 Listener 18 Aug. 34/3 Now you can get a music centre with two audio-cassette heads to facilitate the copying of cassettes as well as discs. 2003 Build Perfect PC (Maximum PC) 55 There are two separate heads in a hard drive head assembly for reading and writing data. 17. In general use: the topmost part of something; the top. Frequently opposed to foot.With reference either to a component or portion of an object, or to a position at or near its uppermost point. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > high position > [noun] > highest point or top headOE copa1000 heightOE topc1000 highestlOE crest1382 coperounc1400 summita1425 summity?a1425 toppet1439 altitude?a1475 upperest1484 principala1533 pitcha1552 supremity1584 culm1587 period1595 spire1600 upward1608 cope1609 fastigium1641 vertex1641 culmen1646 supreme1652 tip-top1702 peak1785 helm1893 altaltissimo1975 OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Luke xvi. 17 Facilius est autem caelum et terram praeterire quam de lege unum apicem cadere : eaðor is uutedlice þæt heofon & þæt eorðo þætte foregeleore ðon of æ an merce uel stæfes heafud gefalla. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 16577 (MED) Apon þe hefd o þis rode, ouer-thwart was don a brede. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Kings x. 19 Y^e heade of the seate was rounde behynde. 1543 R. Record Ground of Artes ii. sig. T.iiii^v 30 is represented by the ioynynge together of y^e headdes of the foremost fynger and the thombe. 1630 Proclam. Charles I New Buildings London 16 July 4 The Iambes, Heads and soyles of the Windowes shall be of Bricke. 1631 J. Rous Diary (1856) 60 [She] fell..at the head of a payre of staires. 1659 T. Willsford Architectonice 30 A post with a turn'd or carv'd head. 1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 115/1 Swash Letters, are Italick Capitals, which have generally long dashing squanging stroaks in them, either at the head or foot. 1708 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 26 71 A well polish'd Piece of Amber..which was the Head of my Cane. 1711 W. Sutherland Ship-builders Assistant 114 The upper Part is called the Head of the Sail. 1721 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. at Bowl A round space at the Head of the Mast for the Men to stand in. 1742 J. Martyn & E. Chambers tr. Philos. Hist. & Mem. Royal Acad. Sci. Paris III. 24 That the whole force [of the rammer]..may fall on the head of the pile which is to be driven. 1794 Repertory of Arts 1 233 Carried round upon trucks, like the head of a windmill. 1827 J. F. Cooper Red Rover II. ii. 53 Wilder was standing on the head of the capstan. 1886 S. Baring-Gould Court Royal II. xxxii. 181 Captain Otley..put the silver head of his cane to his mouth. 1900 Orig. Papers Norfolk & Norwich Archæol. Soc. 14 117 The head of the crosier, which is of oak, has been preserved as a relic. 1951 Rotarian May 58/2 I was able to make small lightning by holding the ball close to the head of the machine. 1974 S. King Carrie (1975) 12 She..had gone to the head of the stairs. 1995 M. Lawrence et al. Which? Guide Home Safety & Security ii. 97 The bolt passes into a hole in the head and sill of the door frame. 2003 J. R. Stilgoe Lifeboat ix. 218 He slid the tiller from the head of the rudder. 18. a. The end of a bed, grave, etc., at which a person's head lies. Opposed to foot. Cf. bed-head n. 2, headboard n. 2.In quot. OE apparently in plural (see etymological note). ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > end or extremity > [noun] endc825 headOE finea1300 nolla1387 extremityc1400 hinder end?1523 extreme1570 termininea1593 exit1615 outmost1634 terminus1704 knobhead1793 terminal1865 OE West Saxon Gospels: John (Corpus Cambr.) xx. 11 Heo..geseah twegen englas sittan..anne æt þam heafdon & oðerne æt þam fotum þær ðæs Hælendes lic aled wæs. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 17288 + 219 (MED) Þat one at þe fote of þe graf, þat other at the hede. c1405 (c1387–95) G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 295 For hym was leuere haue at his beddes heed Twenty bookes. ?c1430 (c1400) Rule St. Francis (Corpus Cambr.) in F. D. Matthew Eng. Wks. Wyclif (1880) 49 Vndir here beddis hed. a1500 (?a1390) J. Mirk Festial (Gough) (1905) 14 When he was buryet, at þe hed of þe tombe sprong a well of oyle. 1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry IV f. xxxii^v He caused his crowne to be set on the pillowe at his beddes heade. 1622 J. Mabbe tr. M. Alemán Rogue i. 232 The Vrinall..stood at his beds head. 1712 J. Swift Jrnl. to Stella 9 Jan. (1948) II. 461 I hide my purse in my thread stocking between the bed's head and the wainscot. 1759 Universal Mag. Oct. 172/1 The survivor plants a rose-tree at the head of the deceased's grave. 1851 H. R. Schoolcraft Hist. & Statist. Information Indian Tribes U.S. I. 356 At the head of the grave a tabular piece of cedar, or other wood..is set. 1871 Daily News 18 Mar. 5/6 She stands fast by the head of the stretcher, while the rest give ground at the mandate of the surgeon. 1917 A. G. Empey Over Top 314 Two pieces of wood in the form of a cross placed at the head of a Tommy's grave. 1995 J. L. Singman & W. McLean Daily Life Chaucer's Eng. v. 87 Across the head of the bed was a long bolster..covered with a headsheet of linen. b. The position at a table (usually at one end) occupied by the person presiding over a meal or other event, or by the person regarded as most honoured or important. Also (with no reference to the status of the occupant): the position at the end of a table. Cf. senses 26a, 36. See also table head n. at table n. Compounds 1a(a). ΚΠ a1500 (?c1450) Merlin xx. 322 (MED) The thre kynges and Merlin satte to-geder at the hede of the deyse. 1604 J. Fraser Offer maid to Gentilman of Qualitie 176 We perceaued an honest man..sitting at the head of the table. 1656 P. Heylyn Extraneus Vapulans 340 [He] placed him at the head of the board, above all the Ministers. 1745 E. Haywood Female Spectator III. 32 Tho' Eudosia kept her Place at the Head of the Table, yet nothing was served up to it but what was ordered by Laconia. 1786 F. Burney Diary 17 July (1842) III. 14 I was offered the seat..at the head of the table. 1813 Ann. Reg. 52 The Duke of York gave the toast; it was announced from the head of the table by a flourish of trumpets. 1877 M. Leathes Manor House Stories in Girls of Bredon ii. 201 The four little ones were ranged round the table with Susan at the head. 1928 P. O'Donnell Islanders v. 32 He could make out Susan at the head of the table winding a cut of yarn. 1951 S. H. Bell December Bride ii. xii. 171 The young Andrew sat at the head of the table in his grandfather's great rope-bottomed chair. 2000 H. Simpson Hey Yeah Right (2001) 126 There was William at the head, well into the next bottle, blearily inaccessible. 2007 M. Richards Growing Wild on Exmoor 19 During her long visits, my mother would give up to her mother-in-law the place she shared with my father at the head of the table. 19. The upper or principal extremity of various things, esp. when projecting, distinct, removable, or of some special shape. a. The pus-filled portion of an abscess, boil, or spot; the highest and thinnest point of this, at which it is likely to burst and discharge its contents. Also in figurative contexts (cf. sense 54).Frequently in to bring to a head (see Phrases 4b), to come to a head (see Phrases 4c).Cf. blackhead n.² 2, whitehead n.¹ 5. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > suppuration > [noun] > a suppuration > abscess > head of headlOE pointing1766 lOE Metrical Charm: Against Wen (Royal 4 A.xiv) 5 Wenne..þu scealt..to þan nihgan berhge, þer þu hauest, ermig, enne broþer. He þe sceal legge leaf et heafde. a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. vii. lix. 418 In þe hed of þe posteme brediþ a whelke oþir a bleyne. ?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 22^v When forsoþ þu seest som liȝtnez & cesyng of akyng..& þat þe heued is sharped..þan wite þat þer is sanie or quitour. 1538 T. Elyot Dict. sig. C.iii^v/1 Caput facere, to gather a soore to a heed. 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Aboutir, to wax ripe, or draw to a head, as an impostume. 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 117 To launch the Sore: And cut the Head. 1725 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Œconomique Abouting, a term used by the French Gardiners to denote that the Trees are budded; as it signifies, in regard to Animals, the making a kind of a Head or Abscess. 1896 New Rev. Dec. 695 The essence of fact..never lay in the displacement of an arrow-point; no, nor in the head of a boil. 1948 N. Cassady Let. 23 July (2005) 87 The carbuncle bursts, the boil, reaching a head, pulsates its grey-fear fluid outward and all that remains is the sac scar. 2005 D. B. Jacoby et al. Encycl. Family Health (ed. 3) 256/1 (table) Don't squeeze a boil before the head has formed. b. The rounded, knobbed, or flattened end of a pin, nail, screw, or bolt, opposite to the point.to hit the nail on the head: see nail n. Phrases 1b; how many angels can dance on the head of a pin: see angel n. Phrases 3. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > bluntness > [noun] > blunt part or side headc1300 platc1395 backc1440 poll1603 flat side1727 c1300 St. Francis (Laud) l. 396 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 65 (MED) Þe nailes weren blake i-nouȝ, þe hauedene rounde and grete. c1392 Equatorie of Planetis 26 Set the fix point of thy compas..in the hed of the nail. a1472 in J. J. Wilkinson Receipts & Expenses Bodmin Church (1875) 18 (MED) Item for nailis with v strok hedes ij s. 1535 in H. M. Paton Accts. Masters of Wks. (1957) I. 127 ii^c xlviii of gret tynnit nalis with schorne hedis. 1542–3 Act 34 & 35 Hen. VIII c. 6 Pinnes..such as..haue the heads soudered fast to the shanke. 1644 J. Winthrop Hist. New Eng. (1826) (modernized text) II. 195 It struck against the head of a bolt in the cut-water of the Dartmouth ship, and went no further. 1679 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. ix. 163 That the Head of the Rivet be on the outside. 1733 J. Tull Horse-hoing Husbandry xxii. 153 This Holding-Screw has a pretty broad Head. 1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth VII. 153 Little protuberances..as large as a pin's head. 1826 Repertory Patent Inventions 2 184 A pinion is fixed on the head of the screw, which turns round a toothed wheel. 1879 W. Thomson & P. G. Tait Treat. Nat. Philos. (new ed.) I: Pt. i. §424 Measured by means of a divided head fixed perpendicularly to the screw at one end. 1909 Proc. Royal Soc. Queensland 22 6 The travellers were compelled to cross very stony basalt country, which..wrenched the heads off the horse-shoe nails. 1997 Pract. Householder Oct. 36/2 Drill a pilot hole for the screw thread..and add a countersink for the head if you're using a countersunk screw. 2007 C. Gloman & R. Napoli Scenic Design & Lighting Techniques iii. 84 Finish hammers..have a claw-shaped peen to grab the head of an errant nail and yank it out. †c. The nipple of a breast. Obsolete. ΚΠ a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xix. lxiii. 1325 Some women haue mylk oonliche in þe heed [L. cono] of þe tete. a1425 Medulla Gram. (Stonyhurst) f. 47^v Papilla, an hed of a pappe. 1615 H. Crooke Μικροκοσμογραϕια 710 When an Infant is layde to the breast, hee suddenly with a kinde of Naturall force laps his tongue about the head of the breast. 1672 G. Sinclair Hydrostaticks 179 The Air that guardeth the head of the Pap is removed, and so the Air, that presseth the parts about, and without, squeezes out the milk. d. The rounded part forming the end of the penis; the glans. In later use also: the corresponding part of the clitoris. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > secretory organs > gland > specific glands > [noun] > glans penis heada1400 nut1565 glans1650 knobc1890 bell end1961 cockhead1964 dickhead1969 a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 19 (MED) Ficus, þat is superfluyte þat growen vp on þe skyn of þe pintils hede wiþoute. a1593 C. Marlowe tr. Ovid Elegies in J. Davies & C. Marlowe Epigr. & Elegies (c1599) sig. G She..vsde all speech that might prouoke and stirre, Yet..It mocked me, hung downe the head and sunke. 1693 T. Urquhart & P. A. Motteux tr. F. Rabelais 3rd Bk. Wks. xviii. 151 They [sc. women] did begin to flay the Man..at that Member;..yet have they not of that small part alone flayed any more till this hour but the Head. 1756 Mem. Oxf. Scholar 99 [My] fingers sought the inflamed head of my exercised member. 1801 R. Hooper Compend. Med. Dict. (ed. 2) at Penis It [sc. the penis] is divided by anatomists into the root, body, and head. 1880 ‘Lady Pokingham’ in Pearl Apr. 123 I took that long prick in my hands,..whilst I just titillated the ruby head with my tongue. 1904 Lustful Mem. Young & Passionated Girl 39 He got on top of her then placed the head of his champion between the lips of her monkey. 1975 B. Benderson Kyle v. 89 Holding my cock in his fist, he rubbed the head around his asshole. 1990 J. M. Reinisch & R. Beasley Kinsey Instit. New Rep. Sex (1991) ii. 29 Contrary to popular myth, the head of the clitoris is not some type of ‘magic button’ for all women. 2011 Men's Health Big Bk. of Sex ii. 19/2 The head is covered by a sheath of skin called the foreskin. e. Anatomy. The end of a muscle that remains relatively stationary when the muscle contracts; (also) each of two or more parts into which this end of certain muscles is divided; = origin n. 2b. Cf. tail n.¹ 2e. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > structural parts > muscle > parts of muscle > [noun] wella1400 fontanelle?a1425 head?a1425 belly1591 venter1615 tail1719 myotome1857 sclerotome1857 myomere1868 muscle spindle1894 spindle1894 Z line1916 Z band1950 dyad1957 triad1957 ?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 52 (MED) Wondez..made in þe heuedez [L. capitibus] of þe musculez wher þe neruez beþ ynoȝ nakened..ar mortale. 1597 P. Lowe Whole Course Chirurg. vi. iv. sig. T3 Contusion happeneth in the fleshie partes, and attrition is done in the head and ende of the muscles. 1694 W. Salmon tr. Y. van Diemerbroeck Anat. Human Bodies (new ed.) i. 116/2 These two Kidneys are seated behind the Ventricle and Guts,..at the head of the Psoa Muscle. 1750 S. Sharp Crit. Enq. Surg. 56 In both sexes it lies between the two anterior Heads of the Triceps Femoris. 1877 I. Rosenthal Gen. Physiol. Muscles & Nerves (1881) 13 The ends are spoken of as the head and tail, of the muscle. 1922 Anat. Rec. 23 219 The muscle is much larger than in the left foot, especially its transverse head. 2003 Muscle & Fitness Jan. 35/2 To fully develop and attain bolder shoulders, you must learn the art and science of training the three main heads of the deltoid muscles. f. Chemistry. In an alembic: the upper part or cover of the cucurbit (cucurbit n.¹ 1), where the vapour condenses to a liquid; the part of any apparatus for distillation where condensation occurs. See also still-head n.² ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > still > [noun] > vessel of > cover for heada1475 mitre1605 blind-head1662 a1475 Bk. Quinte Essence (1889) 4 A distillatorie of glas..wiþ an hoole a-boue in þe heed, where þe watir schal be putt yn. 1594 H. Plat Diuers Chimicall Concl. Distillation 3 in Jewell House Let the bucket, or cooler in the head containe as much more colde water, as our ordinarie Limbecks doe. 1660 R. Boyle New Exper. Physico-mechanicall xxii. 176 We see in the Heads of Stills..how quickly such vapors are even by a very little cold recondensed into Water. 1730 P. Shaw tr. G. E. Stahl Philos. Princ. Universal Chem. 153 The Operation..is most commodiously perform'd in an Iron Cucurbit, with an alembic-head, and Pipe. 1758 A. Reid tr. P. J. Macquer Elements Theory & Pract. Chym. I. ii. §́1. 230 Fill therewith a crucible..heat it till it melts: then set it on fire, and when its whole surface is lighted place it under a large glass head. 1806 W. Henry Epitome Chem. (ed. 4) i. i. 7 An alembic..consists of two parts; the body..and the head. 1827 J. Story Public & Gen. Statutes Congr. U.S.A. III. 1570 Twenty-three cents for each gallon of the capacity of every such still, including the head thereof. 1920 Sci. Monthly Sept. 207 The vapors are condensed in the head of the alembic. 1949 G. R. Fessenden Preserv. Agric. Specimens in Plastics ii. 33 This apparatus should include a three-neck flask.., a short vertical column packed with glass beads, and distilling head. 1960 F. G. Mann & B. C. Saunders Pract. Org. Chem. (ed. 4) ii. 73 Use a ground-glass flask..with a distillation-head. 2009 B. Owens & A. Dikty Art Distilling Whiskey ii. 34 (caption) Artisan pot still: the shape of the helmet ‘head’ of the still influences the flavor of the distillate. g. The (distinct) upper part of a pillar or column; the capital (capital n.¹ 1). See also pillar head n. at pillar n. Compounds 2. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > column > [noun] > capital capital?c1335 coronala1400 chapiterc1425 heada1500 coronet1555 chapitel1682 cap1870 a1500 Gloss. John of Garland in T. Wright Vocabularies (1857) 137 (MED) Epistilium, the hede of the pyler. 1539 Bible (Great) 2 Chron. iii. f. lxxxvi/2 He made chaynes of wrethen worke for the quere, and put them on the heedes of the pyllers. 1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Heade or chapiter of a pyller. 1560 Bible (Geneva) Exod. xxvii. 11 The heades of y^e pillers and the filets shalbe siluer. 1611 E. Aston tr. J. Boemus Manners, Lawes, & Customes ii. i. 58 The porches and galleries also bee vnderpropped with great pillars, the heads whereof are siluer and gold. 1651 P. Armin tr. F. Glisson et al. Treat. Rickets xiii. 122 If therfore you shal fasten in a wedge on the right side between the stones AB through the line FD, the Head of the Pillar; Namely, the stone A will of necessity be bended towards D. 1778 G. Baretti Dict. Spanish & Eng. (ed. 2) at Carton The scroll on the head of the column of the Ionic order. 1818 M. Vasi New Picture Rome v. 269 Three thick fluted marble pillars, with Corinthian heads. 1907 Country Life 30 Nov. 783/2 This hall of plain panels, with the Corinthian heads of its pilasters for all ornament. 2003 R. Taylor How to read Church 30 Doric columns tend to be plain, with simple rounded heads, or capitals. h. The membrane or piece of skin stretched over a drum, forming the surface struck by the drumsticks or hands; = drumhead n. 1a. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > percussion instrument > drum > [noun] > drumhead head1567 swash-head1574–5 drumhead1580 skin1615 batter-head1704 tympanum1908 1567 A. Golding tr. Ovid Metamorphosis (new ed.) xii. f. 155 As a man should pat Small stones vppon a dromslets head [L. tympana]. 1607 J. Marston What you Will iv. sig. F2 His face lookes like the head of a taber. 1622 tr. Iournall Siege Berghen-up-Zoome 35 Three Spaniards playing at Dice vpon the head of a Drumme. 1691 J. Ray Wisdom of God 185 A Membrane..stretched like the head of a Drum. 1752 Masquerade No. 3. 91 I..caper'd like a parch'd-pea upon the head of a kettle-drum. 1841 Manch. Times 24 July One of the horses, plunging at the crowd, sent its fore-feet into the head of our big drum. 1929 E. A. Powell Last Home of Myst. x. 197 There are huge bowl-shaped drums, as high as a man, with heads of tightly stretched leather. 1996 G. Nicholls in P. Trynka Rock Hardware 92/1 1960s session giant Hal Blaine kept the calf skin head on his kick drum throughout most of his career. i. On a lute, violin, or similar stringed instrument: the part above the neck (neck n.¹ 6c), on which the tuning pegs are mounted.In some instruments, notably viols, this may be carved in the likeness of a (sometimes grotesque) human head. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > stringed instruments > lute- or viol-type parts > [noun] > head head1595 pegbox1883 1595 A. Copley Wits Fittes & Fancies vi. 183 One seeing an other thrust out his head..said, it was like the head of a Gittern. 1603 T. Robinson Schoole of Musicke sig. Bij The first string or Treble, stopped in the first fret, by the head of the Lute with the forefinger. 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Ioug,..the head of a Lute, Violl, etc. 1682 T. Shadwell Lancashire-witches ii. 22 Thy Face, I never saw so deform'd a thing on the head of an old Lyra violl. 1748 T. Smollett Roderick Random I. xix. 160 Grinning like the head of a bass viol. 1784 European Mag. & London Rev. Mar. 180/2 This constant grin is no more the indication of true mirth in the Frenchman, than it is in the head of a bass viol. 1836 Repertory Patent Inventions 6 175 Giving to the head of the Spanish guitar the lyre form..in place of the common head heretofore used. 1879 G. Grove Dict. Music I. 524/2 Its [sc. a fingerboard's] width is about 1 inch nearest to the head of the violin and 1¾ inch at the bridge-end. 1905 Sunset Mag. May 77/2 She..designed the scroll of the violin head. 1966 A. C. Baines European & Amer. Musical Instruments 46 The head is of guitar type, with rear pegs. 2002 Fine Woodworking Mar. 84 (caption) The fingerboard and turned head [of the mandolin] are inlaid with gold mother-of-pearl. j. Astronomy. The part of a comet comprising the nucleus and coma (coma n.² 2), as distinguished from the tail; (also) the nucleus itself. ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > constellation > comet or meteor > comet > [noun] > head head1619 1619 J. Bainbridge Astron. Descr. Late Comet 10 That the Comets taile is nothing else but an irradiation of the Sunne through the pellucide head of the Comet. 1675 E. Sherburne in tr. M. Manilius Sphere App. 192 He likewise conceives the Head of a Comet to consist of divers minute Bodies Homogenial. 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Comet Their Tail is a very thin, slender Vapour, emitted by the Head, or Nucleus of the Comet. 1771 Philos. Trans. 1770 (Royal Soc.) 60 132 Its tail passed directly over ε Orionis and might be traced about as far beyond it, as that star was from the head of the comet. 1868 J. N. Lockyer Elem. Lessons Astron. §291 The brighter part of the comet is called the head, or coma, and sometimes the head contains a brighter portion still, called the nucleus. 1898 Appleton's Pop. Sci. Monthly Apr. 8572 Cassini's observation was of a comet, the head of which was not visible to him. 1929 Pop. Sci. Sept. 49/1 Jets of gas are shot from the comet's head and go to form the tail. 2011 T. Koupelis Quest Solar Syst. x. 288 The tail of a comet does not necessarily follow the head through space. †k. A swollen end or bulb at one end of a glass tube. Cf. bolt-head n. 2. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > curvature > curved three-dimensional shape or body > [noun] > sphericity or globularity > sphere > spherical or globular object > bulb at end of glass tube head1664 bulb1833 1664 H. Power Exper. Philos. ii. 120 Take a long Tube, with a Head like a Weather-Glass, onely open at both ends. 1665 R. Hooke Micrographia Pref. sig. C^v I prepare a pretty capaceous Bolt-head..with a small stem about two foot and a half long..and then fit the whole..that almost half the head..may lye buried in a concave Hemisphere cut into the Board. l. The thick end of a chisel or wedge, opposite the edge or point. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > cutting tool > chisel > [noun] > thick end head1678 1678 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. ii. 17 With the Hand Hammer in your right hand strike upon the head of the cold Chissel. 1721 R. Wodrow Hist. Sufferings Church of Scotl. I. ii. xiii. 513 He gave Nine Strokes upon the Head of the Wedge. 1734 J. T. Desaguliers Course Exper. Philos. I. iii. 110 Experience shews, that a Blow upon the Head of a Wedge, makes it enter easily into a hard Body. 1842 Chambers's Information for People (new ed.) II. 24/2 Here the wedge is seen to taper from a thick end or head..to a thin edge or point. 1890 Jrnl. Amer. Med. Assoc. 13 Sept. 402/2 The hammer..slipped from the head of the chisel, and he received a sharp blow on the thumb of his left hand. 1916 Railway Rev. 27 May 762/1 Sledge blows on the head of the wedge serve to give the desired friction between the wedge and the yoke. 2008 R. Underhill Woodwright's Guide ii. 20 The intent is to keep the mallet face square to the chisel head at the end of the stroke. m. Music. In musical notation: that part of a note which determines its position on the stave, as distinct from the stem or tail.In modern notation the head is round or oval, whereas formerly it was often rectangular or diamond-shaped. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > written or printed music > notation > [noun] > character in notation > note > part of note tailc1325 head1724 hook1782 stem1806 pennant1890 1724 W. Turner Sound Anatomiz'd 16 The Second [Note] is called a Crotchet; marked like the Minim with the Head filled up. 1793 Trans. Soc. Arts (ed. 2) 5 125 The ledger or occasional lines, drawn through the heads of the notes. 1803 A. Gunn Introd. Music 24 The Crotchet is a black head with a stem. 1876 J. Troutbeck & R. F. Dale Music Primer for Schools (ed. 2) i. 8 Quaver ♪, a note with a close or black head, and a stem with one hook. 1914 K. W. Gehrkens Music Notation & Terminol. v. 18 A tie is a curved line connecting the heads of two notes that call for the same tone. 1960 E. Bodky Interpr. Bach's Keyboard Wks. viii. 245 The musical line is organized in such a way that a line drawn through the heads of the notes ascends and then descends. 2009 H. Bauer Young People's Guide Classical Music ii. 17 Staccato is normally indicated..by placing a small dot above or below the head of the note, on the opposite side from the stem. n. A (folding) cover or canopy for a carriage or (in later use) motor vehicle, usually one which forms a permanent part of the vehicle rather than being detachable. Cf. drophead n. 4. ΘΚΠ society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > cart, carriage, or wagon > carriage for conveying persons > [noun] > parts of > roof or hood top1617 head1768 mantle1794 calash1844 imperial1870 1768 Gazetteer & New Daily Advertiser 5 Mar. (advt.) A neat exceeding good crane-neck phaeton, with a head and harness for two horses. 1791 J. Purbeck William Thornborough II. vii. 103 He threw back the head of the phaeton, which had been put up to keep him from the rain. 1851 Voy. to Mauritius v. 174 A ‘bogy’—a gig with a head but no back. 1860 Mrs. H. Wood East Lynne in New Monthly Mag. July 283 The head was down to-day, but it was found convenient in rainy weather. 1904 A. B. F. Young Compl. Motorist (ed. 2) iv. Plate facing p. 103 Lanchester touring car, with detachable brougham head. 1955 U.S. Patent 2,707,129 An open-type motor-car body of the kind having a head, with a flexible covering, which can be folded to lie in a stowage compartment. 1987 Carriage Driving Spring 25/4 Both the front and rear heads (or hoods) fold right down, enabling the occupants to be seen clearly. o. Bookbinding. The upper edge of a book or page. Cf. tail n.¹ 4k, fore-edge n.; cf. also earlier headband n. 2. ΘΚΠ society > communication > book > parts of book > [noun] > top head1818 1818 H. Parry Art of Bookbinding 2 Kettle-stitch, the stitch at head and foot of the book, independent of the bands, to tack or fasten the sheets together. 1835 ‘J. A. Arnett’ Bibliopegia 26 The book is now taken between the hands and well beaten up at the back and head on a smooth board, to bring the sheets level and square. 1876 Encycl. Brit. IV. 43/1 The object of the binder in this operation is to make every page of uniform size, presenting a smooth and equal ‘head’, ‘tail’, and ‘fore-edge’. 1930 Godfrey's Catal. No. 134. 26/1 Folio, old sheep (roughly repaired at head and heel). 2011 J. Stein Adventures in Bookbinding 24 Stand the text block on its fore edge with the head facing you. p. On the bow of a stringed instrument: that part of the tip or point (point n.¹ 19d) which separates the hair from the stick. Also occasionally: the point itself. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > stringed instruments > bowable instrument > [noun] > bow > nut or head nut1659 point1722 head?1820 ?1820 J. Paine Treat. Violin i. 10 What part of the bow shall I begin from? Within two inches of the head of the bow. 1848 J. Bishop tr. J. A. Otto Treat. Violin App. 50 The bow consists of the stick, into the upper part of which, called the head, one end of the hair is fastened. 1879 G. Grove Dict. Music I. 265/1 The hair..is inserted in the head..and the nut of the bow. 1965 D. Bowden Hist. Violin Playing 46 This difficulty was settled..by making a ‘head’ which held the hair away from the bow stick at the point. 1975 New Scientist 10 July 105/2 The maximum weakness is..the point or head of the bow. 2008 E. Klein Compl. Idiot's Guide to Playing Fiddle i. 52 It's an inexpensive fix that will save the head of the bow. q. Mechanics. A plate or structure closing the end of a cylinder in an engine; spec. (in an internal combustion engine) a piece that sits on top of some or all of the cylinders, against which the pistons compress their contents for combustion. See also cylinder head n. at cylinder n. Compounds 2a. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > pump > [noun] > other parts of pumps pump box1422 pump-staff1422 pump-tree1617 branch1659 pump rod1731 pear-gauge1753 barometer-gauge1783 bucket-door1797 head1824 balance-bob1838 suction primer1875 cup-leather1889 airline1893 society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > machines which impart power > engine > internal-combustion engine > [noun] > parts of > other parts thermo-siphon1834 crank-case1878 manifolda1884 hot tube1889 sump1894 hit-and-miss governor1897 engine pit1903 retard1903 head1904 gasket1915 gravity tank1917 cylinder block1923 transfer case1923 swirl chamber1934 manifolding1938 ignition switch1952 catalytic converter1955 small block1963 cat1988 1824 London Lit. Gaz. 31 July 491/2 The pressure of the air on the piston-head again forces it down on the head of the cylinder. 1829 Amer. Jrnl. Sci. 16 317 Heads are put upon the outer cylinder, secured to it by flanches. 1904 A. B. F. Young Compl. Motorist iv. 111 The body of the cylinder proper is a cast-iron liner... The head—containing the vertical valves and ignition-plug—is a separate casting. 1947 Princ. Automotive Vehicles (U.S. Dept. Army) iv. 33 Communicating passages permit the coolant to circulate around the cylinders and through the head. 1965 P. H. Smith High-speed Two-stroke Petrol Engine xiii. 258 On air-cooled engines, non-detachable heads are generally confined..to the simplest and cheapest industrial engines. 2006 SuperBike June 38/1 The surface for the cam cover and the head surface itself are..counter-bored for the valve guides and seats. 20. a. An accumulation of foam or froth on the top of certain drinks, esp. beer. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > ale or beer > [noun] > froth on ale or beer barmc1275 yeastc1430 head1545 barm-froth1606 collar1945 1545 R. Ascham Toxophilus ii. f. 8 Newe ale..wil sone lease his pith, and his head afore he be longe drawen on. 1603 S. Harsnett Declar. Popish Impostures xxi. 34 The ale in the fat would neuer haue good head. 1664 N. Henshaw Aero-Chalinos i. 10 The small Particles of air..gently ascend to the top of the Mass, where they make that frothy head or scum observable in Sider, Wine, Beer, and other liquors. 1707 J. Mortimer Whole Art Husbandry (1708) i. 574 Stirring of it twice a day, and beating down the Head or Yeast into it. 1772 J. Adams tr. A. de Ulloa Voy. S. Amer. (ed. 3) I. 50 Palm-wine..bears a greater head than beer, and is of a very inebriating quality. 1810 B. Silliman Jrnl. Trav. II. lxix. 218 The porter drinkers of London reject the liquor unless it foams, or has a head, as they call it. 1886 Pall Mall Gaz. 13 Sept. 10/2 The head or foam [on ginger-beer] is produced either by white of egg or by quillaia bark. 1909 Amer. Bottler 15 Aug. 27/2 Swats..had the color of mild ale, with a fine creamy head, a good ‘body’ and quite a nice aroma. 1951 J. R. Carlson Cairo to Damascus xix. 348 He poured some [coffee] in one demi-tasse cup, then in another, evenly distributing the frothy head. 1997 Scotsman (Nexis) 11 Mar. 2 The party will change a law that at present allows a ‘reasonable head’ to form part of a pint. 2006 Daily Tel. 3 May 15/1 Glycol alginate, added to help maintain a beer's head, even after months on a shelf. b. The cream which accumulates on the top of milk. Cf. top of the milk n. at top n.¹ and adj. Phrases 5b. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > dairy produce > [noun] > cream reameOE cream1332 raw creama1450 head1684 top of the milk1942 dairy cream1962 1684 S. Pordage tr. T. Willis Of Feavers in Pract. Physick (rev. ed.) i. 51 The flowering or head of the Milk [L. flori lactis]. 1775 J. Ash New Dict. Eng. Lang. Cream, the head of milk, the oily part of milk. 1796 Monthly Mag. 2 Suppl. 935/2 Loaronon, cheese, head of milk. 1848 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 9 ii. 480 The extent of surface in the large milk-pans produces a large ‘head’ of cream. 1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. (at cited word) In reply to an application for milk in the forenoon, a farmer's wife's usual reply is—I ont break my head vor nobody—meaning that now the head or cream has begun to rise, I will not disturb it. 1917 Jrnl. Dairy Sci. 1 297 The layer of the cream in the pan is crinkled, and appears as a ‘blanket’ or ‘head’ of cream on the surface of the milk. 1988 L. R. Lind tr. G. Zerbi Gerontocomia xxvii. 186 That part of milk which the shepherds call the head of the milk..the famous Latin physicians call cream. 21. An amplifier unit (esp. one used to amplify an electric guitar) which does not contain a speaker, and is connected to one or more separate speaker cabinets. Also more fully amp head. Cf. cab n.⁵The head is typically placed on top of the speaker cabinet(s) in an arrangement known as a stack (see stack n. Additions). This arrangement is contrasted with a combination amplifier (or combo amp) in which the amplifier and speakers are contained in a single cabinet. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > audibility > sound magnification or reproduction > [noun] > amplifier power amplifier1920 buffer amplifier1933 preamplifier1934 amp1945 power amp1947 logarithmic amplifier1954 preamp1955 head1968 1968 Daily Independent-Jrnl. (San Rafael, Calif.) 5 Apr. 25/3 (advt.) Amp head. 240 watts. Solid state. $175. 1971 Arizona Republic 7 Nov. c26/4 (advt.) Fender Bassman amp... Marshall head w/new Gibson speaker cab for bass or P.A. 2005 D. Hunter Guitar Amp Handbk. iv. 94 The amp is available as a head or 2x12 combo. The front or leading part or end of something. 22.** a. Originally: a ship's figurehead. Later also: those components of a ship which are fitted forward of the stem, or of the main body of the bows, regarded collectively, including the figurehead, rails, and the knee of the head (see knee n. 7a). Now historical. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > parts of vessels > body of vessel > fore part of vessel > [noun] > any part in front of stem headOE main-piece1850 society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > parts of vessels > body of vessel > fore part of vessel > [noun] > any part in front of stem > figure-head figurehead1766 head1804 headpiece1807 family head1835 galley-nose1867 OE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Tiber. B.iv) anno 1063 Wearþ Griffin kync ofslangen [read ofslagen]..& man brohte his eafod to Harolde eorle, & Harold hit þam kynge brohte, & his scipes heafod & þa bone þermid [L. caputque nauis ipsius cum ornatura]. 1653 in C. T. Atkinson Lett. & Papers First Dutch War (1912) V. 293 The Assurance hath lost her head and bowsprit. She is now upon the ground tallowing and the head building. 1676 London Gaz. No. 1130/4 A square stern'd Sloop with a Deck, a small Head, and the Figure of a Cat thereon. 1703 London Gaz. No. 3968/1 The Privateer..carried away her Head and Boltsprit. 1711 W. Sutherland Ship-builders Assistant 161 Head of a Ship, that part which is fasten'd to the Bow or foremost part of the Ship without-board. 1804 A. Duncan Mariner's Chron. Pref. 19 A Head is an ornamental figure erected on the continuation of a ship's stem. 1850 J. Greenwood Sailor's Sea-bk. 123 Head..particularly applied to all the work fitted afore the stem, as the figure, the knee, rails, etc. 1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Head,..in a confined sense that part on each side of the stem outside the bows proper which is appropriated to the use of the sailors for wringing swabs, or any wet jobs. 1902 J. Hall Viking Tales 201 Something to merely illustrate Norse work; for instance, a carved ship's-head, or a copper shield, or a wrought door-nail. 1909 Rudder Sept. 186 (caption) Half Moon [sc. a ship], showing the head and bowsprit. 1977 J. T. Noonan Antelope ii. 26 An hermaphrodite brig painted black,..no head, a bowsprit without elevation, sails which were old and patched. 2007 G. de L. Marshall Ships' Figureheads in Austral. 5 ‘Shield and scroll’ is a not uncommon designation for a ship's head on some registers. b. More generally: the front or front part of a ship, boat, or other vessel; the bows.Recorded earliest in boat-head n. at boat n.¹ Compounds 2. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > parts of vessels > body of vessel > fore part of vessel > [noun] foreshipc1000 stam1336 bilynge?a1400 forestam?a1400 boat-head1485 head1485 prore1489 forecastle1490 steven1512 forepart1526 nose1538 prow1555 stem1555 forebow1569 beak-head1579 galion1604 bow1626 fore-beaka1656 forebudding1811 prora1847 snout1853 forward1892 sharp end1948 1485 in M. Oppenheim Naval Accts. & Inventories Henry VII (1896) 50 Sheves of Iren in the bote Hede. 1568 T. Hacket tr. A. Thevet New Found Worlde xxii. f. 35 Costing the Ile of S. Laurence, guiding the head of the ship to Weast or Southweast. 1627 J. Smith Sea Gram. ix. 41 Put the Helme a weather, and it will bring her head where her sterne is. 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis vi, in tr. Virgil Wks. 362 They turn their Heads to Sea; their Sterns to Land. 1795 Ld. Nelson in Dispatches & Lett. (1846) VII. p. xxx We are getting on very fast with our caulking; our head is secured. 1836 M. Scott Cruise of Midge vi. 97 We were riding with our head up the river. 1849 G. Grote Hist. Greece V. ii. xxxviii. 24 They were moored by anchors head and stern. 1902 J. Masefield in Pall Mall Gaz. Apr. 530 Her masts were gone, 'n' afore you knowed She filled by the head 'n' down she goed. 1984 P. O'Brian Far Side of World (1992) iii. 91 Then, the ship's people being sickly, they turned her head south. 1996 Times 3 Feb. 23/8 The ship's head was paying off the whole time, making it extremely dangerous for the lifeboat. c. (a) Nautical. An on-board toilet, originally one situated in the bows. Also in plural in same sense. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > sanitation > privy or latrine > [noun] > in a ship head1712 roundhouse1805 1712 W. Rogers Cruising Voy. 34 He begg'd to go into the Head to ease himself. 1748 T. Smollett Roderick Random I. xxviii. 253 The madman..took an opportunity, while the centinel attended him at the head, to leap over-board. 1826 W. N. Glascock Naval Sketch-bk. II. 28 None o' your long-winded lawyers, like Paddy Quin the sweeper, or Collins the ‘captain o' the head’. 1886 Rep. Surgeon-General, U.S. Navy 48 We have the ship's ‘heads’ forward on both sides of the gun-deck. 1938 ‘C. S. Forester’ Ship of Line 21 You'll clean out the heads of this ship every day. 1958 W. King Stick & Stars 42 Each visit to the heads [in a submarine] entails an important sequence of valve operations. 2004 C. Montgomery Last Heathen 215 The floor was a slippery paste of oil, spit, crushed insects, and a disturbing slurry that seeped from the ship's head. (b) U.S. colloquial. A lavatory. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > sanitation > privy or latrine > [noun] > water-closet or lavatory closet1496 water closet1736 water closet1747 throne room1787 W.C.1815 netty1825 convenience1841 Johnny1847 lavabo1852 restrooma1856 small room1858 cloakroom1865 lavatory1874 bathroom1883 toilet1886 can1900 place1902 lav1913 washroom1919 head1920 lavvy1922 dike1923 smallest room1930 John1931 khazi1932 loo1940 biffy1942 Wa1953 shitcan1954 commode1958 cludgie1961 1920 War Expenditures: Hearings before Subcomm. No. 3 of Comm. Expenditures War Dept. (U.S. House of Representatives, 66th Congr., 1st & 2nd Sess., Serial 4) I. 104 You..called the sentry and asked him for what you wanted—if you wanted to go to the ‘head’, or anything. 1947 T. Williams Streetcar named Desire iii. 59 I'm going to the ‘head’. Deal me out. 1980 P. McHugh Search for Goodbye-to-Rains ix. 163 He had to go to the head pretty bad. 2001 R. Russo Empire Falls xxi. 332 When you spun off your stool to go to the head, you were liable to spill the beer of the man standing behind you. 23. a. (a) The front of an army, procession, or the like; the vanguard. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > front > [noun] foremostc1275 headc1275 foreparty1398 forepartc1400 foresidec1400 devant1411 fronture1417 fore-endc1425 frontierc1430 forefront1488 forehead1525 frontc1540 vaunt1589 proscenium1648 frontside1697 van1726 fore-piece1788 façade1839 fore1888 c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 4325 Þer com Iulius teon. forn aȝæien heore hæued [c1300 Otho heued]. a1450 ( tr. Vegetius De Re Militari (Douce) (1988) f. 31^v And þis warde..is þe heed warde of þe legioun, and þis is þe firste warde þat is ordeyned as hede of al þe legioun when þe bataille schal begynne. 1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) ix. 615 Schyr Edwardis cumpany Set stoutly in ye heid agayne. 1588 E. Aggas tr. F. de La Noue Politicke & Mil. Disc. xviii. 201 The last ranckes..are sooner amazed then they that be at the head and in all the daunger. 1597 H. M. tr. J. Du Bec-Crispin Hist. Tamerlan 112 The Prince had not seene [him] in eight dayes, because he ledde the head of the armie. 1607 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Serres in tr. Gen. Inuentorie Hist. France ii. 700 The foure commaunders march euery one in the head of his troupe. 1676 tr. G. Guillet de Saint-Georges Acct. Voy. Athens iv. 396 At the head of the Procession were ten Trumpets, and as many Bag-pipes playing and sounding before him. 1709 J. Addison Tatler No. 100. 2/1 She had so ordered it, that Men of the greatest Genius and the strongest Sense were placed at the Head of the Column. 1796 Instr. & Regulations Cavalry 152 If gradual and inconsiderable changes of direction are to be made during the march of the column, the head will, on a moveable pivot, effect such change. 1838 Extra Globe (Washington, D.C.) 2 Aug. 304/1 At precisely half past ten o'clock, the head of the procession debouched from Pall-mall towards Charing-cross. 1863 A. W. Kinglake Invasion of Crimea I. xiv. 261 The head of the vast column of troops. 1908 Pacific Monthly Mar. 324/2 The herdsman who rides at the head of a straggling herd of cattle on the march. 1986 E. Amadi Estrangement v. 76 The head of the..procession turned right. 1996 N. Maraire Zenzele iv. 56 By the time we reached the hut, we were a full procession. At the head was Chipo. (b) The front of a queue; the person, vehicle, etc., in this position. Also figurative. ΚΠ 1852 Manch. Examiner & Times 3 Mar. 2/1 The elector at the head of the queue, which is formed to prevent confusion, delivers the card which attests his identity. 1928 Boys' Life Nov. 12/1 The instructor sent the head of the line over the jump. 1950 Washington Post 29 July 8/8 Another truck came along and rammed into the back truck.., which in turn banged into the car at the head of the line. 1996 J. E. Harrigan & P. R. Neel Executive Architect iv. 106 We must be at the head of the line when we compete for contracts; that is, we want clients to come to us first. 2008 Northern Echo (Nexis) 17 Jan. 2 At the queue's head, among the radio microphones and reporters' notebooks, fans mixed shivers with soundbites. b. Chiefly Military. The front, outer, or projecting part of a fortification, encampment, etc. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > front > [noun] > projecting nose1538 head1684 society > armed hostility > defence > defensive work(s) > [noun] > part nearest enemy head1684 society > armed hostility > military organization > logistics > quartering > [noun] > encamping > camp > part of camp nearest enemy head1684 1684 tr. J. Donneau de Visé Diary Siege of Luxembourg 36 [He] caused himself to be carried to the Head of the Trenches [Fr. la Teste de la Tranchée], that he might there be nearer at hand to give his Orders. 1694 E. D'Auvergne Hist. Campagne Spanish Netherlands 88 Our Cannon and Mortars began to play with more force from all our Batteries; that of St. Leonard fired perpendicular upon the Head of the Fort Picard. 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) Head of the Camp, is the Front, or fore-most Part of the Ground, an Army is incamped on; or that which advances most towards the Campaign, Field, or the Enemy. 1780 Compl. Syst. Mil. Art at Retirade After the first defence is ruined, and the besieged are obliged to abandon the head of the work, without quitting it entirely. 1839 Jrnl. Royal Geogr. Soc. 9 336 Taking possession of the village of Nizib, and the head of the camp, [they] opened a fire upon the line of fugitives and troops. 1901 H. P. B. Lynch Armenia I. i. 21 The point at which you pause is at the head of the fortification, beneath the soaring escarpment of the square tower. 1964 V. S. Naipaul Area of Darkness vii. 174 The silver rods which..were displayed in a lighted tent at the head of the camp. 2010 D. Hirst Beware of Small States v. 111 The hotels constituted the head of a Phalangist salient that projected deeply into Muslim West Beirut. 24. a. The front part, or (in earlier use) the share-beam, of a plough; = plough-head n. Cf. tail n.¹ 4d.Recorded earliest in plough-head n. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > tools and implements > ploughing equipment > [noun] > plough > part bearing share heada1325 stock1578 tongue1591 a1325 Gloss. W. de Bibbesworth (Arun.) (1857) 168 (MED) Le chef e le penoun [glossed] the plou-heved [a1425 All Souls hede] and the foot. ?c1475 Catholicon Anglicum (BL Add. 15562) f. 97^v A plugh hede, dentale. 1613 G. Markham Eng. Husbandman: 1st Pt. Former Pt. iv. sig. C2^v If your Plough-Irons forbeare and will not bite on the earth at all, then it is a signe that you hang too heauy on the Plough hales, raising the head of the Plough from the ground. 1756 T. Hale et al. Compl. Body Husbandry vi. xxviii. 293/2 The Length of the additional Coulters, particularly of the fourth, or that next the Head of the Plow, would be a great Inconvenience in this Machine. 1793 J. L. Buchanan Trav. W. Hebrides vi. 153 The head of this plough is four feet long, with an iron sock, and with a handle of six feet long. 1844 Loudon's Encycl. Agric. 391 The materials with which ploughs are constructed is, generally, wood for the beam and handles, cast iron for the head. 1890 Trans. Royal Sc. Arboricultural Soc. 12 192 The head of the plough is attached to the axle of two wooden wheels, whereby the depth of the furrow is regulated. 1902 H. A. Robertson & J. Fraser Erromanga vi. 117 The head of the plough, trailing after them, would sometimes bound right up in the air. 1978 A. Fenton Northern Isles xxxviii. 296 The thick, rear end curved downwards, with a mortice..for a piece of wood, the head of the plough, that held the sock. b. On a saddle: = pommel n.¹ 4a. See also leaping-head n. at leaping n. Compounds 2. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > horse-gear > [noun] > saddle > parts of saddle saddle-boweOE arsonc1300 saddle skirt1361 saddle-tree1364 skirtc1400 saddle panel1465 stock-tree1470 stock1497 pommela1500 tree1535 pillion cloth1540 port1548 saddle stock1548 pilch1552 bolster1591 cantle1591 shank-pilliona1599 pillowc1600 pad1604 crutch1607 sivet1607 saddle crutcha1614 saddle eaves1663 saddle tore1681 burr1688 head1688 narve1688 saddle seat1688 sidebar1688 torea1694 quarter1735 bands of a saddle1753 witherband1764 withers1764 peak1775 pillion-stick1784 boot-housing1792 saddle flap1798 saddle lap1803 fork1833 flap1849 horn1849 skirting1852 hunting-horn1854 head-plate1855 saddle horn1856 cantle bar1859 leaping-horn1859 straining1871 stirrup-bar1875 straining-leather1875 spring tree1877 leaping-head1881 officer-tree1894 monkey1911 monkey-strap1915 thigh roll1963 straining-web- 1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. iii. 93/2 The Single Head, hath one bow in the middle of the forepart of the tree. The Double Head side Saddle, is with two bows. 1796 Repertory of Arts 4 9 The near side head or horn, of a woman's saddle-tree, is made or constructed to move, fall, or drop down. 1850 S. C. Wayte Equestrian's Man. vi. 166 There are people who say no to the off head being cut off, as if in case a lady is nervous she cannot steady herself so well as when the head is left on. 1891 A. T. Fisher Through Stable xiii. 117 In some provincial, but nowadays in no well-made London saddles, the head of the saddle is cut back towards the seat. 1963 E. H. Edwards Saddlery xiv. 96 The head and gullet are strengthened with steel plates and there is also a steel reinforcement laid on to the underside of the tree from the head to the cantle. 1986 Your Horse Sept. 49/2 The saddle has a cut back head. 2005 C. Paolini Eldest (2007) 288 A series of broad ties on either side of the head of the saddle caught Eragon's attention. †c. On a bicycle or tricycle: the hollow tube enclosing the steering column; the head tube; = headpiece n. 8. See also Compounds 2c. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicle propelled by feet > [noun] > cycle > parts and equipment of cycles > frame and parts of frame1869 fork1871 headpiece1877 head1881 frameset1899 dropout1923 crossbar1966 1881 Househ. Words 10 Sept. 396/1 The excessive ‘rake’ imposes a greatly additional strain upon the head, and renders the steering somewhat difficult. 1902 Captain 7 82/1 That going from the head to the crank bracket is made duplex. 1904 G. F. Goodchild & C. F. Tweney Technol. & Sci. Dict. 282/2 Head (Cycles), the socket or hollow tube through which the tube carrying the front fork runs. ***** An end or terminal part of something, not necessarily uppermost or foremost in position or importance. 25.** Either of the flat ends of a barrel, cask, or similar container, esp. the one regarded as the top.Recorded earliest in barrel-head n. at barrel n. Compounds 2. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > receptacle or container > vessel > barrel or cask > [noun] > end head1390 barrel-head1841 1390–1 in L. T. Smith Exped. Prussia & Holy Land Earl Derby (1894) 41 Hans Couper pro barelhedes et pro imposicione eorundem in dictos barellos, v scot. a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) ii. l. 1212 He let devise..To sette a tonne..Wherof on hed was taken oute. 1428 in J. Raine Vol. Eng. Misc. N. Counties Eng. (1890) 2 He opend ye heued of ye other barell. a1500 Brut (Rawl. B. 173) 453 (MED) vj buttes, the which the hedes were smyt oute of. 1583 T. Stocker tr. Tragicall Hist. Ciuile Warres Lowe Countries iii. f. 84 Upon the head of which barrell was nayled a peece of paper written with these wordes. 1659 T. Willsford Scales of Comm. 159 The diameter at the bung 30, and at the head or either end 21 inches. 1719 Hist. Reg. No. 14 153 A crowned B shall be burnt on the Head of each Barrel. 1792 T. Forrest Voy. Calcutta 80 Dowling the planks together, as coopers do the parts that form the head of a cask. 1834 F. Marryat Pacha I. ii. 35 I was directed to take the head out of the cask. 1860 E. G. White Spiritual Gifts II. 47 Your theory of faith is as empty as a flour barrel with both heads out. 1951 R. S. Harper Lincoln & Press xxxi. 276 The head of the keg was knocked in and a train of powder poured to a point near the house. 2012 Gazette (Montreal) (Nexis) 7 Mar. f8 They start by breaking apart the barrel and removing the metal hoops, separating the heads and pulling apart the staves. 26. a. An end of a room or building, esp. the end regarded as more important, prestigious, etc. Cf. sense 18b.In quot. 1420: one of the entrances to a mansion. ΚΠ 1420 in J. Raine Vol. Eng. Misc. N. Counties Eng. (1890) 16 (MED) At the hall head to the kyrkward, the heirs..sall bryng furthe..thayre water into the foresayd gutter. c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 28^v At the tother hede of þe halle was..A wondurfull werke. 1685 G. Sinclair Satans Invisible World Discovered Postscript sig. ¶¶6 There being..a Window or shot at the head of the Room, that gave them light. 1703 R. Neve City & Countrey Purchaser 29 If a Barn consist of a Floor, and 2 Heads, where they lay Corn, they say a Barn of 2 Bays. 1786 J. Pinkerton Anc. Sc. Poems II. 374 The place at the head of a hall, where the floor was raised higher than the rest, and which was the honourable part. 1887 Times 22 Nov. 13/2 At the head of the Cathedral is the ‘Baptismal Font’. 1896 Every Sat. 17 Mar. 298/1 At the head of this chamber there was a kind of altar. 1918 Independent 18 May 281/2 Every night after dinner the younger officers gathered about the piano at the head of the darkened hall. 1991 National Geographic Traveler Nov. 72/1 At the head of the room,..the fabled 45.5-carat Hope Diamond. b. Either end of a bridge. See also bridgehead n. 1. ΘΚΠ society > travel > means of travel > route or way > other means of passage or access > [noun] > bridge > parts of pierlOE bridge foota1450 heada1450 staddling1461 foota1500 bridge end1515 jowel1516 causey1523 starling?c1684 rib1735 spur1736 icebreaker1744 jetty1772 cutwater1776 roadway1798 sleeper1823 water-breaker1823 centrya1834 stem1835 suspension-tower1842 cantilever1850 semi-beam1850 pylon1851 half-chess1853 span1862 sway-bracing1864 needle-beam1867 ice apron1871 newel1882 flood-arch1891 needle girder1898 sway-brace1909 trough flooring1911 a1450 (c1410) H. Lovelich Merlin (1932) III. l. 19175 (MED) And to þe hed of þe brigge they gonnen drawe. 1539 R. Morison tr. Frontinus Strategemes & Policies Warre ii. xiii. sig. Hv He hym selfe standynge before the head of the brydge, kepte of his ennemies, and at length. 1595 tr. A. Banchieri Noblenesse of Asse sig. F2^v Among the ruines of Aquileia..is to be seene part of a most sumptuous Bridge, at the head whereof, stands a huge Asse of very pure marble. a1661 Earl of Monmouth tr. P. G. Capriata Hist. Wars Italy (1663) xvii. 707 They..fortified the heads of the Bridge better. 1735 J. Price Some Considerations Stone-bridge Thames 4 A House on each Head of the Bridge..to receive the Toll. 1809 tr. Ess. Theory & Pract. Art War I. 148 Whenever rivers are to be crossed, care should be taken that the two heads of the bridge be intrenched, and well furnished with troops. 1842 T. B. Macaulay Horatius in Lays Anc. Rome 61 As that great host, with measured tread..Rolled slowly towards the bridge's head. 1902 G. S. Whitmore Last Maori War ix. 142 The Europeans..effected the passage of the swamp, the last arriving at the head of the bridge at 4 a.m. 1988 J. Rykwert et al. tr. L. B. Alberti On Art of Building iv. vi. 109 The embanking abutments..must remain completely stable, in order..to support the heads of the bridge. 2008 ‘R. Young’ Fall of Templars (2009) xiv. 143 From the head of the bridge a causeway ran across these boggy fields. 27. Anatomy. A rounded end or articular surface of a bone. Cf. capitulum n. 1. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > structural parts > bone or bones > parts of bones > [noun] > rounded end knucklec1375 whirl-bone1398 head?a1425 roundel?1541 condyle1634 capitulum1661 ?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 9 (MED) Wt þe flesh & þe ligament þat goþ out fro þe heued [L. a capite] of þe bone of þe spalde it maketh a muscle aboue þe middes of þe adiutorie. 1578 J. Banister Hist. Man i. f. 33 This same head [of thigh bone]..is almost wholly affourmed by an orbicular Appendaunce. 1684 tr. S. Blankaart Physical Dict. 80 Cotyle..is the Cavitie of the Huckle-bone, which is appointed to receive the head of the Thigh-bone. 1793 J. Bell Anat. Bones, Muscles, & Joints i. v. 122 The head of each rib has..a small articulating surface. 1871 T. H. Huxley Man. Anat. Vertebrated Animals 155 Head of the hyomandibular which articulates with the skull. a1933 J. A. Thomson Biol. for Everyman (1934) II. 1302 These three bones, ilium, ischium, and pubis, all contribute to make the deep cup or acetabulum in which the globular head of the femur works. 2007 Ultra Fit No. 5. 65/2 The hamstrings..insert into the upper end of the tibia bone in your lower leg, with the biceps femoris also inserting into the head of the fibula. 28. Bricklaying. Either of the ends or smaller faces of a brick or other piece of building stone; esp. one exposed in the face of a wall. Cf. header n. 5a. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > end or extremity > [noun] > of a line or of a length of something enda1250 head1791 society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > disposition of stones or bricks > [noun] > surface(s) of stone or brick bedding1401 bed1700 face1703 head1827 1791 J. Smeaton Narr. Edystone Lighthouse ii. i. 43 The long pieces or Stretchers were retained between two Headers or bond pieces; whose heads being cut dovetail-wise, adapted themselves to and confined in the stretchers. 1827 P. Nicholson Treat. Masonry & Stone-cutting (1828) iv. 70 The heads of the stones in the wall..form a portion of the concave surface [of the arch]. 1846 Loudon's Encycl. Archit. (new ed.) Suppl. 1300/1 Headers showing only the narrow part or head of the bricks. 1899 Clay Worker Dec. 441/2 The problem was to round off the corners at the ends, or heads, of the brick. 1919 A. F. Greaves-Walker Clay Plant Constr. vii. 71 The head of the brick towards the fire will start shrinking before the head that is away from the fire. 2004 A. Bridgewater & G. Bridgewater Brick Projects for Landscape 28 The end or head of the brick is centered on the middle of the stretcher in the course below. III. That which comes first in a sequence, series, etc.; the beginning. 29. The beginning of a word, sentence, text, etc. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > morphology > morpheme > [noun] > stem or base > letter or sound at beginning or end of headeOE stem-final1949 stem-initial1949 eOE (Mercian) Vespasian Psalter (1965) xxxix. 8 In capite libri scriptum est de me ut faciam uoluntatem tuam : in heafde boec awriten is bi me ðæt ic doe willan ðinne. a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Psalms xxxix. 8 In the hed of the boc [L. in capite libri] it is write of me, that I do thi wil. a1400 (?a1325) Medit. on Supper of our Lord (Harl.) (1875) l. 320 To do þy wyl, y seyd y go; Yn þe bokes hede hyt ys wryte so. a1425 (a1400) Prick of Conscience (Galba & Harl.) (1863) l. 486 (MED) E. es þe first letter and þe hede Of þe name of Eve. 1567 T. Harding Reioindre to M. Iewels Replie against Masse ix. f. 149 The head of the sentence you haue lopped of. 1597 Bp. J. King Lect. Ionas xxxix. 528 By his placing of it [sc. faith] in the heade of the booke, that is in the beginning of the whole narration. 1613 J. Floyd Purgatories Triumph ouer Hell 47 Looking into the English redition I found, As Razis, insteed of but Razias, and that he made As the head of the name, wherof it is the last part. 1738 W. Benson Lett. conc. Poet. Transl. i. 2 When several Relatives, each at the head of a separate Sentence, are governed by one Antecedent. 1789 tr. Accts. MS in Libr. King of France I. 396 All the articles..are distinguished only by a capital letter with red ink, which we see at the head of the word that begins the article. 1835 J. Hodgson Hist. Northumberland: Pt. III III. Pref. p. lxi The dash — at the beginning of entries in this article stands for the name or designation of the proprietor at the head of the paragraph that precedes it. 1902 F. Manley & W. N. Hailmann Eng. Lang. i. xxxiv. 228 We frequently find a conjunction standing at the head of a sentence or a paragraph, not so much to connect sentences as to show that the thought is continued. 1921 N. L. Redfield & F. d'Olivet Hebraic Tongue Restored i. iii. 101 The initial syllable em..is found at the head of the word em-place-ment. 2011 J. L. Kugel In Valley of Shadow 212 This is not to say..that moving an item from the very end of a sentence to its head never happens. 30. Astrology and (formerly) Astronomy. The beginning of a sign of the zodiac, i.e. the point at which the sun begins to pass through it. See sign n. 6. ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > celestial sphere > zone of celestial sphere > [noun] > Zodiac > sign of zodiac > commencement headc1400 c1400 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Cambr. Dd.3.53) (1872) i. §17. 9 In this heued of cancer is the grettest declinacioun northward of the sonne. ?1562 W. Ward tr. R. Roussat Most Excellent Bk. Doctour & Astrologien Arcandam sig. B.ii The fyrst Chapter which is the head of Aries, being the fyrst particuler signe celestiall is called Aluathay. 1651 J. F. tr. H. C. Agrippa Three Bks. Occult Philos. ii. xxxiii. 286 His beginning is from the head of Aries of the eighth sphere; it causeth discords, and journies. 1703 J. Harris Descr. & Uses Celestial & Terrestr. Globes 44 The first Star in the Head of Aries will be rising about an hour after. 1786 B. Hancock Astron. Comets ii. 51 The small Star in the head of Aquarius. 1816 W. Scott Antiquary II. vi. 157 When she [sc. the moon] is in her fifteenth mansion, which mansion is in de head of Libra. 1915 L. W. de Laurence Bk. Magical Art (rev. ed.) vi. 190 The seven last mansions completing the last quarter of Heaven..beginning from the head of Capricorn. 2007 S. Sela tr. A. I. Ezra Bk. Reasons ii. ii. 187 The end of Virgo is the head of Libra and the end of Taurus is distant from Aries. 31. A chief or principal point or division of a discourse, subject, etc.; each of a set or succession of such points or divisions; (more generally) a point, a category, a topic, a matter.In later use influenced by sense 32, and frequently understood as referring to something that could constitute a notional heading, esp. when preceded by under. ΚΠ c1500 Melusine (1895) xxiv. 185 This gentylman thanne reherced to them fro hed to hed..all thauenture of theire vyage. 1563 Ressoning Crosraguell & Knox f. 31^v Vnto you it alwayes aperteineth (and if euer we meit againe vpon that head, it wilbe yet iudged to aperteine to you) to proue that [etc.]. 1593 R. Cosin Apol. for Sundrie Proc. (rev. ed.) iii. xi. 146 This..falleth vnder that head of his Sophisticall deuise of such differences, as touch not the very point in controuersie. a1616 W. Shakespeare Timon of Athens (1623) iii. vi. 28 As if they labour'd To bring Man-slaughter into forme, and set Quarrelling Vpon the head of Valour. View more context for this quotation 1632 J. Story tr. Short Surv. Sweden sig. A3 The Contents or principall heads handled in this whole Discourse. 1652 T. Gataker Antinomianism 5 We were acknowledged to agree in those two heds. 1667 N. Fairfax Let. 29 May in H. Oldenburg Corr. (1966) III. 421 The following observations come under ye head of Idiosyncrasis or ye By roads of Nature. 1725 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Œconomique Pearl, a Disease in an Horse's Eye, under which Head we shall comprehend Pins, Spots, Webs, &c. 1773 O. Goldsmith She stoops to Conquer ii. 29 Make yourself easy on that head. 1838 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece (new ed.) IV. xxxii. 241 The accusation comprised several heads. 1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 306 The expenditure under this head must have been small indeed. 1868 A. Helps Realmah II. xv. 212 I have very little to say upon this head. 1911 Classical Philol. 6 294 In addition to orthographical differences easily recognized as such, I believe that we may also classify the following readings under that head. 1969 I. Berlin Four Ess. Liberty (new ed.) p. x The main issues between my serious critics and myself may be reduced to four heads. 2008 D. Weber By Schism rent Asunder (2009) vii. 79 Mahntayl had begun to entertain a few delusions upon that head. 32. a. Originally: the top of a page or piece of text. Later also: a title or other piece of text placed at the top of a page or section; a heading.Not always clearly distinguishable from sense 29.running head: see running adj. 25. ΘΚΠ society > communication > writing > written text > layout > [noun] > first part or line head1560 fronta1568 society > communication > writing > written text > layout > [noun] > heading superscriptiona1382 head1560 chief1605 supertitle1818 heading1849 society > communication > printing > printed matter > arrangement or appearance of printed matter > [noun] > heading head1560 lemma1616 heading1754 capitular1846 capitulary1846 caption1848 subtitle1907 society > communication > printing > printed matter > arrangement or appearance of printed matter > [noun] > first part or line head1560 fronta1568 society > communication > book > matter of book > [noun] > chapter or section capitleeOE chapter?c1225 pacea1325 chapitle1340 passa1400 capitalc1460 titlec1460 spacea1500 section1576 head1610 tract1662 passus1765 screed1829 subtitle1891 1560 Bible (Geneva) sig. *** iiii^v We haue set ouer the head of euery page some notable worde or sentence which may greatly further aswel for memorie, as for the chief point of the page. 1586 A. Day Eng. Secretorie To Rdr. sig. *2^v Peruse but the head of euerie page, and..you shall finde what in the same Page is contained. 1610 J. Healey tr. St. Augustine Citie of God* xviii. xxiii. 703 We haue laid it together, distinguishing it onely by the heads of the chapters, if the transcriber haue the care to obserue and follow vs. 1659 T. Willsford Scales of Comm. 58 Being stated (as in the head of the table). 1682 J. P. tr. H. Ludolf New Hist. Ethiopia To Rdr. He..made the heads of the Chapters, the Sections, the Index, and Translated the Ethiopic into Latin. 1712 J. Addison Spectator No. 273. ¶2 Without seeing his Name at the Head of it. 1774 T. Warton Hist. Eng. Poetry I. xii. 347 The heads of the chapters are adorned with rude wooden cuts of the story. 1825 Cobbett's Weekly Reg. 1 Oct. 28 Let us take the title of the last chapter of Peter Macculloch's book; I mean the head of the chapter. 1919 M. B. Orvis Applic. Commerc. Advertising Methods University Extension 31 This command, which is the main head, is printed in red, as is the university signature at the bottom of the poster. 2007 Marketing Direct (Nexis) 1 May 34 Four of the five letters..run to two pages, start with a head and run second-colour sub-heads through the text. b. A headline in a newspaper. ΘΚΠ society > education > teaching > teacher > schoolteacher or schoolmaster > [noun] > head teacher rector1434 provost1442 headmaster1576 regent1583 gymnasiarch1682 headmistress1730 headteacher1758 principal1827 archididascalus1844 head1889 society > communication > journalism > journal > parts and layout of journals > [noun] > headline headline1791 head1889 top line1906 1889 T. Campbell-Copeland Ladder of Journalism ii. 12 A careful reporter is soon noticed by the City Editor, who feels..he can put a head on the article and send it straight up to the composing room. 1911 H. S. Harrison Queed xviii. 230 The Chronicle that afternoon shrieked it under a five-column head. 1967 Guardian 2 Nov. 8/7 ‘Ebullient Mr Brown hits out,’ said the (changed) head on the last edition. 2010 E. L. Roberts in R. Schmuhl Making Words Dance 119 There is a 3-inch story about Goldsboro under an 18-point head. 33. a. Phonetics. The first accented element or elements in a sequence of sounds before the nucleus (nucleus n. 12a). ΘΚΠ the mind > language > linguistics > study of speech sound > speech sound > intonation, pitch, or stress > [noun] > accent > stress accent > stress group > syllables with respect to subtonic1827 pretone1884 pretonic1892 head1922 nucleus1922 tail1922 peak1935 post-nuclear1944 precontour1945 nuclear1949 tonic1962 1922 H. E. Palmer Eng. Intonation v. 17 Any syllable or syllables preceding the nucleus in the same Tone-Group is termed the ‘Head’ of the group. 1964 M. Schubiger in D. Abercrombie et al. Daniel Jones 263 I am using the term head for the first stressed element pitched high. 2011 P. Tench Transcribing Sound of Eng. xi. 181 It must..be understood that there may be more than two stressed syllables in the head. b. Grammar. An element that has the same functions as the larger structure (e.g. a phrase or clause) of which it is part, and is therefore regarded as central to that structure. Cf. head noun n. at Compounds 4. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > syntax or word order > syntactic unit or constituent > [noun] > phrase > head of headword1898 head1933 1933 L. Bloomfield Lang. xii. 195 Poor John belongs to the same form-class as John, which we accordingly call the head; the other member, in our example poor, is the attribute. 1957 Language 33 86 If a modifier occurs with -tu, its nominal head is masculine, if with -tay, feminine. 1964 Amer. Speech 39 37 Nice city home... All the ten fine old stone houses. In these sequences the noun is more intimately tied to the head than is the adjective. 1991 R. M. W. Dixon New Approach to Eng. Gram. ii. 20 A noun phrase..can have a common noun (e.g. mountain, boy) as head. 2006 G. A. Broadwell Choctaw Ref. Gram. xv. 256 In relative clauses, quantifiers and demonstratives associated with the head of the relative clause tend to appear to the right of the verb. IV. A person or thing holding the senior or most important position; a chief or leader, and related senses. 34. a. A person to whom others are subordinate; a chief, a ruler, a leader, a commander. In later use also (usually with of): a person in charge of a particular activity or function within an organization.See also head of state n. at Phrases 3p, head of house n. 1. ΘΚΠ society > authority > [noun] > those in authority > person in authority > head or chief headeOE headmanOE headsmanOE masterlinga1200 dukec1275 chevetaine1297 chief1297 headlingc1300 principalc1325 captainc1380 primatec1384 chieftainc1400 master-man1424 principate1483 grand captain1531 headmaster?1545 knap of the casec1555 capitano1594 muqaddam1598 mudaliyar1662 reis1677 sachem1684 doge1705 prytanis1790 gam1827 main guy1882 oga1917 ras1935 eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Hatton) (1871) xvii. 113 Ða ic ðe gesette eallum Israhelum to heafde [L. caput te constitui]. OE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Tiber. B.i) anno 1011 Wæs ða ræpling se ðe ær wæs heafod Angelkynnes & Cristendomes. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 362 He wass preost. Hæfedd off alle preostess. c1225 (?c1200) Sawles Warde (Bodl.) (1938) 6 Þet heaued þrof is þe feont. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 8138 Vn-wis is þe king..þenne þat hæfd is unwræst þe hælp is þæ wurse. c1300 Life & Martyrdom Thomas Becket (Harl. 2277) (1845) 77 He let hote..That no man ne scholde for him bidde... Moche was the schame tho, that holi church bitidde, Whan heo ne moste for hire heved [c1300 Laud for so holi a man]..bidde! c1390 MS Vernon Homilies in Archiv f. das Studium der Neueren Sprachen (1877) 57 263 (MED) A Bisschop..þat wonede..in Roome, And was hed of cristendome. a1425 (?c1384) J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) III. 339 Heed of þis Chirche is Crist, boþe God and man. a1475 J. Fortescue Governance of Eng. (Laud) (1885) 146 Thai all haue an hed, or a cheeff, to rule þe counsell. 1532–3 Act 24 Hen. VIII c. 12 Preamble This Realme of Englond is an Impire..governed by oon Supreme heede and King. 1579 E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. June 83 The soueraigne head Of shepheards all. 1613 T. Fitzherbert Adioynder to Suppl. R. Persons Discuss. iv. 177 Peter the head of all the Apostles sate first in the Roman chayre. 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ix. 1155 Why didst not thou the Head Command me absolutely not to go? View more context for this quotation 1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 479. ⁋5 Socrates, who is by all Accounts the undoubted Head of the Sect of the Hen-peck'd. 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) A Dean is the Head of his Chapter. 1793 A. Hamilton Let. 24 Oct. in Papers (1969) XV. 375 The President and heads of departments ought to be near Congress. 1838 W. H. Prescott Hist. Reign Ferdinand & Isabella I. i. iv. 118 The duke of Infantado, the head of the house of Mendoza. 1877 Canad. Parl. Compan. x. 245 An item providing for payment of a special Departmental Head of Education. 1894 Pittsburgh Legal Jrnl. 12 Dec. 170/2 When dishonor was brought upon the family, he, of course, as its head, suffered thereby personally. 1924 ‘R. Daly’ Outpost xix. 176 You seem to be in favour with the heads at Port Mahon..why can't you persuade them to send another man here? 1956 Police Jrnl. 29 52 He is now the head of a team whose job is to police the section. 1986 Irish Times 2 May 11 From 1976 until 1982 she was head of English at Dulwich College. 2009 Atlantic Monthly May 62/2 While at JPL, he was also the head of a study group that investigated [etc.]. b. spec. The person having authority over or charge of a college or school; a headmaster or headmistress, a principal. ΘΚΠ society > education > educational administration > university administration > [noun] > head of college master1389 rector1434 provost1442 president1448 head1550 head of house1570 sub-rector1629 skull1721 prex1828 prexy1871 1550 J. Hooper Ouersight Jonas v. f. cxii^v So shuld the prouost, heades of Colledges, masters of scholes, go and teache the thynge apertayneth to theyr place and vocacion. 1576 in J. Nichols Progresses Queen Elizabeth (1823) II. 111 The said Vice-chauncelor and hedds of Colledges. 1631 T. Adams Let. 3 Mar. in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eminent Literary Men (1843) 147 From the Vice-Chancellour and Heads of your famous University. 1691 G. Rule Vindic. Church Scotl. 5 He was..the Head of a School, where Students were bred for the Ministry. 1705 T. Hearne Diary 7 Sept. in Remarks & Coll. (1885) I. 42 Mr. Smith of University College made his Complainte..for the Fellows turning him out... The Mancipal was sent for, who said that he never knew any Fellow turn'd out in the Heads Absence. 1783 European Mag. & London Rev. Mar. 199/1 He received the first rudiments of classical learning under Mr. Richard Yates, Head of the Grammar School in that town. 1847 Ld. Tennyson Princess iv. 83 Delivering seal'd dispatches which the Head Took half-amazed. 1889 A. R. Hope in Boy's Own Paper 3 Aug. 697/3 Who could..mix on equal terms with those ineffable beings the head's daughters. 1910 Amer. Educ. Rev. June 561/1 The youngest college president in North Carolina is Professor John F. Burcheil, just elected head of Catawba College. 1953 K. Tennant Joyful Condemned xvi. 136 The staff-room was split over the sensational row between Miss Page and the Head. 1967 Charter Royal Coll. Art 11 Sept. §5 There shall be a Provost of the College who shall be the Head of the College. 1990 S. Maitland Three Times Table (1991) ii. iii. 178 She found herself in the Head's office, white and trembling, so obviously terrified that the Head herself was taken aback. c. A group of people in a position of command or leadership.In quot. 1665: spec. = caput n. 3. ΚΠ 1600 C. Edmondes Obseruations Fiue Bks. Caesars Comm. i. xii. 33 That Gallia was vnhappely diuided into two factions, the Hedui were the head of the one, and the Auerni of the other. 1653 W. Dell Tryal of Spirits 66 Antichrist and his false Teachers, who are the Head of the Malignant Church and People. 1665 J. Buck in G. Peacock Observ. Statutes Univ. Cambr. (1841) App. B 66 The V.C. readeth all the graces, some one of the Head holding the Posers Bill to stay those whose names are not in the said Bill. 1762 Mod. Part Universal Hist. XXXVI. vii. 178 The Florentines..admitted into the confederacy, of which they were the head, the inhabitants of Rimini, Faenza, [etc.]. 1804 J. Lunn Diss. Conversion & Restoration of Jews 220 If..the senate and not the Pope had the chief power in their hands, then they were the head of the city. 1896 Oracle Encycl. IV. 268/2 His family is the head of the Sidhu Jat tribe. 1917 Travel Nov. 39/1 The ruler [of San Marino] is not a president, the power being vested in two chief regents... They jointly are the head of the State. 1979 N. Sudarkasa in W. A. Shack & E. P. Skinner Strangers in Afr. Societies viii. 158 According to the constitution of the Kumasi District Nigerian Community, that body was ‘the head of all the Tribunal Unions’. 35. a. A person or thing holding a pre-eminent position; the best or most important person or thing. Now rare.In use with reference to pride as a capital sin (e.g. quots. OE, ?c1335) also implying ‘origin’. Cf. sense 38b.In quot. 1584: the best part. Cf. sense 20b. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [noun] > that which is important > most important > part headeOE main1481 chiefty1552 main1567 principality1567 heart1584 the main of alla1591 main1595 masterpiece1612 stress1633 staple1826 node1860 staff and staple1869 meat1886 crux1888 business end1890 spear-head1929 eOE tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (Tanner) iii. xv. 224 Hwearf eft on his eðel to Hii þæm ealonde, þæt monigra mynstra heannisse & heafod [L. caput et arcem] Scottas hæfdon. OE Confessionale Pseudo-Egberti (Tiber.) in Anglia (1889) 12 518 Ofermodines seo is heofod & wyrtruma ealra leahtra. ?c1335 in W. Heuser Kildare-Gedichte (1904) 121 First at prude ich wol begin, For hit is heuid of al sinne. c1440 (?a1400) Morte Arthure l. 1344 (MED) I had leuer then all Fraunce, that heuede es of rewmes, Fyghte with the. c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 47 Elan þat haldyn was hed of all ladys And the fairest of feturs formyt in erthe. 1584 T. Cogan Hauen of Health cxcv. 156 Creame..is indeede the verie head or heart of Mylke. 1818 J. Murray Let. 3 Sept. in S. Smiles Publisher & his Friends (1891) II. xx. 14 Barrow, as the head of all my most respected friends, has told me that [etc.]. 1866 Temple Bar Oct. 338 The myth of Arthur..narrates that Lancelot, head of all Christian knights, once stopped at a castle where dwelt [etc.]. 1991 H. V. Kuhnlein & N. J. Turner Trad. Plant Foods Canad. Indigenous Peoples (1996) 179 In Nlaka'pamux and Okanagan-Colville, they [sc. black huckleberries] are considered the ‘head’ of all the fruits. b. A capital city; the chief city or town of a country or region. Now somewhat rare. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > town as opposed to country > town or city > [noun] > chief town or capital city headeOE mother-boroughc1225 master-borougha1325 sedea1387 chief1393 master-townc1400 metropolitan?a1439 capital city1439 master citya1450 stade1481 metropolea1500 capital1525 seatc1540 head-place1546 chamber1555 mother city1570 metropolis1584 metropolite1591 madam-town1593 capital town1601 seat-town1601 metropolie1633 megapolis1638 county seat1803 Queen City1807 metrop1888 Metroland1951 eOE tr. Orosius Hist. (BL Add.) (1980) ii. i. 36 Sameramis..getimbrede þa burg Babylonie, to þon þæt heo wære heafod ealra Asiria [L. caputque regni Assyriis ut esset instituit]. OE Homily: De Temporibus Anticristi (Corpus Cambr. 419) in A. S. Napier Wulfstan (1883) 194 On þyssere [byrig] Babilonia, þe hwilon wæs..Persa rices heafod, bið Antecrist geboren. a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Isa. vii. 8 The hed of Sirie Damasch. a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 79 Þis citee in tyme of Britouns was heed and chief citee of al Venedocia. a1475 (a1447) O. Bokenham Mappula Angliae in Englische Studien (1887) 10 16 Caunturbury, the heed of Kent, maad Rudhudebras. 1544 A. Cope Hist. Anniball & Scipio xxvi. f. 41^v He promysed theym, that Capua shulde in shorte space be the heade of all Italye. 1644 K. Digby Two Treat. ii. Concl. 452 That opulent citty, the head of the world, where millions were as familiar as pence in other places. 1765 D. Fenning et al. New Syst. Geogr. (new ed.) II. iii. xxxi. 609/1 Mullingar..is the head of the county [of West-Meath] by act of parliament, and here the sessions of the county are held. 1848 H. T. Ryde tr. A. de Lamartine Hist. of Girondists II. xxxiii. 304 They hate Paris because Paris is the head of the nation, and contains a vast populace. 1871 J. Carroll Case & his Cotemporaries III. ix. 388 The Rev. W. Ryerson was sent to Brockville, the head of the District, where multitudes flocked to hear him. 1947 R. E. Dickinson tr. R. Blanchard in City Region & Regionalism i. 12 It applies to a city which..is, as it were, the head of the region. 2000 E. Lipiński Aramaeans vi. 143 Ta'idu is the head of the province to which Nawar belonged in the 14th century B.C. 36. The position or fact of being a chief, leader, or commander, or of being pre-eminent in authority, excellence, etc. Frequently in at (also †in) the head of.Sometimes with admixture of sense 23a(a). ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [noun] > that which is important > most important > position or rank headeOE first class1616 first (second) chop1823 premier division1902 society > authority > [noun] > those in authority > person in authority > head or chief > position of headeOE headhoodc1449 chiefty1552 headship1565 chiefdom1579 chiefship1783 chieftainship1859 eOE (Mercian) Vespasian Psalter (1965) xvii. 41 (44) Constitues me in caput gentium : ðu gesetes me in heafud ðieda [OE Lambeth Psalter on heafod uel on forewearde þeoda]. J. Gaytryge Lay Folks' Catech. (York Min.) (1901) l. 200 Do worship to fadir and to modir..til our gastly fadirs that has hede [c1440 Thornton heuede] of us. a1400 Psalter (Vesp.) xvii. 47 in C. Horstmann Yorkshire Writers (1896) II. 150 Þou sal, In heued of genge [L. caput gentium] me set with-al. 1576 J. Foxe Actes & Monuments (rev. ed.) I. ii. 121/1 Thus began first Rome to take an head aboue all other Churches. a1640 P. Massinger Bashful Lover i. ii. 109 in 3 New Playes (1655) Though you charg'd me I' th' head of your troops. 1652 J. Wright tr. J.-P. Camus Nature's Paradox 337 Liante..placed himself at the head of this resolute Party. 1662 H. More Coll. Philos. Writings (ed. 2) Pref. Gen. p. xxiii Certain opinions of his..in the head of which he names this of the Præexistence of the Soul. 1709 J. Addison Tatler No. 122. ⁋1 A People of so much Virtue were deservedly placed at the Head of Mankind. 1788 Gentleman's Mag. Apr. 356/1 The man who assumed the head of these ruffians, turning to his accomplices. 1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. vii. 166 At twenty-one..he was placed at the head of the administration. 1894 H. Drummond Lowell Lect. Ascent of Man 143 Anatomy places Man at the head of all other animals that were ever made. 1903 Amer. Jrnl. Nursing 3 834 The lady superior who was at the head of the Catholic schools and convent at South Bend. 1999 F. von Metzler in C.-L. Holtfrerich Frankfurt as Financial Centre 304 Frankfurt's path to the head of Europe is not assured. 2008 Daily Tel. 30 July 18/8 Their leader..stayed on as prime minister until 1922 at the head of a coalition. V. With reference to geographical or topographical features. 37. The uppermost or furthermost portion of a valley, cave, inlet, etc. Also: that end of a lake or other body of water at which a river or stream enters it. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > end or extremity > [noun] > upper end headeOE chiefc1400 fining?1448 beginning1483 uppermost1628 top1783 eOE Bounds (Sawyer 298) in D. Hooke Pre-Conquest Charter-bounds Devon & Cornwall (1994) 105 Fram smalan cumbes heafde to græwan stane. OE Royal Charter: Offa of Mercia to St. Mary's Church, Worcester (Sawyer 126) in D. Hooke Worcs. Anglo-Saxon Charter-bounds (1990) 87 Of seges mere in þæs pulles heafod & of ðam heafde to þornbrycge. c1300 Holy Cross (Laud) 179 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 6 Ȝwane þou comest to þe heued of þis valeie, a grene wei þov schalt wiende. ?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 58 At þe heued of þis see of Galile..es a castell. a1500 Legend of Cross in Medium Ævum (1965) 34 213 In the hed of this vale þu shalt fynde drie passis. 1539 Bible (Great) Isaiah xxviii. f. xlix^v/2 Y^e (As a floure y^t faydeth awaye) vpon the head [1535 Coverdale toppe] of the valley of such as be in welth. 1615 E. Grimeston tr. P. d'Avity Estates 1020 Neere vnto the red sea, and as it were in the head of the Arabian gulfe, stands the towne of Suez. 1655 I. Walton Compl. Angler (ed. 2) xx. 334 When you have..made the earth firme where the head of the Pond must be. 1769 T. Nugent tr. P. J. Grosley New Observ. Italy I. 6 You come to a very steep brow of a hill, which, after intersecting the road, projects over the head of the lake. 1789 W. Tench Narr. Exped. Botany Bay ix. 60 Into the head of the cove..runs a small stream of fresh water. 1818 J. C. Curwen Observ. State Ireland I. xv. 189 For a short distance, the opening that leads to the head of the cavern..is low and narrow. 1830 C. Lyell Princ. Geol. I. 286 A point which must..be considered the head of its delta. 1863 A. P. Stanley Lect. Jewish Church I. viii. 184 At the head of the gulf. 1902 G. S. Whitmore Last Maori War ii. 17 I left these men..at a sort of camp at the head of the valley. 1963 G. L. Pickard Descriptive Physical Oceanogr. viii. 182 Positive estuaries have a river or rivers emptying into them, usually at the head. 1986 Lochaber News 20 Sept. 7/2 Perhaps the worst bit was at the head of Loch Hourn. 2012 Sunday Tel. (Nexis) 22 Jan. (Features section) 15 Bessans..and L'Ecot, a tiny hamlet at the head of the valley, were left unscathed. 38. a. The source or headwaters of a river or stream. Formerly also in plural in same sense. Cf. fountainhead n. 1, wellhead n. 1. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > system > [noun] > head or source headeOE wellspringOE springOE uptaking1241 head wella1325 wellheadc1330 sourcec1386 headspringa1398 headstreama1398 risinga1398 surge1523 springhead?a1560 head fountain1563 water head1567 fountainhead1585 headwater1612 fill1622 water source1651 urn1726 vomica1838 sponge-swamp1901 eOE Bounds (Sawyer 298) in D. Hooke Pre-Conquest Charter-bounds Devon & Cornwall (1994) 105 Ðonne on ðone dic ðær Esne ðone weg fordealf, ðonon ofdune on ðæs wælles heafod. lOE Bounds (Sawyer 258) in W. de G. Birch Cartularium Saxonicum (1885) I. 257 Andlang Aleburnan on beueres broces heafod. lOE Bounds (Sawyer 653) in D. Hooke Pre-Conquest Charter-bounds Devon & Cornwall (1994) 156 Andlang dic to holon broces heafdum. a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 35 Þe reuers Seuarne and Dee almost at [1482 Caxton to] þe hedes. ?c1450 Life St. Cuthbert (1891) l. 8103 Fra þeyn vp warde to þe hede Of a watir hat warnede. 1541 Act 33 Hen. VIII c. 35 Cleane running water, issuyng out of the heades of freshe springes. a1552 J. Leland Itinerary (1711) II. 20 The Hed of Isis in Coteswalde risith about a Mile a this side Tetbyri. 1625 N. Carpenter Geogr. Delineated ii. ix. 142 Nilus in Africk is thought to haue his first head at the mountaines of the Moone. 1718 I. Watts Psalms of David cxiv. ii Jordan beheld their March and fled With backward Current to his Head. 1793 J. Hunter Hist. Jrnl. xviii. 458 They came to a run of water, which they supposed to be the head of the Nepean river. 1854 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 15 ii. 426 Where the spring head has been boggy. 1905 C. E. Slocum Hist. Maumee River Basin 469 Jacques Godefroy..passed up to the head of the Maumee to aid in the capture of the then British Fort Miami. 1969 F. B. Woodford & A. M. Woodford All our Yesterdays ii. 40 The French, Hurons, and Ottawas..overtook them near Windmill Point at the head of the Detroit River. 2002 G. M. Eberhart Mysterious Creatures II. 453/1 A cat..was killed after it raided a henhouse at the head of the Mulgrave River. b. figurative and in figurative contexts: the source or origin of something. Cf. fountainhead n. 2, wellhead n. 2.In later use chiefly as part of an extended metaphor. ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > causation > source or origin > [noun] welleOE mothereOE ordeOE wellspringeOE fathereOE headeOE oreOE wellspringOE rootc1175 morea1200 beginningc1200 head wella1325 sourcec1374 principlea1382 risinga1382 springinga1382 fountain14.. springerc1410 nativity?a1425 racinea1425 spring1435 headspring?a1439 seminaryc1440 originationc1443 spring wellc1450 sourdre1477 primordialc1487 naissance1490 wellhead?1492 offspringa1500 conduit-head1517 damc1540 springhead1547 principium1550 mint1555 principal1555 centre1557 head fountain1563 parentage1581 rise1589 spawna1591 fount1594 parent1597 taproot1601 origin1604 fountainhead1606 radix1607 springa1616 abundary1622 rist1622 primitive1628 primary1632 land-spring1642 extraction1655 upstart1669 progenerator1692 fontala1711 well-eye1826 first birth1838 ancestry1880 Quelle1893 eOE Metrical Dialogue of Solomon & Saturn (Corpus Cambr. 422) ii. 446 Ac hwæt witeð us wyrd seo swiðe, eallra fyrena fruma, fæhðo modor, weana wyrtwela, wopes heafod. a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) v. l. 2604 Sche is the pure hed and welle And Mirour and ensample of goode. ?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) (1996) i. l. 47 Hengist he hight, & Hors his broþire, þes were hede, als we fynde, where of is comen oure Inglis kynde. c1443 R. Pecock Reule of Crysten Religioun (1927) 376 Oonly resoun in his natural liȝt..is þe heed of al oure gouernaunce. a1500 ( J. Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. (Rawl.) (1898) 147 (MED) He sholde ham [sc. beasts] surmounte in vertues, and namely in two, that byth two begynnyngis and hedis of al maner mankynde workis. 1548 T. Cranmer Catechismus sig. Ddvj^v The wel and heade, out of the which al these euylle do sprynge is original synne. 1592 A. Day 2nd Pt. Eng. Secretorie sig. P1^v, in Eng. Secretorie (rev. ed.) I will goe to the head of the matter. 1720 D. Waterland 8 Serm. Divinity of Christ 112 By referring all Things to one Head and Fountain. 1846 J. Miller 13th Ann. Rep. Superintendent Common Schools Pennsylvania 6 It may be said, that the school-master is the head of the fountain of instruction. 1931 A. E. Ralli Hist. Shakespearian Crit. I. xiii. 288 Bolingbroke..sinned in causing Richard's death, but the head and spring of all the evils was the usurpation. 1970 W. A. Jurgens tr. St. Ephraim in Faith of Early Fathers I. 311 You are the head of the fountain from which My teaching flows, you are the chief of My disciples. 2009 H. Cooper in Oxf. Handbk. Tudor Lit. 760 Chaucer is the source of his [sc. Spenser's] inspiration, the head of the river of English poetry. †39. a. Agriculture. A strip of land at the end of a ploughed field; = headland n. 1. In Old English also in plural in same sense. Obsolete.In later use merged with sense 39b. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > farm > farmland > land suitable for cultivation > [noun] > broken land > arable or ploughed land > headland headOE headlandOE lea-riga1170 Land's endc1394 headrig1475 hade?1523 land-end1555 furlong1649 hade-way1649 head-ridge1659 sideland1763 headmark1820 turn-row1885 OE Bounds (Sawyer 1321) in D. Hooke Warwickshire Anglo-Saxon Charter-bounds (1999) 84 Þonne norð andlangc dunes, þonne ut æt þæs croftes heafod þæt sticað on þære lace. OE Bounds (Sawyer 587) in S. E. Kelly Charters of Abingdon Abbey, Pt. 2 (2001) 294 Of þam pytte andlang riþiges on þæt heafodlond; of þam heafodon andlang fura. lOE Royal Charter: Eadred to Ælfsige Hunlafing (Sawyer 566) in A. J. Robertson Anglo-Saxon Charters (1956) 56 Þonne suð be þen Æfden andlang þere mære to fægran broce. c1425 in Hist. MSS Comm.: Rep. MSS Ld. Middleton (1911) 107 in Parl. Papers (Cd. 5567) XXVII. 1 Also if any man tye hyse horss or reche on any havedes or be syk sydes in to any mannes Korn..make amendes to hym that hasse the harme. a1475 in A. Clark Eng. Reg. Godstow Nunnery (1905) i. 320 Þe next acre by-syde þe forowe & þe hed of þe foreseyde acre. a1500 ( in H. E. Salter & A. H. Cooke Boarstall Cartulary (1930) 129 (MED) [Alice..grants to John Pypat..half an acre..with their] hades [of meadow]. b. More generally: a terminal or bounding portion of land; an edge, a boundary. Obsolete (historical in later use).Used esp. with reference to the shorter edges of a piece of land which has a more or less elongated shape, or is of greater length than breadth. ΚΠ OE Bounds (Sawyer 1547) in D. Hooke Pre-Conquest Charter-bounds Devon & Cornwall (1994) 217 On þone wille on þæs mores heafod. a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. xiii. xiv. 662 Þe heuedes [L. termini] of pondes beth ystrengþede with hepes and walles for the watir shulde noȝt passe owt to swyþe. c1425 in E. Edwards Liber Monasterii de Hyda (1866) 223 (MED) Fro thennys, be north the long lawpath; fro that path west, to the morys hede [c1425 (OE) on þæs mores heafod]. 1452 in R. Willis & J. W. Clark Archit. Hist. Univ. Cambr. (1886) I. 336 [A messuage] abbuttyng at the one heved vpon the high strete and at the other heved vpon the said College. 1622 Destr. Troy II. 74 The east hed abutting upon the strete and the west hed upon the buildings belonging to Katherine Hall. 1668 H. Savage Balliofergus xxii. 34 One end abbuts upon Exeter-lane towards the North..and the other Head of it abbuts upon the Ground or Tenement of the Abbot and Convent of Dorchester. 1765 Act for vesting Several Estates Essex, Suffolk, Bucks, & Middlesex (Private Acts 5 Geo. III c. 99) 7 The South Head thereof abuts upon the Lands now or late of the said Thomas Bright, and the North Head upon the Way called Bury Way. 1873 E. Hailstone Hist. & Antiq. Parish of Bottisham ii. ix. 290 Six acres and a half of wheat lay in the northfield in two divisions.., the heads of which abutted on the land of the same prior and convent towards the south. 1902 Trans. Cumberland & Westmorland Antiquarian Soc. 2 309 He granted..one acre of his land.., one head whereof extends towards the peat-moss on the east and the other head towards Grucocgile on the west. 40. a. A projecting piece of coastal land, esp. when of considerable height; a promontory, a headland, a cape. Frequently (and originally) in place names, and (in later use) in the fuller form head of land. Also in plural: the projecting pieces of land which enclose a bay. Cf. pen n.¹ ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > land > land mass > shore or bank > promontory, headland, or cape > [noun] starteOE nessOE snookc1236 head1315 bill1382 foreland?a1400 capec1405 nook?a1425 mull1429 headland?c1475 point?c1475 nese1497 peak1548 promontory1548 arma1552 reach1562 butt1598 promontorea1600 horn1601 naze1605 promonta1607 bay1611 abutment1613 promontorium1621 noup1701 lingula1753 scaw1821 tang1822 odd1869 1315 in B. G. Charles Non-Celtic Place-names Wales (1938) 235 Haliheved[i.e. Holyhead]. 1489 Liber Pluscardensis (Fairf.) (1877) I. 278 Apud locum qui Sanct Abbis Heid vocatur. 1577 R. Holinshed Hist. Eng. 6/1 in Chron. I The name of an head of land in Britayn called Promontorium Herculis. a1650 G. Boate Irelands Nat. Hist. (1652) iv. 39 Upon the West-side of the Irish coast are four principal Heads. 1685 B. Ringrose Bucaniers Amer. iv. xi. 58 The Cape [of San Francisco]..looked very like unto Beachy-head in England. 1773 New Display Beauties of Eng. (ed. 2) 213 Near Dover-Castle there is a head of land, called South Foreland, by way of distinction from another head or promontory, which forms the north-east point of the Kentish shore. 1817 Missionary Reg. Feb. 72/1 The ships were surrounded with canoes, which kept her company till she was withoutside the heads of the Bay. 1893 W. T. Wawn S. Sea Islanders x. 162 I attempted to enter the bay, round which the island extends in a horseshoe form. Hardly were we within the ‘Heads’, when the wind dropped. 1925 Brit. Islands Pilot (ed. 2) VI. 317 Cantick Head... The head, which is rather low and rounded, terminates in an abrupt cliff to the southward... The lighthouse on the head is conspicuous. 1948 L. F. Horsfall in C. E. Fayle et al. Trade Winds viii. 184 There was good anchorage within the heads of the bay. 1997 W. Hobbs Ghost Canoe (1998) 180 The canoes crossed Makah Bay..and rounded a head of land to the south of it. b. The seaward end of a pier, breakwater, or similar structure. See also pier head n. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > berthing, mooring, or anchoring > harbour or port > [noun] > jetty or pier > parts of head1553 pier head1647 cant1861 pier-stake1900 1553 J. Brende tr. Q. Curtius Rufus Hist. iv. f. 38 When he had beaten the water and lyfted vp hymselfe at the head of the mole [L. a capite molis], [he] diued vnder the water agayne. 1652 R. Codrington tr. Q. Curtius Rufus Life & Death Alexander iv. 53 At the head of the Peer they raised up two Towers, from whence..they kept off the Boats that came about them. 1744 Trav. Late Charles Thompson III. 83 They filled a Vessel with Sulphur,..and having tow'd it to the Head of the Mole, they set it on fire. 1830 Fraser's Mag. Oct. 300/2 He had just succeeded in clearing the pier's head, and was getting fast into smooth water. 1870 Boys of Eng. 1 Mar. 179/1 There was light enough, even if the harbour light had not been flickering at the head of the breakwater, to enable them to keep clear of that structure. 1955 Irish Naturalists' Jrnl. 11 339 Fishing for herrings some 200 yards off the head of the pier. 2005 F. Verhaeghe et al. in J. Story Charlemagne xv. 273 Ships could only be moored at the head of the individual jetties. c. Chiefly Nautical. A projecting piece of a rock, sandbank, reef, etc., lying at or just beneath the surface of the sea. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > land > land mass > reef > [noun] skelly1513 reef1579 rockray1582 head1584 skerry1612 key1693 ridge1695 cay1707 1584 R. Norman tr. C. Antoniszoon Safegard of Sailers f. 49 The souther head of the Goodwin [sands] and the point at Douer, lie the one off of the other southwest and northeast. 1761 tr. G. B. Du Bocage Petit Neptune François ii. 20 It [sc. the rock] is almost always above water, unless it be a very high tide, and there are even two heads which are never covered. 1775 B. Romans Conc. Nat. Hist. E. & W. Florida App. 34 1½ miles E. from the land are a parcel of dangerous sunken heads called the Hen and Chickens. 1798 L. Furlong Amer. Coast Pilot (ed. 2) 158 The channel..is full of heads of coral rocks. 1837 J. R. McCulloch Statist. Acct. Brit. Empire I. i. i. 68 The Bunt Head, on the west side [of the Goodwin Sands], is very dangerous. 1881 Sailing Direct. West Indies: Porto Rico to Gulf of Florida 70 Thence the foul ground, including Barrack and Ravient Reefs, which have several patches and sharp heads of rock, extends to the W.N.W. 2 miles. 1920 Pacific Islands Pilot (ed. 2) 112 Homedebua Peak bearing 27° will lead midway between Peterson Reefs and the sunken heads extending southwestward from Unda Point. a1961 E. Hemingway Islands in Stream (1970) iii. xii. 332 He steered due north to get into blue water and past the dangerous rocky heads of the outer reef. 2004 Atlantic Boating Almanac: Gulf of Mexico V. xiv. 550 The Invisibles..are three small rocky heads covered 4 to 5′. d. English regional. †(a) A part of an underlying stratum, esp. of marl, seen protruding through an overlying one. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > structure of the earth > structural features > [noun] > formation head1686 formation1815 1686 R. Plot Nat. Hist. Staffs. iii. 119 Sometimes it [sc. marl] lyes so ebb..that they plow up the head of it. 1787 W. Marshall Rural Econ. Norfolk I. 19 The white marls of this District..in distinct masses, of different figures and magnitudes, rising with irregular heads toward the surface. 1846 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 7 ii. 452 ‘Heads’ or prominent parts of the substratum of sand rising up through the substratum of brick earth in the manner that ‘heads of marl’ shoot up towards the surface. (b) As a mass noun. Surface material consisting of fragments of an underlying stratum. ΚΠ 1876 H. B. Woodward Geol. Eng. & Wales x. 331 Between Bovey Tracey and Newton Abbot there are accumulations of sand and gravel which rest on the Miocene deposits, and are called the ‘Head’. 1930 Jrnl. Trans. Victoria Inst. 62 73 ‘Head’ is a term applied to this Rubble-drift where it masks an old raised beach. 2009 F. G. Bell et al. in M. G. Culshaw et al. Engin. Geol. Tomorrow's Cities 15/1 Head in the Nottingham area usually is thin and of variable composition depending on the nature of the parent material. 41. The top or summit of a hill or mountain. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > hill or mountain > [noun] > summit knollc888 knapc1000 copc1374 crest?a1400 head?a1425 summit1481 summitya1500 mountain topa1522 hilltop1530 stump1664 scalp1810 bald1838 van1871 dod1878 berg-top1953 ?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 61 (MED) Þare er also many gude tounes toward þe heued [F. chief] of þir hilles. c1550 Complaynt Scotl. (1979) vi. 41 Ane man beand on the hede of ane hil. 1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet v. i. 249 The skyesh head Of blew Olympus. View more context for this quotation 1654 J. Howell in S. Lennard tr. S. Mazzella Parthenopoeia To Rdr. sig. A2^v The great Vorago or fiery Gulph..which rageth in the head of that Mountain [sc. Vesuvius]. 1742 S. Boyse tr. W. van Haren Praise of Peace i. 8 An ice-crown'd Mountain's Head. 1797 A. Radcliffe Italian II. ii. 83 Its peaked head towered far above every neighbouring summit. 1810 W. Scott Lady of Lake i. 5 But, when the sun his beacon red Had kindled on Benvoirlich's head. 1842 Knickerbocker Sept. 242 At evening, when the sun sets red Behind yon mountain's cloudy head. 1917 Vermonter 23 59/2 We found ourselves on the bald head of the mountain. 1982 Mother Jones July 57/1 The majestic snow-covered head of Popo [i.e. Popocatepetl]. 2009 L. Leigh Coyote's Mate x. 135 Mortar fire is coming from the north, at the head of the mountain. 42. Originally Scottish. The top or upper end of a road, street, etc.; the part of a subsidiary road nearest the main road. Also: the upper or main end of a town; the outer part of a town leading towards a main road or highway. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > town as opposed to country > town, village, or collection of dwellings > [noun] > parts of town or village town end1192 west end1428 head1458 townhead1536 frontier1894 1458 Extracts Rec. in W. Chambers Charters Burgh Peebles (1872) 126 The land..liand on the conȝe at the hed of the Briggat. 1681 in J. D. Marwick Extracts Rec. Burgh Glasgow (1905) III. 302 To put out baill fyres at the heid of ilk clos. 1773 London Mag. Nov. 534/2 [Soldiers] were posted..in a hut erected at the head of the road. 1785 P. Delamotte Weymouth Guide 84 The road [to Weymouth] lies through Dorchester, which is crossed at the head of the town. 1801 J. Baillie Impartial Hist. Newcastle upon Tyne 538 Besides these, at the head of the street, are several large gardens and nurseries. 1832 Hazard's Reg. Pennsylvania 10 Mar. 147/2 Spring water is introduced through all the principal streets, by iron pipes, from a reservoir situated at the head of the town. 1898 L. A. Jones Treat. Law Easements iv. iii. 186 He conveyed a lot at the head of the alley... This conveyance passed no right to use the alley. 1977 J. Pepper What Thing to Say 53 I went up to see Mrs Thingimabob... You know the one that's married on the fella at the head of the road? 1990 W. J. Wood Battles of Revol. War iii. 65 He marched several companies..to the roads at the head of the town. 2009 Ireland's Eye Jan. 7/1 Johnny walked at a leisurely pace..towards the head of the road, where there was a crossroads. VI. Miscellaneous specific and technical uses. 43. A bundle of hemp, silk, flax, or the like; spec. one of a specific size or weight (as in quots. 1704, 1858). ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > flax, hemp, or jute > [noun] > bundle of heada1325 strikec1386 stritch14.. the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > silk > [noun] > quantity of moss1753 head1825 strick1887 a1325 Statutes of Realm (2011) xxix. 89 Þe chef of fustian contenez xiii elne, þe heued of sendal of x elne. 1565 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1916) XI. 440 Ane heid of hemp and twa elsingis to the cordinar. 1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. iii. 106/2 Kirtle Flax, is twelve heads in a bunch, and is about an hundred pounds in weight. 1704 Dict. Rusticum Head of Flax..signifies twelve Sticks of Flax tied up to make a bunch. 1797 J. Sinclair Statist. Acct. Scotl. XIX. 402 Not a single head of flax amissing. 1825 Edinb. Mag. & Literary Misc. Sept. 373/2 They..attached, by a string, several heads of silk to the trigger of the piece. 1858 P. L. Simmonds Dict. Trade Products Head,..a bundle of flax measuring probably two feet in length, and weighing a few pounds; in the North of Europe 18 head of hemp or flax are about 1 cwt. 1897 Textile Amer. 6 Nov. 49/2 The silk..is..‘sticked’ for dyeing, putting six or eight heads of silk on each stick. 1953 G. B. Hughes Living Crafts viii. 83 The hackler..takes a ‘head’ of hemp in her right hand, and holds it spread fan-wise. 1999 tr. J. Glader in R. Kvideland & H. K. Sehmsdorf All World's Reward lxxiv. 239 She always bragged that she was so handy she could spin a whole head of flax in a single day. 44. †a. A bank or dam retaining a body of water. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > water > lake > pool > [noun] > artificially confined water > contrivance for impounding water > dam clowa1250 head?a1425 damc1440 weir-dike1518 bay1581 rampirea1586 anicut1784 pond-bay1863 ?a1425 (a1400) Brut (Corpus Cambr.) 330 (MED) Brekyng her fisshepond hedis, & lete þe water of her pondes, stewes & ryuers, renne out. 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 506/2 I damme or make the heed of a water. 1563 Act 5 Eliz. c. 21 §1 Any Hedd or Heddes, Damme or Dammes, of any Pondes, Pooles, Motes, Stanges, Steues, or severall Pittes. 1814 Gen. Rep. Agric. State & Polit. Circumstances Scotl. II. xiii. §4. 671 Heads, or banks of earth, for the confinement of water in artificial lakes or ponds. b. A body of water kept at a particular height, esp. in order to provide a supply at sufficient pressure for a mill, turbine, etc.; the height of such a body of water, as a measure of the resulting pressure; (hence) pressure expressed in terms of the height of water that would produce it (cf. pressure head n. 1; see also Phrases 3q(a)). Frequently in head of water.velocity head: see the first element. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > water > lake > pool > [noun] > artificially confined water > kept at a height head1677 1677 R. Plot Nat. Hist. Oxford-shire ix. 233 Lock-gates put down between every two of them..which will keep a head of water. 1724 D. Defoe Tour Great Brit. I. iii. 16 Here is a very large Pond, or Lake of Water, kept up to an Head, by a strong Battre d' eau, or Dam. 1791 R. Mylne 2nd Rep. Navigation Thames 15 Millers..working their Heads of Water in a spendthrift way. 1832 Examiner 289/1 He has dammed the stream to give it head. 1884 A. Daniell Text-bk. Princ. Physics xi. 276 We may say that the velocity-head and the pressure-head are together equal to the total head. 1907 H. Brown Irrigation vi. 120 A pressure due to 6¾ feet head of water. 1943 E. H. Lewitt Thermodynamics applied to Heat Engines (ed. 3) vi. 139 Water at 15° C. is injected under a constant head of 500 ft. 1986 E. Hall in A. Limon et al. Home Owner Man. (ed. 2) iii. v. 383 The cold water storage cistern is not sufficiently high above the shower sprinkler to provide the minimum 3ft (900mm) head of pressure. 2008 M. Kay Pract. Hydraulics (ed. 2) iv. 96 Atmospheric pressure drives a siphon and the absolute limit is 10 m head of water. c. Founding. A narrow vertical channel at the top of a mould acting as a reservoir to feed a casting as it cools and contracts, and to add to the pressure on the metal so as to inhibit porosity; a sink-head or riser (riser n. 10). Also: the solid remnant of this reservoir on a cast object.Recorded earliest in deadhead n.¹ 2a.feed, feeding-, sink-head, etc.: see the first element. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > metal in specific state or form > [noun] > molten metal > head or supply of head1838 feeder1858 dozzle1923 1838 Penny Cycl. X. 386/2 What is called a dead head is left at the upper and smaller or mouth end of the gun, which presses the metal down, and prevents its becoming porous as it settles and cools. 1854 Encycl. Brit. VI. 183/1 The metal..is conveyed by a gutter formed of sand to the gun-mould, into which the melted metal falls through the open end of the head. 1867 W. Papworth Gwilt's Encycl. Archit. (rev. ed.) ii. iii. 693 Cannon, pipes, columns, &c., are stronger when cast in a vertical than in a horizontal position, and stronger still when provided with a head or additional length. 1920 J. G. Horner Pract. Iron Founding (ed. 4) x. 209 The employer grudges the cost of cutting off the head, and maybe thinks that it is a moulder's fad, especially when he learns that there are shops in which cylinders are cast without heads. 1922 J. H. Hall Steel Foundry (ed. 2) viii. 261 As the heads are very much higher than the casting, they are called upon to feed metal only horizontally. 1996 S. C. Black et al. Princ. Engin. Manuf. (ed. 3) ii. 21 The mould may be provided with a long neck to give a head of metal which will provide both a reservoir of hot metal and a small pressure head to help eliminate shrinkage. 45. Mining. An underground passage in a mine; a drift (drift n. 15). Cf. heading n. 13. Now rare. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > workplace > places where raw materials are extracted > mine > [noun] > passage > other passages in coal-mine head1486 room1670 headway1708 breast-hee1850 gate-road1860 stall gate1883 1486 Charter 15 May in Yorks. Archaeol. Jrnl. (1893) 12 236 [They shall keep] unthyreled a ribbe called in to waste with due purgyng and clensyng of the seid myne and in dryffyng any depe hed into other with poste and thyrle at the water may lyghtly avoid. 1662 Dr. Power in T. Birch Hist. Royal Soc. (1756) I. 134 If a Pistol be shot off in a head remote from the eye of a pit, it will give but a little report. 1798 New Ann. Reg. 1797 Principal Occurr. 143/2 Going down this pit, the workmen came to a head or way, along which they proceeded until they came to another pit. 1894 Times 15 Aug. 13/3 He knew that gas existed in one of the heads, and fences were placed there to indicate that it was dangerous. 1908 Trans. Inst. Mining Engineers 34 356 At this point it was necessary to drive a head to the water-pit. 1947 Ann. Rep. Under Secretary for Mines, Queensland 1942–5 99/1 At 20 ft. in this drive a head was cut showing a bunch of spar carrying a little tin. †46. A tidal bore (bore n.³ 2). Also more fully tide head. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > water > flow or flowing > wave > types of waves > [noun] > high wave caused by movement of tide > of unusual height head1570 bore1601 eagre1610 mascaret1660 sea seiche1925 1570 R. Tarlton Disc. Fluds Bedford Shire (single sheet) At twelue a clock at night, It [sc. the rushing river] flowde with such a hed. a1667 P. Mundy Trav. (1907) I. p. xix This bore or tide head comes sodainely many foote high like great rouling feathering Waves. 1807 R. Southey Lett. from Eng. III. lxxvi. 380 The tide [in the River Parrot] instead of rising gradually, flows in in a head. 1854 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 15 5 [The] river came down with a ‘head’ similar to the tidal phenomenon on the Severn. 1908 Nature Notes 19 209 A dead starfish is sometimes carried far up the Bay [sc. Morecambe Bay] by the tide head which in places resembles a mill race. †47. Hunting. A sudden sharp change of direction by a hunted animal. Cf. heading n. 3. Obsolete. [Compare French faire tête, e.g. in le cerf fait tête aux chiens the stag turns to resist the hounds.] ΘΚΠ the world > space > direction > [noun] > changing to face different direction or turning turning1303 turnc1390 circumversion1578 conversion1594 head1607 versation1656 wheela1660 slewc1860 1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 264 The wandring Hares..making heads vpon the plain ground, to the confusion of the Dogs. 1796 Sporting Mag. Feb. 231/2 [The fox] went away for Bull's Wood—then to Hammond's groves—made a head, and came to Thorpe Wood. 1798 Sporting Mag. 11 3 After much manœuvring, heads and doubles, as well as equally good racing in view, she [sc. the hare] was killed in the rickyard of the Sun Inn. 1804 Sporting Mag. Jan. 167/2 We have had an uncommon display of views, heads, turns, doubles; baying, and soiling, but not a burst of sufficient duration to set even a half-bred horse a blowing. 48. Nautical. Any of various parts of an anchor (see quots.); (now usually) spec. the part furthest from the crown (crown n. 28d) and arms. ΚΠ 1622 R. Hawkins Observ. Voiage South Sea xxxvi. 88 Then armed we all the Halser round about..and likewise the shanke of the Anchor, and the head. 1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) Head of an Anchor, the Shank or longest part of it. 1708 Sea-dict. in Mil. Dict. (ed. 3) The Head of the Anchor; is that Part in which the Eye is, through which the Ring passes. 1826 Trans. Soc. Arts 44 86 Through the head of the anchor k passes the ring l. 1920 Sci. Amer. 10 July 35 (caption) The ‘dropping test’ on the head of the modern stockless anchor. 1972 Marine Engin./Log Nov. 90/2 It also includes a distinctive stock running through the anchor crown in the same plane as the anchor head. 2000 E. D. Smith & T. R. Moore Sailing Lang. 28 Head, the upper end of the shank. 49. On a gate: the upright timber or post at the opposite end from the hinges and typically bearing the latch (cf. heel n.¹ 10f). Also: either of the two upright pieces at the ends of a hurdle (hurdle n. 1a). Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > that which or one who closes or shuts > a barrier > [noun] > gate > upright timbers of gate heada1642 heel1730 hanging-head1888 dagger- a1642 H. Best Farming & Memorandum Bks. (1984) 17 To a barre [= hurdle] belongeth two heads..into which the 4 spelles are to bee putte. 1795 Life John Metcalf 22 Confound thee! thou always goes to the gate heel, instead of the head. 1801 T. N. Parker Ess. Gates & Wickets 34 For a swing gate the latch should be placed as nearly as possible to the middle part of the head. 1841 Farmers' Cabinet 15 Feb. 233 The head of one hurdle is brought forward, so as to lap, or pass a little beyond that of another. 1854 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 15 ii. 251 The head, heel, and top rail of a gate should be of oak. 1908 Country Life 29 Aug. 281/2 The square..closes tightly over the ‘closing style’, or head of the gate. 1939 H. J. Massingham Country Relics iii. iv. 67 The tomahawk made the mortise hole in the head of the hurdle and the ‘nail-bit’ or lengthening-bit holed the rails of the hurdle. 1969 Queensland Agric. Jrnl. 95 13/2 A second timber upright..is bolted..to the other end of the diagonal support to form the head of the gate. †50. Building. A roof tile of half the usual length, used at the eaves; = head tile n. (a) at Compounds 4. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > clay compositions > baked clay > tile > [noun] > other types of tiles semi-tilea1525 quarrel1601 head1703 travers tile1703 astragal1725 fire tile1798 sole1843 field tile1856 fish-scale tile1881 quarry tile1908 hollow tile1914 tile-and-a-half tile1940 1703 R. Neve City & Countrey Purchaser 165 Heads,..a Term used by Bricklayers, by which they mean ½ a Tile in length, but to the full breadth of a Tile; these they use to lay at the Eaves of a Roof. 1887 G. O. Garnsey Amer. Gloss. Archit. Terms Heads, tile or slate laid at the eaves. 51. Curling and Bowls. a. A session of play in which all the stones or bowls are delivered from one particular end of the rink or green; = end n. 3d. Now rare. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > winter sports > curling > [noun] > all stones delivered on one side head1828 society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > bowls or bowling > [noun] > game or part of game rubber1599 end1688 roll-off1886 head1893 point1902 1828 Descriptive & Hist. Sketch Curling 47 Head, (probably a corruption of heat,) that portion of the game in which both parties play all their stones once. 1877 Encycl. Brit. VI. 713 All [curling] matches to be of a certain number of heads. 1893 Laws Bowls (Sc. Bowling Assoc.) in H. J. Dingley Touchers & Rubs 96 The mat shall not be moved till the head is finished. 1958 Everyman's Encycl. IV. 186/1 A game [of curling] consists of a number of ‘heads’ or ends. 1965 Times 19 Aug. 4 Every head remained in jeopardy until the last bowl came to a stop. b. The (typically closely grouped) collection of stones or bowls which remain in play at any point of a game; (also) the position or area in which these are concentrated. ΚΠ 1884 D. Brown in J. Taylor Curling 208 Coming with something like the velocity of a cannon ball, it not only broke up the head, but sent the stone it struck first into a thousand pieces. 1925 Times 15 Jan. 17/6 At the start the game seems easy, but as ‘the head’ round the mark fills up with stones, more and more skill is required. 1954 Cairns (Austral.) Post 30 June 3 Shaw experienced great difficulty in holding his bowls back, consistently running through the head. 1986 Bowls Internat. July 39/1 You must get as many bowls in the head as you can. 2009 Scotsman (Nexis) 9 Dec. Norway cleared out some Scottish stones in the ninth to score one. In the tenth, Murdoch..looked at the head, decided the shot was not on, and conceded. †52. Mining. In plural. In the process of mechanical concentration: the purest ore, which is the first to separate. Cf. head-tin n. at Compounds 4, heading n. 15. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > mineral material > ore > [noun] > purer metallic part regulus1651 head1832 1832 Trans. Royal Geol. Soc. Cornwall 4 149 Its contents are then divided into three or four parts according to the quality of the ore: these divisions are denominated heads, first middle heads, second middle heads, and tails; the heads or richest part, being nearest the head of the buddle. 1858 Jrnl. Soc. Arts 30 Apr. 374/2 The heads, after being subjected to washing in a hand buddle, are passed to the dolly-tub. 1879 Cassell's Techn. Educator (new ed.) III. 98 The rack or frame..consists of a long table on a slight incline down which the slimes are carried by a gentle stream of water... The purest ore called ‘heads’ collects at the upper part of the table. †53. The portion of the carapace of the hawksbill turtle ( Eretmochelys imbricata) that comprises the (usually thirteen) larger plates of tortoiseshell, esp. as an item for trade. Cf. foot n. 15. Obsolete. ΚΠ 1839 D. Cargill Diary 31 July (1977) 146 The king & his son sent a large hog & three heads of tortoise-shell as a present to the Capⁿ. 1890 C. Erskine Twenty Years before Mast (1896) xiv. 204 He gave me..twenty dollars for a head of tortoise-shell. 1900 J. Gaggin Among Man-eaters 140 This meant so many head of shell... A head consists of the thirteen plates of tortoiseshell forming the outward shell of the hawksbill. 1911 Philippine Jrnl. Sci. Ser. D 6 293 All of the plates together are known as a ‘head’ of shell, and tortoise-shell nearly always is sold by the ‘head’. VII. Uses arising from or associated with particular phrasal or verbal constructions. 54. A result, an outcome; a conclusion, a culmination; a pitch or peak of intensity, force, etc., typically attained gradually. In later use: esp. a situation where crucial issues must be resolved or addressed, a critical point. Chiefly in various verbal phrases, as to draw to a head, to grow to a head. See also to bring to a head at Phrases 4b, to come to a head at Phrases 4c, to gather to a head at gather v. 19b. [With reference to undesirable developments often with allusion to sense 19a.] ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > completing > [noun] > a conclusion or end finea1300 head1340 conclusion1382 close1399 finishmentc1400 issue1479 pass1542 tittle est Amen1568 wind-up1573 wind-up-all1573 upshot1586 catastrophe1609 come-off1640 period1713 pay-off1926 the world > action or operation > prosperity > advancement or progress > advance, progress, or develop [verb (intransitive)] > reach highest point to grow to a head1579 culminatea1662 climax1882 peak1937 the world > relative properties > quantity > increase in quantity, amount, or degree > [verb (intransitive)] > to highest degree > reach highest degree of increase to grow to a head1579 to gather to a heada1616 to come to a head1655 culminatea1662 climax1882 to reach a crescendo1925 to top off1970 to top out1972 the world > action or operation > completing > complete (an action or piece of work) [verb (transitive)] > bring to an end or conclusion > bring to a final point or issue to bring, come, etc., to the (or an) upshot1604 issue1650 to draw to a head1678 bring1711 1340 Ayenbite (1866) 183 (MED) He yefþ red huerby me comþ to guode heauede [Fr. a bon chief] and to guode ende of þet me nimþ an hand. 1579 S. Gosson Schoole of Abuse f. 13^v Sith these abuses are growne to heade, and sinne so ripe. a1599 E. Spenser View State Ireland 103 in J. Ware Two Hist. Ireland (1633) To keepe them from growing unto such a head. 1606 Bp. J. Hall Arte Diuine Medit. xxiii. 116 There (which is the heade of all thy felicitie) thine eyes shall see him whom now thine heart longeth for. 1658 J. Owen Of Temptation ii. 23 The season wherein it [sc. temptation] growes to a head. 1678 A. Littleton Linguæ Latinæ Liber Dictionarius (at cited word) To draw to a head, or to sum up, recapitulor, in summam colligo. 1749 J. Cleland Mem. Woman of Pleasure II. 88 Now all the impressions of burning desire,..ripen'd by the heat of this exercise, and collecting to a head, throb'd and agitated me with insupportable irritations. 1763 J. Wesley Serm. Reformation Manners 14 Vice is risen to such an head, that it is impossible to suppress it. 1824 T. Carlyle tr. J. W. von Goethe Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship I. i. vi. 30 Let us hear how your taste for the theatre gradually reached a head. 1888 R. F. Horton Inspiration & Bible (1889) vi. 170 But it is time to draw to a head this somewhat lengthened discussion. 1904 T. Longueville Adventures James II i. 7 Affairs had got to such a head that the imminence of severe fighting in the midland counties became highly probable. 1921 Freeman 28 Sept. 59/2 Propaganda and resentment drew to a head during the general revolutionary movement of last year. 1962 D. M. Lang Mod. Hist. Soviet Georgia viii. 177 Matters reached a head in 1908, when the Russian Exarch of Georgia..was murdered. 2005 Maisonneuve (Canada) Feb. 4/1 George W. Bush is a reckoner, someone who drives things to a head. †55. A body of people gathered; a force raised, esp. in insurrection or revolt. See also to make a head at Phrases 4k(b). Obsolete.In quots. 1590, 1598 perhaps: a standard or similar object around which troops may gather. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > social relations > association, fellowship, or companionship > a company or body of persons > [noun] ferec975 flockOE gingc1175 rout?c1225 companyc1300 fellowshipc1300 covinc1330 eschelec1330 tripc1330 fellowred1340 choira1382 head1381 glub1382 partya1387 peoplec1390 conventc1426 an abominable of monksa1450 body1453 carol1483 band1490 compernagea1500 consorce1512 congregationa1530 corporationa1535 corpse1534 chore1572 society1572 crew1578 string1579 consort1584 troop1584 tribe1609 squadron1617 bunch1622 core1622 lag1624 studa1625 brigadea1649 platoon1711 cohort1719 lot1725 corps1754 loo1764 squad1786 brotherhood1820 companionhood1825 troupe1825 crowd1840 companionship1842 group1845 that ilk1845 set-out1854 layout1869 confraternity1872 show1901 crush1904 we1927 familia1933 shower1936 in R. H. Robbins Hist. Poems 14th & 15th Cent. (1959) 55 (MED) Takeþ wiþ ȝow Iohan Trewman and alle hijs felawes and no mo, and loke schappe ȝou to on heued and no mo. c1500 Three Kings' Sons (1895) 27 [They] haue so many noble lordes of their lynage, wherof they might full lightly fynde a suffisaunt hede. 1590 L. Lloyd Consent of Time 302 After twise or thrice good successe had against the Arabians and the Saracens, they gathered together vnder a head at Tangrolipix. 1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 i. iii. 278 To saue our heads by raising of a head. View more context for this quotation 1631 W. Gouge Gods Three Arrowes i. §69. 115 Korah..impudently gathered an head against Moses and Aaron. 1661 S. Pepys Diary 8 Jan. (1970) II. 8 Some talk today of a head of Fanatiques that doth appear about Barnett. 1781 G. Washington Let. 27 Mar. in Writings (1891) IX. 195 They cannot draw a head of men together as suddenly as their exigencies may require. †56. Forward momentum; headway, progress. Also: advance against an opposing force. Obsolete.Earliest attested in to get head, and chiefly in various verbal phrases: see also to keep head against at Phrases 4g(a), to make head against at Phrases 4k(a).to gather head: see gather v. 9. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > rate of motion > [noun] > rate of movement head1577 rate1751 pace-setting1893 headway1904 society > armed hostility > military operations > manoeuvre > [noun] > advance approach1489 head1577 advance1593 drive1837 push1916 wave1943 1577 R. Holinshed Chron. II. 1861/1 It will bee too soone perceyued though happily too late to stoppe the breache, when the floud hath gote head, and once wonne passage through the banke. 1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet iv. v. 99 Young Laertes in a riotous head Ore-beares your Officers. View more context for this quotation 1662 R. Mathews Unlearned Alchymist (new ed.) §31. 26 If one Fever have got head before this Pill be taken. 1680 H. More Apocalypsis Apocalypseos 209 The ancient zeal..will be much relaxated, and wickedness will get head again. 1709 D. Defoe in State Brit. Nation 5 Apr. sig. A3^v Had their Rabble got a little more Head, we might have come again into the laudable Practice of cutting of Throats, and cold Blood Murthers. 1762 London Chron. 11 Dec. 573/2 The fire having gained head before the alarm was given, the master of the house thought of nothing but saving his wife. 1806 J. Beresford Miseries Human Life I. i. 3 This ‘gypsy-jargon’..Which is gaining head upon us every hour. 1866 I. N. Arnold Hist. A. Lincoln xix. 434 There was..a riot in Boston, but it was so promptly met, as to gain no considerable head. 1926 T. E. Lawrence Seven Pillars (subscribers' ed.) civ. 553 When a desire gained head, I used to strive until I had just to open my hand and take it. 57. Freedom of action or manoeuvre. See also earlier to give (a horse) his (also her, its, etc.) head at Phrases 4e(b), to take head (see Phrases 4q(a)(ii)). ΘΚΠ society > authority > lack of subjection > freedom or liberty > freedom of action or from restraint > [noun] freedomOE freenesslOE libertya1393 licence?a1400 wilfulnessc1460 immunity1549 latitude1605 voluntariness1612 liberum arbitrium1642 free agencya1646 libertinism1649 unrestrainedness1698 unrestraint1755 relaxity1759 head1804 laissez-aller1818 unrestrictedness1825 uninhibitedness1947 1804 E. A. Le Noir Village Anecd. II. 296 No persons hold so tight a curb, as those who have felt the inconvenience of having had too much head. 1849 A. Jackson Tints from Amateur's Palette 29 The horses..ask, as plainly as they can for a little more ‘head’. 1862 S. Bowles Let. 7 July in G. S. Merriam Life & Times (1885) I. xxix. 369 I only want society and a little more head to be quite content and happy. 2004 Australian (Nexis) 5 Nov. 36 When I went to slip her a bit more head, she didn't find much for four or five strides. Phrases P1. Preceded by a preposition or prepositional phrase. a. above one's head: see above adv., prep., n., and adj. Phrases 7. b. Rugby. against the (loose) head: (with reference to winning a scrum) despite the opposing team holding the advantage by having the put-in. Cf. to win a tight head at tight adj., adv., and n.² Compounds 3.With reference to the fact that the loose head of the team putting in would be expected to help the hooker gain possession of the ball: see loose head n. at loose adj., n.², and adv. Compounds 2. ΚΠ 1953 Manch. Guardian 31 Dec. 8/2 By now the New Zealanders were winning the scrums fairly often against the loose head as well as with it. 1958 Times 2 Jan. 10/1 Hung..struck like a cobra to get the ball against the head. 1988 Rugby World & Post Nov. 37/1 Gloucester's front-row stood up well to the confrontation and hooker Dunn took two strikes against the head while conceding none. 2012 Herald Express (Torquay) (Nexis) 8 Mar. 111 The scrum won a ball against the head to make it 10-3 at the break. c. at the head of: see sense 36. d. by (also down by) the head. (a) Nautical. Of a ship: with the front or bows lower in the water than the stern, typically due to being unevenly loaded. Frequently with an expression of extent, as too much by the head, etc. Cf. sense 22b, (down) by the stern at stern n.³ 2b. ΚΠ 1662 T. Allin Jrnl. 30 June (1939) (modernized text) I. 92 He..would make his ship sail better, being too much by the head; but proved still the drag of the fleet. 1694 T. Phillips Jrnl. Voy. in Churchill's Coll. Voy. (1732) VI. 230/2 We fill'd all the empty buts we had in the hold with salt water, and brought her somewhat more by the head. 1762 C. F. Noble Voy. E. Indies 329 Finding the ship to..lie very dead in the water, occasioned by her being a great deal too much by the head. 1836 R. B. Paul Jrnl. Tour to Moscow xv. 186 She was a fat plethoric looking boat, so much down by the head, that she put me in mind of a man about to fall forward on his nose. 1874 W. M. Davis Nimrod of Sea xviii. 208 As we were a little down by the head, we brought from the forehatch ten casks of water, and rolled them aft. 1914 Sat. Evening Post 11 July 6/1 To Kent it was becoming more and more evident that she [sc. the ship] was down by the head. 1994 A. Seligman Slope of Wind (1998) xxv. 185 If she was too much by the head, she'd be a pig to steer. (b) colloquial (originally Nautical). Originally: †in a state of drunkenness or intoxication (obsolete). Later: mentally unbalanced, crazy. Now rare. ΚΠ 1708 D. Defoe Rev. State Brit. Nation 8 June 170 [He] runs forward, being as the Sailors call too much by the Head, and over sets Sir William's Chair and all, and falls upon him. 1732 Proc. Old Bailey 14 Jan. 62/1 I had been drinking frequently, and I may say heartily, in the City of London, so that I was got a little too much by the Head. 1792 Bee 14 Nov. 62 Will Gasket did not fetch the playhouse with the rest of the squadron. He had got a little by the head. 1849 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Mar. 326/1 He kept on talking and smiling, till he could walk off without seeming as if he'd got his sabre betwixt his feet; but I fancied him a little down by the head when he did go. 1860 Times 17 Dec. 10/5 He said he was a little by the head, but not drunk. a1941 in A. Brown Shadows & Cypress (2000) 41 She's a-little-by-the-head, so it hain't no wonder she done what she did. e. in the head of: see sense 36. f. in spite of a person's head (formerly also †spite of a person's head): in spite of, or in defiance of, a person. Cf. earlier maugre a person's head at maugre prep. 2. Now rare (archaic in later use). ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > qualification > [adverb] > despite everything nathemorea1200 in spite of a person's head?a1475 malgré tout1852 ?a1475 Ludus Coventriae (1922) 368 (MED) The disciplis..makyn..this merthe in spyth of oure hed. ?1533 W. Tyndale Expos. Mathew (v) f. xlv^v To serue their ennemyes and to obeye their cruelnesse and tyrannye spyte of their heedes in nede and necessite. 1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 114 He gaue them all to the French men in spight of their heades. 1905 C. Housman Life Sir Aglovale de Galis x. 100 I cannot allow your presumption that therefore you may riot like a rascal knave in spite of my head. g. †(a) of one's own head: of one's own accord; = on one's own head at Phrases 1i(b). Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > free will > [adverb] freelyeOE wilfullyc1000 by one's willOE of oneselfOE self-willesOE of one's own willOE willyOE with one's willc1175 voluntarilyc1374 wilfulc1380 of one's own heada1393 willea1400 willilya1400 of (free) voluntyc1402 of or at one's (own) voluntyc1402 of one's own motion1419 of (also by, with) one's (own) goodwill?a1425 on one's own heada1425 of (also by, on, upon) one's own accorda1450 activelyc1454 willinglyc1475 voluntary1480 liberallya1500 of one's own swinge1548 voluntariously1550 voluntarlyc1568 for favour1574 at voluntary1585 of, out of, upon, or at (a person's) own voluntary1585 selfly1595 motu proprio1603 ultroneously1627 unimposedly1647 spontaneously1660 needlessly1710 unmechanically1764 a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) ii. l. 2066 (MED) Ne feigned I semblant ne chiere To wite or axe of his matiere..Bot if he wolde axe eny red Al onlich of his oghne hed. 1420 in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1846) 3rd Ser. I. 69 I of myn owne heuesde have wryte vn to hym a lettre. 1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) ii. 121 Tak him as off yine awyne hewid As I had gevyn yar-to na reid. 1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. xxvij The master carpenter would woorke all of his awne hedde without counsayll. a1625 H. Finch Law (1627) ii. xviii. 181 He that entreth into land of his owne head, and receiueth the profits of it. 1687 A. Wood Life & Times (1894) III. 220 The bishop..sent it of his owne head. 1775 R. B. Sheridan Rivals v. iii. 93 It [sc. the pistol] may go off of its own head. 1800 T. Jefferson Let. 18 Jan. in Papers (2004) XXXI. 321 I do not propose to give you all this trouble merely of my own head. That would be arrogance. 1831 C. Lamb in Englishman's Mag. Oct. 137 He might have occasionally have escorted a party of ladies..that were going in; but he never went in of his own head. 1872 Law Times Rep. 19 Oct. 247/1 If he had done it of his own head.., but without the knowledge of the real plaintiff,..then it would be barratry. (b) of the first head. (i) Hunting. Of a male deer: that has reached the age, typically five years, when the antlers are first developed. Cf. sense 6, buck n.¹ 1b. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > male > [adjective] > having antlers > at certain age of the first headc1425 beamed1575 c1425 Twiti Venery (Vesp. B.xii) 151 The vj yere a hert at the fyrst hed..alleway we calle of the fyrst hed tyl that he be of x of the lasse. 1486 Bk. St. Albans sig. eiiij^v Robucke of the first hede he is at the iiij. yere. 1575 G. Gascoigne Noble Arte Venerie lxxix. 236 A Bucke is called the first yeare a Fawne,..the fifth a Bucke of the first head, and the sixth a Bucke. 1678 E. Howard Man of Newmarket i. 9 Such wilde ones..who burst out like Bucks of the first head. 1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth III. 128 The buck is..called..the fifth [year], a buck of the first head. 1823 W. Scott St. Ronan's Well III. v. 125 But here is my lord, just upon us like a stag of the first head. 1854 W. H. Ainsworth Flitch of Bacon iv. iii. 231 Wherever a place can be found for it, hangs the antlered skull of a great stag of the first head. 1921 E. Step Animal Life Brit. Isles 132 The fifth year shows further advance along the same lines, and the animal becomes known as a buck of the first head. (ii) figurative. Of a person (usually a man): (a) recently ennobled or raised in rank, parvenu; (b) that has only recently come to adulthood; esp. displaying the vigour, high spirits, immaturity, etc., considered typical of that age (esp. in buck of the first head; cf. buck n.¹ 2b); (c) unsurpassed, out-and-out; = of the first water at water n. Phrases 1e. Now chiefly in historical contexts. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > social class > nobility > rank > raising to noble rank > ennobled [phrase] > newly ennobled of the first head1509 1509 A. Barclay Brant's Shyp of Folys (Pynson) f. xix A fox furred Jentelman: of the fyrst yere or hede. ?1520 A. Barclay tr. Sallust Cron. Warre agaynst Iugurth Prol. f. v Gentylmen of y^e first heed which were wont to preuent auncyent noblemen & ascende vnto vertu, & nobles, by vertuous maners. 1583 Sir T. Smith's De Republica Anglorum xx. 28 Such men are called sometime in scorne gentlemen of the first head. a1627 H. Shirley Martyr'd Souldier (1638) v. sig. H3 The young fellowes..will runne into the parke of Matrimony at sixteene: are Bucks of the first head at eighteene. a1631 J. Downe Amulet 16 in Certaine Treat. (1633) Precedencie is any mans rather then the Ministers: euery Mammonist, euery younger brother, euery vpstart of the first head must haue the place from vs. a1637 B. Jonson Magnetick Lady ii. iii. 23 in Wks. (1640) III A Lady O' the first head I'ld have her. 1663 F. B. Vercingetorixa 3 [She] was to England come to wed A City-Chick of the first Head. 1771 Town & Country Mag. Mar. 150/2 Samon, notwithstanding his gown, threw off all reserve, and was a buck of the first head in the Garden. 1785 Town & Country Mag. Feb. 96/1 Alexander Allcant is a hypocrite of the first head, as you will soon perceive. 1835 London Lit. Gaz. 14 Mar. 164/3 He is a bibliomaniac and pedant of the first head. 1852 Southern Lit. Messenger Dec. 753/1 Tom Edmundson was a buck of the first head—gay, witty, dashing, vain, proud, handsome and volatile. 1895 All Year Round 16 Feb. 159/1 He..speedily gained admittance to many of the fashionable clubs... Nobody could deny that he was a buck of the first head. 1954 G. Heyer Toll-gate xv. 236 He's a Bartholomew baby, and thinks himself a buck of the first head. 1981 D. Chester French Slippers i. 25 Anyone with the least discernment could see at a glance that Lord du Vallon is to be trusted. A gentleman of the first head, obviously. 2012 S. Busbee Desire becomes Her v. 97 The Crown was far too respectable and staid to appeal to two gentlemen who considered themselves bucks of the first head. h. colloquial. off one's head: out of one's mind or wits, deranged, crazy; (in later use also) intoxicated, esp. by drugs (cf. off one's face at face n. Phrases 7). ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > mental health > mental illness > [adjective] > insanity or madness > affected with woodc725 woodsekc890 giddyc1000 out of (by, from, of) wit or one's witc1000 witlessc1000 brainsickOE amadc1225 lunaticc1290 madc1330 sickc1340 brain-wooda1375 out of one's minda1387 frenetica1398 fonda1400 formada1400 unwisea1400 brainc1400 unwholec1400 alienate?a1425 brainless1434 distract of one's wits1470 madfula1475 furious1475 distract1481 fro oneself1483 beside oneself1490 beside one's patience1490 dementa1500 red-wood?1507 extraught1509 misminded1509 peevish1523 bedlam-ripe1525 straughta1529 fanatic1533 bedlama1535 daft1540 unsounda1547 stark raving (also staring) mad1548 distraughted1572 insane1575 acrazeda1577 past oneself1576 frenzy1577 poll-mad1577 out of one's senses1580 maddeda1586 frenetical1588 distempered1593 distraught1597 crazed1599 diswitted1599 idle-headed1599 lymphatical1603 extract1608 madling1608 distracteda1616 informala1616 far gone1616 crazy1617 March mada1625 non compos mentis1628 brain-crazed1632 demented1632 crack-brained1634 arreptitiousa1641 dementate1640 dementated1650 brain-crackeda1652 insaniated1652 exsensed1654 bedlam-witteda1657 lymphatic1656 mad-like1679 dementative1685 non compos1699 beside one's gravity1716 hyte1720 lymphated1727 out of one's head1733 maddened1735 swivel-eyed1758 wrong1765 brainsickly1770 fatuous1773 derangedc1790 alienated1793 shake-brained1793 crack-headed1796 flighty1802 wowf1802 doitrified1808 phrenesiac1814 bedlamite1815 mad-braineda1822 fey1823 bedlamitish1824 skire1825 beside one's wits1827 as mad as a hatter1829 crazied1842 off one's head1842 bemadded1850 loco1852 off one's nut1858 off his chump1864 unsane1867 meshuga1868 non-sane1868 loony1872 bee-headed1879 off one's onion1881 off one's base1882 (to go) off one's dot1883 locoed1885 screwy1887 off one's rocker1890 balmy or barmy on (or in) the crumpet1891 meshuggener1892 nutty1892 buggy1893 bughouse1894 off one's pannikin1894 ratty1895 off one's trolley1896 batchy1898 twisted1900 batsc1901 batty1903 dippy1903 bugs1904 dingy1904 up the (also a) pole1904 nut1906 nuts1908 nutty as a fruitcake1911 bugged1920 potty1920 cuckoo1923 nutsy1923 puggled1923 blah1924 détraqué1925 doolally1925 off one's rocket1925 puggle1925 mental1927 phooey1927 crackers1928 squirrelly1928 over the edge1929 round the bend1929 lakes1934 ding-a-ling1935 wacky1935 screwball1936 dingbats1937 Asiatic1938 parlatic1941 troppo1941 up the creek1941 screwed-up1943 bonkers1945 psychological1952 out to lunch1955 starkers1956 off (one's) squiff1960 round the twist1960 yampy1963 out of (also off) one's bird1966 out of one's skull1967 whacked out1969 batshit1971 woo-woo1971 nutso1973 out of (one's) gourd1977 wacko1977 off one's meds1986 1842 T. Hood Turtles in New Monthly Mag. June 273 He was ‘off his head’. 1872 W. Black Strange Adventures Phaeton xiii. 177 He is off his head: he does not know what he says. a1884 M. Pattison Mem. (1885) 156 One poor girl went off her head in the midst of all. 1922 S. Anderson Winesburg Ohio 207 He had heard the old man spoken of as a little off his head. 1993 J. Green It: Sex since Sixties 142 We were both on E and both really off our heads and we both rolled around my bed for an hour and a half. 2000 I. Rankin Beggars Banquet (2002) 95 They told me I was off my head, said I was potty. 2011 Daily Tel. 18 July 18/5 He got off his head on drugs and alcohol, and then swung from the plinth dedicated to ‘The Glorious Dead’. i. (a) on a person's head. [After post-classical Latin in caput eius onto his head, onto her head (Vulgate).] (i) Of a misfortune, curse, blessing, etc.: directed towards a person; so as to affect a person; on a person. ΚΠ OE King Ælfred tr. Psalms (Paris) (2001) vii. 16 Gehweorfe his sar on his heafod [L. in caput eius], and on his brægn astige his unriht. 1509 Kynge Rycharde Cuer du Lyon (de Worde) sig. E.v^v Many men weneth to greue other And on his heed [c1330 Auchinleck on himself; c1450 BL Add. 31042 one his ownne hede] falleth the fother. ?1550 W. Samuel Warnyng for Cittie of London Ye brynge the curse of God, dayly on your heade. 1581 J. Keltridge Two Serm. sig. B.iij^v Glorie is on his head, honour and renowne are a couering for that man. 1735 A. Pope Prol. to Satires in Wks. II. 340 The distant Threats of Vengeance on his head. 1793 H. M. Williams Lett. France IV. iv. 151 We..imprecate curses on their heads. 1845 C. G. Duffy in Spirit of Nation 31 Yes, this is their own work; and now their work be on their head! 1920 C. C. Dobie Ilya of Murom i. 17 He who revives us with drink, He who sustains us with bread,..Blessings be on his head! 2003 K. Daswani For Matrimonial Purposes (U.K. ed.) 92 She put a curse on your head that your first-born would never marry. (ii) So as to be the responsibility of a person; weighing on a person. ΚΠ a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Josh. ii. 19 The blood of hym schal be on his heed [a1382 E.V. into his hed, L. in caput eius], that goith out at the dore of thin hows. 1592 Arden of Feversham sig. K^v My bloode be on his head that gaue the sentence. a1616 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor (1623) ii. i. 174 What hee gets more of her, then sharpe words, let it lye on my head . View more context for this quotation 1869 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest III. xii. 253 If Harold sinned, his guilt was on his own head. 1916 R. Kipling Let. 9 Nov. (1999) IV. 416 If I didn't do what I could to get him out I'd feel I had his blood on my head. 1984 M. Horowitz et al. Personality Styles & Brief Psychotherapy iv. 83 His death was on her head, and she had to feel guilty. (iii) be it on a person's (own) head: let the person specified be held responsible for something, or accept any unpleasant consequences of a chosen course of action. Now chiefly in on your (also his, her, etc.) head be it. ΚΠ 1743 R. Pococke Descr. East I. iv. v. 182 When they promise it [sc. protection], they put their hands up to their turbants, as much as to say, Be it on their heads. 1822 ‘R. M'Chronicle’ Legends Scotl. I. 209 Very well, madam,..then be it on your own head.—My friends, remove the lady to the carriage. 1831 R. P. Smith Forsaken I. xvi. 190 ‘That will I answer for,’ replied Lindsay, astounded at his coolness. ‘Then on your head be it.’ 1968 ‘O. Mills’ Sundry Fell Designs iv. 41 ‘Turnpenny asked me to do it.’ ‘Oh, well, on Turnpenny's head be it.’ 1991 E. Barker O Caledonia (1992) xi. 148 And you won't like being here by yourself one bit. On your own head be it. 2001 G. Joseph Homegrown ii. 32 I told him, ‘On your head be it,’ but he doesn't want to listen. (b) on one's own head: by one's own decision, of one's own accord; on one's own account. Cf. of one's own head at Phrases 1g(a). Now rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > free will > [adverb] freelyeOE wilfullyc1000 by one's willOE of oneselfOE self-willesOE of one's own willOE willyOE with one's willc1175 voluntarilyc1374 wilfulc1380 of one's own heada1393 willea1400 willilya1400 of (free) voluntyc1402 of or at one's (own) voluntyc1402 of one's own motion1419 of (also by, with) one's (own) goodwill?a1425 on one's own heada1425 of (also by, on, upon) one's own accorda1450 activelyc1454 willinglyc1475 voluntary1480 liberallya1500 of one's own swinge1548 voluntariously1550 voluntarlyc1568 for favour1574 at voluntary1585 of, out of, upon, or at (a person's) own voluntary1585 selfly1595 motu proprio1603 ultroneously1627 unimposedly1647 spontaneously1660 needlessly1710 unmechanically1764 a1425 (a1400) Prick of Conscience (Galba & Harl.) (1863) l. 8874 Yhit wille I ymagyn, on myne awen hede, Ffor to gyf it a descripcion. 1563 Bp. J. Pilkington Burnynge of Paules Church sig. I.vii^v All such relygyous woorshyppinge of God, as manne deuises on hys owne heade, and is not taught in the holye Scrypture. 1595 W. Perkins Expos. Creed Apostles 292 Ioseph [of Arimathea]..doth it not on his owne head without leaue, but he goeth to Pilate and beggeth the body of Christ. 1656 J. Bramhall Replic. to Bishop of Chalcedon iii. 133 If the persons so banished will return on their own heads. 1744 W. Warburton Remarks Occas. Refl. v. 103 [He] could never, on his own Head, have thought of reducing an unruly People to Government on Maxims of Religion and Policy fundamentally opposite to all the Principles of Egyptian Wisdom. 1794 J. Impey Mod. Pleader 157 Mal-feasance, is when a man does something purposely on his own head, fancy, or humour, without any express agreement, implication, or requiring of law. 1840 Colonial Gaz. 5 Feb. 82/2 The new Secretary..has heard of Mr. Mothercountry's influence; and he is determined that he will act on his own head. 1894 F. B. Meyer Bells of Is 43 ‘Are you doing this on your own head?’ Richard asked. ‘Yes,’ said I; ‘I don't know who's to help me.’ 1922 Southeastern Reporter 110 774/2 The defendant on his own head decided to remit to a great corporation the sum of $110,000 in taxes. †(c) on head. (i) Precipitately, hastily; rashly, thoughtlessly; headlong. Also on a head. Cf. ahead adv. 1. Obsolete.to fly on head: see fly v.¹ 3a. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > manner of action > rapidity or speed of action or operation > with rapid action [phrase] > in haste or in a hurry > with undue or rash haste on headc1425 hand over heada1500 in haste?1518 hot on (also of, in, upon) the spur1577 a1325 (?c1300) Northern Passion (Cambr. Gg.1.1) l. 944 (MED) Pilat was aparti greuid, For þai speken in heuid.] c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) ii. l. 4733 (MED) As bolde as Baiard is, þe blynde, Þat cast no peril what wey þat he fynde, Riȝt so wil I stumble forþe on hede. 1557 Earl of Surrey et al. Songes & Sonettes (new ed.) f. 111 He that bluntly runnes on hed, And seeth not what the race shal be: Is like to bring a foole to bed. 1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus Abruptum ingenium, a rashe braine that doth all things on heade. 1572 J. Bridges tr. R. Gwalther Hundred, Threescore & Fiftene Homelyes vppon Actes Apostles Ep. sig. C.4^v They shall..see howe you haue done nothing rashly, and on a head. (ii) Straight forward; in or towards the front; = ahead adv. 2. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > forward movement > forward [phrase] on head1575 1575 G. Gascoigne Noble Arte Venerie lxi. 172 If she [sc. the hare] helde on head, then let him beate with his houndes still onwardes on bothe sides of the way. 1590 E. Spenser Muiopotmos 420 Some vngracious blast..perforce him [sc. the butterfly] droue on hed. 1672 H. Savile True Relation Engagem. with Dutch Fleet 4 Sir F. Holles in the Cambridge, came..on Head of us. 1687 tr. Rel. Late Embassy to Court of King of Siam 33 [The barges] of the Great Mandarins..were very fine, and were on head of us. 1736 Compl. Family-piece ii. i. 208 'Tis the nature of the Hart, when he is close pursued..to make forth on Head. j. (a) out of a person's head: from a person's mind, imagination, or invention. Often in the more emphatic form out of a person's own head. Frequently somewhat colloquial. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > inventive or creative faculty > [adjective] > of one's own invention of one's own study1529 out of a person's own head1548 self-devised1608 1548 G. Joye tr. A. Osiander Coniectures Ende of Worlde iv. sig. Fiij When he speketh lyes, he speketh them oute of hys owne head [L. ex propriis]. 1599 T. Bilson Effect Certaine Serm. 404 You tell a long and a foolish tale of death out of your owne heade. 1653 J. Bramhall Answer to M. de la Militiere 203 He that..denies a temporall Kingdom to give an eternall, doth not wrong us. This was out of your head. 1680 R. L'Estrange Narr. of Plot 17 He made Several Alterations..in the Epistle, out of his own head, after it was composed at the Presse. 1719 D. Defoe Farther Adventures Robinson Crusoe 280 It came from you, and not out of my own Head. 1820 Eclectic Rev. Sept. 164 All this, not being in Burton, we take it for granted is out of Mr. Keats's own head, as the children say. 1875 B. Jowett tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) I. 288 Were not all these answers given out of his own head? 1919 Times 25 Nov. 15/5 He..drew scraggy animals out of his own head. 1991 J. Richardson Life of Picasso I. xxix. 455 He sat down and out of his head painted the head in without having seen Gertrude Stein again. 2003 M. Warnock in J. Baggini & J. Stangroom What Philosophers Think (2005) xv. 159 She had these amazing ideas which turned out to be very like Leibniz's.., but they seem to have come entirely out of her own head. (b) colloquial. out of one's head: = out of one's mind at mind n.¹ 20c. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > mental health > mental illness > [adjective] > insanity or madness > affected with woodc725 woodsekc890 giddyc1000 out of (by, from, of) wit or one's witc1000 witlessc1000 brainsickOE amadc1225 lunaticc1290 madc1330 sickc1340 brain-wooda1375 out of one's minda1387 frenetica1398 fonda1400 formada1400 unwisea1400 brainc1400 unwholec1400 alienate?a1425 brainless1434 distract of one's wits1470 madfula1475 furious1475 distract1481 fro oneself1483 beside oneself1490 beside one's patience1490 dementa1500 red-wood?1507 extraught1509 misminded1509 peevish1523 bedlam-ripe1525 straughta1529 fanatic1533 bedlama1535 daft1540 unsounda1547 stark raving (also staring) mad1548 distraughted1572 insane1575 acrazeda1577 past oneself1576 frenzy1577 poll-mad1577 out of one's senses1580 maddeda1586 frenetical1588 distempered1593 distraught1597 crazed1599 diswitted1599 idle-headed1599 lymphatical1603 extract1608 madling1608 distracteda1616 informala1616 far gone1616 crazy1617 March mada1625 non compos mentis1628 brain-crazed1632 demented1632 crack-brained1634 arreptitiousa1641 dementate1640 dementated1650 brain-crackeda1652 insaniated1652 exsensed1654 bedlam-witteda1657 lymphatic1656 mad-like1679 dementative1685 non compos1699 beside one's gravity1716 hyte1720 lymphated1727 out of one's head1733 maddened1735 swivel-eyed1758 wrong1765 brainsickly1770 fatuous1773 derangedc1790 alienated1793 shake-brained1793 crack-headed1796 flighty1802 wowf1802 doitrified1808 phrenesiac1814 bedlamite1815 mad-braineda1822 fey1823 bedlamitish1824 skire1825 beside one's wits1827 as mad as a hatter1829 crazied1842 off one's head1842 bemadded1850 loco1852 off one's nut1858 off his chump1864 unsane1867 meshuga1868 non-sane1868 loony1872 bee-headed1879 off one's onion1881 off one's base1882 (to go) off one's dot1883 locoed1885 screwy1887 off one's rocker1890 balmy or barmy on (or in) the crumpet1891 meshuggener1892 nutty1892 buggy1893 bughouse1894 off one's pannikin1894 ratty1895 off one's trolley1896 batchy1898 twisted1900 batsc1901 batty1903 dippy1903 bugs1904 dingy1904 up the (also a) pole1904 nut1906 nuts1908 nutty as a fruitcake1911 bugged1920 potty1920 cuckoo1923 nutsy1923 puggled1923 blah1924 détraqué1925 doolally1925 off one's rocket1925 puggle1925 mental1927 phooey1927 crackers1928 squirrelly1928 over the edge1929 round the bend1929 lakes1934 ding-a-ling1935 wacky1935 screwball1936 dingbats1937 Asiatic1938 parlatic1941 troppo1941 up the creek1941 screwed-up1943 bonkers1945 psychological1952 out to lunch1955 starkers1956 off (one's) squiff1960 round the twist1960 yampy1963 out of (also off) one's bird1966 out of one's skull1967 whacked out1969 batshit1971 woo-woo1971 nutso1973 out of (one's) gourd1977 wacko1977 off one's meds1986 1733 M. Shelton tr. M. Warren Epist. to Friend vi. 40 At Midnight he talked wild, and before Morning was quite out of his Head [L. obstupuit]. 1764 Dialogue Late Declar. & Remonstr. Back-inhabitants Pennsylvania 4 Mr. Zealot, I believe, is out of his Head. 1817 Monthly Repository Feb. 91/1 ‘Surely that man is out of his head,’ was no uncommon exclamation, on hearing his vociferation and seeing the wildness of his gestures. 1878 H. James French Poets & Novelists 428 Pathelin pretends to be out of his head. 1902 C. E. Jefferson Quiet Hints Preachers xiii. 103 If they could not understand what was going on they..might think Christians out of their head. 1960 H. Gold Love & Like 207 He's banned from Manhattan clubs. Tried to play the Embers stoned out of his head. 1986 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 23 June c11 When they came to one of my recitals they sat there bored out of their heads. 2011 M. Carlson Christmas Shoppe x. 89 The rumor spread..that Matilda Honeycutt was out of her head—certifiably nuts. k. over a person's head. (a) (i) literal. = overhead adv. 2a.a roof over one's head: see roof n. Phrases 1. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > high position > [adverb] > overhead over a person's headOE abovea1225 overheada1398 above-head1548 overtop1776 the world > space > relative position > high position > in a high position [phrase] > over one's head over a person's headOE OE tr. Vitas Patrum in B. Assmann Angelsächsische Homilien u. Heiligenleben (1889) 198 He cwæð, þæt he geseage up on heahnesse þære heofonan ane culfran flyceriende ofer his heafod. c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 2217 (MED) ‘Abyde,’ quoþ on, on þe bonke abouen ouer his hede. 1573 D. P. Certaine Rules Geogr. sig. Aiv Imagine a poynt or pricke directly ouer your head, which is called Zenith. 1665 R. Boyle Occas. Refl. iv. ii. sig. Aa4^v Larks..hovering and singing a while over our Heads. 1752 J. Hill Gen. Nat. Hist. III. 421 We have the wild goose flying over our heads..in vast flocks. 1833 S. Smith Life & Writings Major Jack Downing 17 The balls were whistling over our heads. 1883 M. W. Hungerford Rossmoyne III. v. 156 You will have the roof burned over your head one of these dark nights. 1893 O. Schreiner Story Afr. Farm ii. i. 132 Some pale-green, hairy-leaved bushes..meet over our head. 1954 Coast to Coast 1953–4 1 He heard the chattering of blue jays and wattle-birds over his head. 1998 Skydiving Mar. 47 (advt.) Over my head was the most beautiful rainbow colored Raven IV Reserve [parachute] you ever saw. 2008 J. Franzen in New Yorker 21 Apr. 96/3 I saw a tracer round cross the sky over our heads. (ii) Of an impending event, or an overwhelming or oppressive force: so as to constitute a threat or danger; (also) so as to be a source of dread or anxiety. Chiefly and earliest in to hang over (one's) head at hang v. 12b.Often as part of an extended metaphor referring to something (notionally) located physically overhead. ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > occurrence > future events > [phrase] > in store (for) over a person's headc1390 in store for1657 in for1773 c1390 in C. Brown Relig. Lyrics 14th Cent. (1924) 146 (MED) Þer nis non so stif ne stronge..Bi-hold what ouer hor hed con honge. a1450 (c1410) H. Lovelich Hist. Holy Grail xiii. l. 393 He preyde hem..That Neuere non of hem ne scholden fle, What Aventure that henge Ouer here hed. 1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 2 The daungers hangyng ouer theyr heades. a1677 T. Manton Serm. (1678) I. ii. 23 As long as this black Storm hangs over your head, and you know not how soon it will drop upon you, you cannot be accounted happy Men. 1710 Medley 6 Nov. The Marquis d'Ancre frighted with the Storm that was gathering over his Head, often press'd his Wife to go back with him to Italy. 1763 O. Goldsmith Martial Rev. 128 His Prussian Majesty, all this while, had the terrible junction of the Russians with the Austrians and Imperialists hanging over his head. 1823 H. Lee Kruitzner 60 Such was the enemy that hung over the head of the unhappy Siegendorf! 1848 C. Brontë Let. 28 Feb. (2000) II. 35 Years are heavy on him, the sword of Damocles has long been hanging over his head. 1887 R. F. Burton tr. Arabian Nights' Entertainm.: Suppl. Nights III. dxlii. 100 Present Death hovereth over my head except I win my will. 1917 United Mine Workers Jrnl. 25 Oct. 6/2 [The coal miner] is today the most important factor in the great commercial and military crisis hovering over our head. 1992 Palm Beach (Florida) Post (Nexis) 21 Jan. d3 After Mattox retired in 1957 as a newspaper editor..he moved to West Palm Beach... ‘I didn't have a deadline over my head all the time,’ he said. 1994 Entertainm. Weekly 29 Apr. 42 The specter of the show entering syndication next fall looms over his head. (b) (i) In such a way as to ignore or discount the authority, prior claim, etc., of the person concerned; without consulting or informing the person affected.Used esp. with reference to promotion to a higher position, better job, etc., or (in early use) to commercial transactions (cf. to buy over a person's head at buy v. Phrases 3). ΘΚΠ society > morality > dueness or propriety > moral impropriety > improperly [phrase] > by unwarranted claim or appropriation > passing over one having prior claim over a person's heada1500 a1500 Consail & Teiching Vys Man (Cambr. Kk.1.5) in R. Girvan Ratis Raving & Other Early Scots Poems (1939) 77 A levand mannys benefyce,..Na our his hed to tak his land Desyr nocht. 1551 T. Lever Serm. xiiii. December (new ed.) sig. H.iii They take one anothers ferme ouer their heades. 1630 R. Norton tr. W. Camden Hist. Princesse Elizabeth i. 74 [He] deuorcing his first wife, marryed ouer her head in her life time. a1661 T. Fuller Worthies (1662) i. 18 The Younger being often brought over the head of the elder to be Principal. 1800 ‘Homo’ Considerations Present High Price Corn 20 Those frightful apprehensions, of having his farm purchased over his head, by some speculative character. 1822 M. Graham Jrnl. 25 Nov. in Captain's Wife (1993) 139 My house is let over my head to some persons who..have bribed the landlord to let it to them. 1887 Times 31 Oct. 9/3 It is no compliment..that an ex-diplomatist should be chosen for promotion over their heads. 1902 Chambers's Jrnl. Nov. 716/2 The traveller..finds himself called upon..to soften and explain away amenities which have been unwisely transmitted by letter, exchanged, as it were ‘over his head’. 1955 A. L. Rowse Diary 13 June (2003) 241 I wasn't best pleased when it was arranged over my head that I should drive her back. 1988 Sydney Morning Herald (Nexis) 6 July 1 Not only was it not done over my head, it was done with my complete co-operation. 2005 Independent 28 Nov. (.media section) 3/1 [He] finally drove Newland nuts by bringing in senior staff over his head. (ii) Originally U.S. colloquial. to go over a person's head: to approach or consult a higher authority than the person affected, generally without consulting or informing him or her. ΚΠ 1909 Sat. Evening Post 2 Oct. 10/1 I put myself in Dutch by trying to go over your head. 1916 Rotarian July 47/2 That will make it meet the approval of Ned's directors and it will not look as if he is going over the head of his cashier. 1970 P. Berton National Dream v. i. 195 With Edgar thus disposed of, Walkem meant to go over Mackenzie's head to the Crown itself. 2006 C. Murray Murder in Samarkand x. 152 I even copied in Michael Jay on the correspondence. In fact, I seem to recall you complained I was going over your head. (c) Of a period of time or an (esp. unpleasant) experience: so as to elapse or pass by; finished with, endured; over, past. Cf. to pass over head at overhead adv. 4. Now chiefly North American regional. ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > the past > past [phrase] over a person's head1578 1578 J. Lyly Euphues f. 63^v Appelles..would lette no day passe ouer his heade without a lyne, without some labour. 1675 Rutherford's Lett. (new ed.) iii. 56 When all these strokes are over your head, what will you say, to see your welbeloved. 1686 G. Burnet Lett. Present State Italy iii. 118 I have now another Month over my head since I writ last to you. 1755 A. Ramsay Epist. to J. Clerk 69 Now seventy years are o'er my head. 1832 C. Willard & W. Willard Let. 26 Aug. in Eng. Immigrant Voices (2000) 40 There was not a day went over our heads but what there was a quarrelling or a fighting. 1866 Every Sat. 27 Jan. 95/2 I could even now narrate the substance of the book, although at least fifteen years must have passed over my head since I read it. 1886 H. Smart Outsider I. ii. 26 Ere many more days were over her head! a1908 E. Carpenter in Intermediate Sex (1908) App. 152 Years of the most racking mental agony have gone over my head without killing me. 1944 Publ. Amer. Dial. Soc. No. 2. 34 The worst day and night I ever put over my head. 1971 Idaho State Jrnl. 28 Nov. d3/1 All the years that have passed over my head since then do not seem to have changed me much. (d) (i) To such a depth of water, etc., that the head is submerged; so as to be completely submerged or immersed. Also figurative: deeply immersed or involved in something. Also over the head. See also over head and ears at Phrases 3e(a). Cf. overhead adv. 2b. ΚΠ ?1610 J. Fletcher Faithfull Shepheardesse ii. sig. D4^v This holy well..Hath power to change the forme of any creature, Being thrice dipt ouer the head, into [etc.]. 1654 E. Leigh Syst. Divinity viii. viii. 665 Many in hotter climates at some times of the year cannot be plunged over the head in cold water without hazard of life or health. 1766 App. to 5th Edition of Dr. Brookes's Gen. Pract. Physic 79 The Patient is soon suffocated; as effectually, though more slowly, as if he was immersed over the Head in it. 1777 T. Campbell Philos. Surv. S. Ireland xxvii. 259 What artillery in all the magazines of wisdom can make any impression on ignorance, intrenched over the head in prejudice. 1829 H. L. Maw Jrnl. Passage from Pacific to Atlantic ix. 248 The boat having paid-off on striking the bank, he went over his head in the water. 1866 All Year Round 17 Nov. 448/2 The three men despaired of reaching the rope. The first was twice plunged over his head in the water. 1890 J. Martine Reminisc. 14 Parishes County of Haddington 124 The tub ‘couped’, and both lads were over the head in the water. 1920 Harper's Mag. Aug. 363/1 We have plunged over our heads into a sea of religious and spiritual curiosity. 1975 Field & Stream June 76/3 The next thing I knew I was in water over my head. 2010 E. Lockhart Real Live Boyfriends ix. 96 Then I was over my head in the bitter water, and Gideon was steering the boat around to pick me up. (ii) colloquial (originally U.S.). to be in over one's head: to be involved in something that is beyond one's capacity, or too difficult for one to deal with. Cf. out of one's depth at depth n. Phrases. ΚΠ 1888 H. Clews Twenty-eight Years Wall Street lix. 680 It was a Waterloo..for Jerome and his fellow bulls. They were in over their heads... They immediately threw up the sponge and the stock came down with a crash. 1900 M. G. Morrison Sea-farers 107 ‘I will give you five thousand dollars to start in an honest business.’.. ‘I'm in too deep. I'm in over my head... Can't you understand?’ 1965 L. Roman P.S. I love You i. 30 You see, all through our marriage I'd been wondering if maybe I was in over my head. 2008 Vanity Fair Feb. 123/2 Indiana Jones gets in over his head and he can't handle it. It's only by sheer, last-second skill, or luck,..that he actually gets himself out of it. (e) Beyond a person's comprehension or intellectual capacity. Cf. above one's head at above adv., prep., n., and adj. Phrases 7.Originally as part of an extended metaphor of flight. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > [adverb] > beyond understanding beyond or out of one's depth1623 over a person's heada1626 the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > unintelligibility > [adverb] inscrutably1597 unknownly1611 inaccessibly1621 over a person's heada1626 unconceivably1630 indiscernibly1636 unintelligibly1664 unimaginably1666 unsearchably1706 impenetrably1759 unfathomablya1822 unrecognizably1836 incomprehensibly1863 untraceably1875 indigestibly1977 a1626 F. Bacon Advt. Holy Warre in Certaine Misc. Wks. (1629) 86 That Worke..flies too high ouer Mens Heads. 1791 W. Maxwell in J. Boswell Life Johnson anno 1770 I. 341 He [sc. Johnson] observed, that..polished periods and glittering sentences flew over the heads of the common people, without any impression upon their hearts. 1836 C. MacFarlane Bk. Table-talk I. lix. 297 He knew the danger of talking over the heads of his popular congregations, and thence arose his fondness for common sayings and proverbs. 1886 H. Smart Outsider II. ii. 20 Welstead quickly became cognizant that his wife was over his head. 1922 Industr. Managem. Sept. 139/1 The book-keeping system we use is quite over my head. 1977 Ebony Dec. 34 The academic material was completely over his head. 2006 K. Montgomery How Doctors Think vii. 118 The neuro stuff on scans was way over my head back then. l. to a person's head: = to a person's face at face n. Phrases 4c. Formerly also †unto a person's head. Chiefly U.S. colloquial and English regional in later use. ΚΠ 1578 T. Garter Commody of Susanna sig. E.iij Oh now thou lyest thou wicked man, vnto thy head I speake, And looke that God his vengeance will with shame vpon thee wreake. 1600 W. Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream i. i. 106 Demetrius, Ile auouch it to his heade, Made loue to Nedars daughter, Helena, And won her soule. View more context for this quotation 1607 T. Rogers Faith, Doctr., & Relig. sig. ¶¶¶¶2 The..London Brethren tell K. Iames to his head, how the Subscription..is more then the Lawe requireth. 1680 C. Darby Bacchanalia Epil. 14 As if she wou'd Now tell you, to your Head, 'Tis you alone, But whom she's scorch't, disordred, and undone. 1724 T. Atkinson Diary 15 Mar. in Reg. Officers & Members Soc. Colonial Wars New Hampsh. (1907) 36 The Indian Sd he was a warr^r & if the Govr Denyed it he would tell it to his head. 1759 R. Forster Let. 27 Aug. in Coll. towards Parochial Hist. Berks. (1783) 57 When they [sc. the inhabitants of Shefford] should say, I told him so to his face, they say, I told him so to his head. a1825 R. Forby Vocab. E. Anglia (1830) (at cited word) We say, ‘I told him so to his head’, not to his face, which is the usual phrase. 1866 Every Sat. 22 Dec. 745/2 If he asked you tenpence a pound for sirloin, and you thought that ninepence was a plenty for it, you would have no scruples about telling him so to his head. 1919 I. Zangwill Jinny the Carrier xiii. 582 That Christy Dolphin [i.e. Christadelphian] stuff..don't bring the peace of God, and Oi'll tell her sow to her head the next time she's at me to be a Jew! 1974 N. Shaw & T. Rosengarten All God's Dangers 163 I said, ‘Don't you hit me with that shovel’—told him to his head, didn't bite my tongue. 2009 J. Burditt Ones in 30 Rock (NBC TV script: shooting draft) 3rd Ser. Episode 19. 6 I love Jack so much, I don't know if I have the strength to tell him to his head. m. †(a) upon one's own head (occasionally also upon one's head): = on one's own head at Phrases 1i(b). Obsolete. ΚΠ 1442 T. Bekington Let. in G. Williams Mem. Reign Henry VI (1872) II. 192 (MED) His fals famed message that he dide..upon his owne hed, wheras..he was commaunded oonly to seke to Sr. Ro. Roos and to folowe his direction. 1454 T. Howes in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 106 I meovyd to hym vpon myn hed..that thanne it were a good maryage. 1549 M. Coverdale et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. II. Eph. i. f. ii Not vpon myne owne head or by mennes Commissyon, but by the Autoritie and commaundemente of God the father. 1579 L. Tomson tr. J. Calvin Serm. Epist. S. Paule to Timothie & Titus 1/2 That he [sc. St. Paul] thrust not in himselfe, vppon his owne head, but that he was appointed of God. 1618 T. Taylor Christs Combate & Conquest 76 Whether you went by warrant, or vpon your owne head. 1679 Bp. J. Williams Impartial Consideration Speeches Five Jesuits 23 He did it upon his own head, and out of private Revenge. 1707 J. Freind Acct. Earl of Peterborow's Conduct in Spain 123 He had quitted the army in discontent and upon his own head. (b) upon a person's head: = on a person's head at Phrases 1i(a). ΚΠ 1553 Admon. Bishoppes sig. A.ii An euerliuyng God that..wyl call all thynges into iudgement and to accompt and wyl render to euerye one his iust recompence vpon hys head. a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) v. iii. 124 You Gods looke downe, And from your sacred Viols poure your graces Vpon my daughters head. View more context for this quotation 1660 G. Wither Speculum Speculativum 53 The Doom..will without all peradventure come Upon your heads. 1799 C. B. Brown Ormond xxvi. 293 All our toils will thus be frustrated, and the ruin will finally redound upon our heads. 1820 H. Murray Hist. Acct. Discov. & Trav. in Asia I. i. viii. 388 The Gentoos..coolly observed, that the blood was upon his head, and that they..could not be responsible for his barbarous conduct. 1847 Sharpe's London Mag. 21 Aug. 262/2 If evil or disgrace should befall you or yours in consequence, upon your own head be it. 1871 Hist. Mag. July 70/1 The displeasure of the good ‘Manido’ is upon his head. 1912 E. M. House Philip Dru xii. 77 Be candid with me, for, if you are not, the recoil will be upon your own head. 1998 R. Newman Manners 223 As if he's riding away to certain death and this is a blessing upon his head. 2008 D. Liss Whiskey Rebels 485 If my fall brings about the ruin of the nation, it will be upon Hamilton's head. †(c) upon head: = on head at Phrases 1i(c). Also upon a head. Obsolete. ΚΠ c1440 (?a1400) Morte Arthure l. 261 (MED) Thou countez no caas, ne castes no forthire Bot hurles furthe appon heuede, as thi herte thynkes. a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) II. 633 And thus, hastely and uppon hede..he sente for prynce Bodwyne. 1555 W. Waterman tr. J. Boemus Fardle of Facions i. iii. 36 Roilyng and rowmyng vpon heade, heather and thether. 1579 T. North tr. Plutarch Liues 162 So went Lucius vpon a head to present battell to the enemie. 1617 T. Taylor Davids Learning ix. 364 This is no bridle for thee, thou runst vpon head without rule or reynes of moderation and sobrietie. 1622 F. Bacon Hist. Raigne Henry VII 141 Rebells contrariwise runne vpon an Head together in confusion. P2. Preceding an adverb or preposition. a. colloquial (originally and chiefly British). to get one's head around and variants: to master or fully comprehend (a subject or fact), esp. despite initial difficulty or reluctance; (also) to come to terms with (a situation). Cf. to get to grips with at grip n.¹ 2a. ΚΠ 1922 Gem 15 July 18 Wait a minute, my boy. Let me get my head round it. 1947 S. Lewis Kingsblood Royal xxxiii. 205 You've simply got to keep all this dark till I can think it over and get my head around it. 1981 Aviation Week & Space Technol. (Nexis) 23 Feb. 59 Seitz predicted this work would be controversial, but said it is inevitable ‘because we're not building things that any one person can get his head around any more’. 1998 Independent 3 Aug. i. 4/2 Mr Forbes has had longer than most to get his head around the idea that the state-of-the-art plant is going to close. He was informed last Monday. 2012 ‘Gentle Author’ Spitalfields Life 259/2 So many have pegged out. I can't get my head round it. I suppose I'm next for the chop. b. British, Australian, and New Zealand colloquial. to do a person's head in: to confuse, annoy, or exasperate a person; to drive a person to distraction. Cf. to do in 3a at do v. Phrasal verbs 2, to do one's nut at nut n.¹ 12c. ΚΠ 1967 Sun 22 Feb. 6/6 I did his head, I aggravated him.] 1972 G. Greer in Playboy Jan. 82/2 I don't think I'm going to sign another copy of a book in a bookstore for the rest of my life... It really used to do my head in, because people would buy the book just for the autograph. 1992 Guardian 10 Nov. 5/4 The trouble with selling coke is that it really does your head in. 1998 A. Wood EastEnders (BBC TV script) (O.E.D. Archive) Episode 602. 36 You'd better make up with her soon Bianca 'cos you're doing my head in. 2008 Sunday Herald (Glasgow) 2 Nov. (Mag.) 19 Those six-digit gas meter reading figures do my head in. c. colloquial. (a) to beat (also lick) a person's head off: to defeat a person easily or by a considerable margin. Now rare. ΚΠ 1780 T. Davies Mem. Life David Garrick II. xlvi. 244 Mr. Garrick used to say, that he would beat Barry's head off in telling all stories but Irish ones. 1855 Sporting Rev. Jan. 33 Sam informed his brother..that he could ‘lick their heads off’. 1856 G. L. H. in V. Dayrell Weeds from Isis 39 ‘Scroggins’ won the Rio Branco Derby, beating ‘Cauliflower's’ head off. 1880 Brentano's Monthly Dec. 246 Don't let W. G. read this. Alfred Mynn would have licked W. G.'s head off at single wicket. 1885 Jrnl. Educ. Jan. 49/1 A. would gain a scholarship at X. College, while B., who could beat A.'s head off at school, was rejected at Y. college. 1929 J. B. Booth London Town ix. 157 Market men..who periodically dropped in to state..that at balancing bushel baskets they could ‘lick Mullins' head off’. 1938 Times 27 May 7/1 He not only beat him, but beat his head off. 1948 Bradford (Pa.) Era 25 Sept. 3/2 West could win the next lead and beat his head off with hearts and clubs. (b) (i) to —— a person's head off and variants: to —— until a person is exhausted, or to an unbearable or wearisome degree; (later also in weakened use) to —— with great vigour or intensity, at great length, etc.Esp. with verbs of speaking; cf. to talk the hind leg off a donkey at talk v. 10, to talk (someone's) ear off at talk v. 10(b). ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > suffering > feeling of weariness or tedium > be or become wearied or bored [verb (intransitive)] > be or become wearisome or tedious > specifically by tedious or repetitive talk to harp upon, on (of), a, one, the same (etc.) string?1531 to bore (any one's) ears1641 to —— a person's head off1829 1829 T. Hood in Mirror Lit., Amusem., & Instr. 5 Dec. 396/2 You'll powder both our heads off..with its puff. 1852 R. Bulwer Lytton School for Husbands I. vi. 146 That's the way with the whole sex, they'll talk a man's head off. 1894 G. B. Shaw Let. 3 Dec. (1965) I. 467 You could, at your worst, talk the heads off most of them. 1910 J. Farnol Broad Highway (1911) ii. ii. 234 He will be swearing your head off in the next ten minutes or so. 1947 Denton (Texas) Record-Chron. 3 Aug. ii. 8/3 You can get together with nutritionists and poultrymen and they'll argue your head off convincing you that [etc.]. 2008 S. Venkatesh Gang Leader for Day ii. 53 As long as I didn't get too nosy..they talked my head off. (ii) to —— one's head off: to —— with great vigour or intensity, at great length, etc., esp. to the point of weariness or exhaustion. See also to eat its head off at eat v. 4b, to laugh one's head off at laugh v. Phrases 1l. ΚΠ 1840 C. Dickens Let. 26 Nov. (1969) II. 84 I have nearly written my head off this morning and am dismally stupid. 1872 M. Oliphant Mem. De Montalembert I. 29 In society in the evenings yawns his weary head off. 1890 C. C. Harrison Anglomaniacs ii. 79 What man wants to work his head off to lay up money, and then see a fool and profligate walk away with it? 1951 J. Cornish Provincials 11 As term progressed, Saturdays and Sundays..we would sit in our den..talking our heads off. 1985 J. Howker Nature of Beast i. 21 We spent this pretty miserable day..not talking much, just smoking our heads off. 2010 C. Grant Teenie ix. 91 Those girls look like straight-up groupies, screaming their heads off and trying to touch Greg. d. colloquial. head over: head over heels (in love). See Phrases 3i(c)(ii). ΚΠ 1921 E. Levison Eye Witness iv. 55 He's head over in love with Ruth—and she with him. 1924 J. Galsworthy White Monkey ii. vi. 158 They were head over—the family feud stopped that [marriage]. 2004 Kirkus Rev. (Nexis) 1 Mar. Billie falls head-over in love with Jay, a gorgeous slam poet. e. (a) to put (also bring, lay, set, etc.) their (also our, your) heads together: to consider a matter jointly, to consult or take counsel with one another, to confer. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > speech > conversation > converse [verb (intransitive)] > confer, consult, or deliberate roundc1275 to speak togetherc1275 to take counselc1290 counsel1297 treat1297 advisea1393 communea1393 to take deliberationc1405 common1416 to put (also bring, lay, set, etc.) their (also our, your) heads togetherc1425 janglec1440 bespeak1489 parliamenta1492 intercommonc1540 confer1545 parle1558 consult1565 imparl1572 break parle1594 handle1596 emparley1600 to confer notes1650 to compare notes1709 powwow1780 to get together1816 palaver1877 c1425 in Norfolk Archaeol. (1864) 6 226 (MED) Siris, ȝe shal putte ȝoure heedis to gidere & chese þre burgeisis of þis constabilrie of þe moost sufficient. c1430 (c1380) G. Chaucer Parl. Fowls (Cambr. Gg.4.27) (1871) l. 554 The watyr foulis han here hedis leid To gedere..They seydyn sothly al be on assent How that [etc.]. c1460 (?c1400) Tale of Beryn l. 3961 Hir hedis they leyd to-gidir & begon to tell In what maner the vymmen shuld be answerid. a1529 J. Skelton Magnyfycence (?1530) sig. Biii^v Nay let vs our heddes togyder cast. 1544 J. Bale Brefe Chron. Syr I. Oldecastell f. 42 They drewe theyr heades togyther and at the last consented to vse an other practyse. 1623 Bp. J. Hall Contempl. VII. O.T. xix. 247 They may call a Councell of warre, and lay their heads together. 1682 J. Bunyan Holy War 122 And there lay their heads together, and there consult of matters. View more context for this quotation 1730 T. Cooke Bays Misc. 16 As for the first [line], let all the Commentators in Europe set their Heads together, and ring..many Changes upon it. 1761 A. Murphy All in Wrong i. 17 Now are they putting their wise heads together to thwart all my schemes of happiness. 1806 J. Beresford Miseries Human Life I. v. 98 Those gossiping scenes of a play, in which the lacqueys, and waiting-maids lay their heads together. 1876 M. Reid Flag of Distress (1879) lviii. 291 The piratical crew bring their heads together, to deliberate about the final step. 1886 S. Baring-Gould Court Royal I. i. 17 We'll put heads together and consider what is to be done. 1901 R. N. Bain tr. M. Jokai Halil the Pedlar iv. 73 Not unless the Janissaries, or the Debejis, or the Bostanjis lay their heads together and agree to depose the Sultan. 1934 Z. Grey Code of West xii. 210 Let's get our heads together and plan the great razoo. 1998 Afr. News (Nexis) 25 Sept. SADC, the king, all parties in Lesotho, as well as civic society need to bring their heads together to find an interim solution for Lesotho. 2011 P. R. Naylor Incredibly Alice xxix. 260 A bunch of seniors put their heads together and come up with some big joke. (b) to bang (also knock) heads together and variants: to force the parties involved in a (typically petty or meaningless) dispute to stop arguing and behave in a sensible manner; to enforce cooperation.In some early quots. used more literally, with (the threat of) physical force being employed. ΚΠ a1652 R. Brome Court Begger iii. sig. Q3^v, in Five New Playes (1653) Pray hold your peace. I'le jowle your heads together, and so beat ton with tother else. 1731 N. Salmon Lives Bishops III. 177 [He] sets himself up for an Arbitrator of Differences... His Performance is but a kind of Insult on both [Dissenters and Churchmen], in which he would seem to knock their Heads together, and expose both. 1786 J. O'Keefe Patrick in Prussia ii. 31 Flo. Ay, thy love loves me, Dar. Knock their heads together. a1901 R. W. Buchanan Sweet Nancy (1914) ii. 51 I suppose they're talking over the business I couldn't understand. How I should like to knock their heads together. 1940 Charleston (W. Va.) Daily Mail 29 Dec. 7/1 We long to..get over there to Europe and bang a few heads together and persuade all the deluded leaders everywhere to act for lasting peace. 1975 D. Bloodworth Clients of Omega xxi. 204 Provoking desperate people into believing that they can only bring about unity among men by knocking their moronic heads together. 2004 D. Peck Careers Services iii. 50 He gained an early reputation as a right-wing critic of the Service who intended to change attitudes and bang heads together where necessary. P3. In collocation with another noun. a. with one's head in the air and variants. Cf. head-in-air adj. (a) With an air of superiority, haughtiness, or self-importance. Cf. to hold one's head high at hold v. 30a, with one's nose in the air at nose n. Phrases 3g. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > pride > pretension to superiority > [adverb] fastuously1654 pensily1725 with one's head in the air1788 pretentiously1848 uppishly1911 snottily1927 snootily1940 1788 R. Cumberland Observer IV. xcvii. 38 If he carries his head in the air here, and expects the crowd to make way for him, he will soon run foul of somebody that will make him repent of his stateliness. 1830 E. Bulwer-Lytton Paul Clifford I. iv. 56 He trundled his cart with his head in the air, and one day gave the very beadle of the parish ‘the cut direct’. 1883 Work & Leisure Dec. 398 It is not the woman who goes about with her head in the air, saying, ‘Look at me, what a superior person I am!’ who is the most respected or well-beloved member of society. 1913 M. Saunders Pussy Black-face xiv. 245 I did wish she would stop, but she had her head in the air, she saw only her own glorified self, and sailed on and on. 2007 D. D. Birch Shattered Souls i. 14 She was the sophisticated, prissy type... You know, the type who always has her head in the air. (b) In a dreamy, impractical, or unworldly manner. Cf. to have one's head in the clouds at Phrases 3c. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > mental image, idea, or fancy > daydream or reverie > [adverb] > in dreamlike manner with one's head in the air1890 surreally1982 1890 A. Lang Red Fairy Bk. 1 He was always called the Star Gazer, because when he drove his cows over the commons.., he went along with his head in the air, gaping at nothing. 1924 W. Orpen Stories Old Ireland & Myself ix. 80 You ran the chance of seeing W. B. Y. in the streets, walking along with his head in the air, his thoughts blinding him to the sight of you. 1994 P. Vander Waerdt Socratic Movement ii. 53 Socrates recounts..how he undertook to recover from his Aristophanic reputation as an idle chatterer with his head in the air. b. head of the class: see class n. and adj. Phrases 1. c. to have one's head in the clouds and variants: to be detached from earthly matters; to be out of touch with reality; to be dreamy, impractical, or unworldly. Cf. in the clouds at cloud n. 9b. ΚΠ 1806 M. Edgeworth Leonora II. xlvi. 24 You would have a wife with her head in the clouds, would you? 1819 Q. Rev. Apr. 301 A person given to abstraction and solitary speculation is proverbially said to have his head in the clouds. 1852 ‘A. Lothrop’ Dollars & Cents I. xix. 181 I..have seen him—with his head in the clouds as you say—go stumbling along over the obstacles which had accumulated through his abstraction, and hardly know what they were. 1918 G. F. Lees tr. E. Wetterlé Behind Scenes in Reichstag iii. 51 He was regarded before the war as an abstract theorist with his head in the clouds. 1999 Campaign 2 July 29/2 The creatives I've come across don't tend to have their heads in the clouds or too far up their arses. 2011 Times (Nexis) 9 May 6 Nick nodded, eyes dreamy, head in the clouds. d. head of the corner n. a cornerstone; chiefly, and now only, figurative and in figurative contexts, mainly with reference or allusion to biblical use (see quot. c1384); cf. headstone of the corner at headstone n. 1. [After post-classical Latin caput anguli (Vulgate), itself after Hellenistic Greek κεφαλὴ γωνίας (New Testament), and ultimately after Hebrew rō'š pinnāh in the psalm (118:22) alluded to by the New Testament passages.] ΚΠ OE West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) xxi. 42 Se stan þe ða timbriendan awurpon ys geworden to þære hyrnan heafde [L. in caput anguli].] a1325 (c1280) Southern Passion (Pepys 2344) (1927) l. 256 He is in þe heued of the corner, yleyd and in þe grounde. c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Luke xx. 17 The stoon whom men bildinge reproueden, this is maad in to the heed of the corner [1611 King James is become the head of the corner]. 1572 J. Bridges tr. R. Gwalther Hundred, Threescore & Fiftene Homelyes vppon Actes Apostles xxvii. 200 Him [sc. Jesus] hath God raised from death, and made him the head of the corner, that is, a Lord and a sauiour, and the ruler of his Churche. 1681 W. Atwood Confut. iii. 76 in Jus Anglorum If King William, the Master-builder, refus'd what this Author would make the Head of the Corner. 1730 J. Guyse Christ, Son of God (ed. 2) 55 They preached thro' Jesus the resurrection of the dead; and that he is become the head of the corner. 1811 Monthly Mag. Apr. 218/1 In the perfection of this knowledge, consists the primary business of education. It is the foundation-stone, and the ‘head of the corner’; it is alpha and omega, the first and last of our studies. 1912 J. Royce Sources Relig. Insight v. 172 For such people the postulate which religion makes the head of the corner is rather a stumbling-stone. 1988 D. D. Honoré Trevor Huddleston p. v Trevor Huddleston has been a stumbling-block to many, to others the head of the corner of a longed-for building. 2004 Africa News (Nexis) 22 Jan. The stone that was rejected by Switzerland has become, as it were, the head of the corner in Benin. e. (a) over head and ears: (so as to be) completely immersed; (figurative) (so as to be) deeply immersed or involved in something. Cf. Phrases 1k(d)(i), over (one's, the) ears at ear n.¹ Phrases 1m. ΘΚΠ the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > vertical extent > extension downwards or depth > depth [phrase] > in something to specific depth up to the shoes1518 over head and ears?1521 head and ears1576 mid-rib deep1697 (immersed, steeped) to the lipsa1822 up to one's (also the) armpits1869 the mind > attention and judgement > attention > earnest attention, concentration > completely involved [phrase] over head and ears1663 head over heels1710 head over ears1920 the mind > emotion > love > amorous love > in love [phrase] > deeply in love over head and ears1690 head and ears1809 ?1521 A. Barclay Bk. Codrus & Mynalcas sig. a.iii Or falles in the mudde bothe ouer heed and eares. 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 725/2 He souced him in the water over heed and eares. 1581 R. Mulcaster Positions xxvii. 102 To dippe their new borne children into extreme cold water ouer head and eares. 1663 S. Pepys Diary 2 Oct. (1971) IV. 322 My wife, who is over head and ears in getting her house up. 1665 T. Manley tr. H. Grotius De Rebus Belgicis 875 The Commonwealth..would run over head and ears in debt. 1690 W. Walker Idiomatologia Anglo-Lat. 233 He is over head and ears in love. 1714 E. Budgell tr. Theophrastus Moral Characters ix. 32 He..sowses himself over Head and Ears in the first Tub that stands in his Way. 1768 T. Gray Let. 27 Aug. in Corr. (1971) III. 1045 I am..over head & ears in writings. 1834 D. Macmillan in T. Hughes Mem. (1883) 66 I am always over head and ears with one trouble or another. 1867 A. Trollope Last Chron. Barset II. liii. 103 You are over head and ears in debt. 1908 Outing Aug. 574/1 I fell in crossing that Creek; fell in over head and ears, in ice water. 1919 E. Glasgow Builders ii. vii. 303 She wants him just as much as if she were over head and ears in love. 2002 B. Kumar Sahu Amusing Anecd. Indian Red Tape 84 Many a state government faces a severe resource crunch and is over head and ears in financial trouble. (b) In the forms head and ears, head over ears in same sense (chiefly figurative).With head over ears, cf. head over heels at Phrases 3i(c). ΘΚΠ the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > vertical extent > extension downwards or depth > depth [phrase] > in something to specific depth up to the shoes1518 over head and ears?1521 head and ears1576 mid-rib deep1697 (immersed, steeped) to the lipsa1822 up to one's (also the) armpits1869 the world > relative properties > wholeness > completeness > completely [phrase] > altogether, entirely, or completely bedenec1175 all outc1300 downrightc1330 downrightsc1330 at alla1375 whole together1551 in all sorts1559 right out1578 clear1600 neck and heels1647 to rights1663 head over ears1774 neck and crop1791 fair and square1870 in total1965 the mind > emotion > love > amorous love > in love [phrase] > deeply in love over head and ears1690 head and ears1809 the mind > attention and judgement > attention > earnest attention, concentration > completely involved [phrase] over head and ears1663 head over heels1710 head over ears1920 1576 A. Fleming tr. Erasmus in Panoplie Epist. 353 That Man..should lye..and shrowde himselfe, head and eares, in slouthfulnesse. 1660 J. Harding tr. Paracelsus Archidoxis i. 100 They..are sunk Head and Ears in the glory of the World. 1675 O. Wills Vindiciæ Vindiciarum sig. F3 To plunge Men head and ears under Water. 1774 J. Morrison Advantages of Alliance with Great Mogul 93 The English..cannot at present afford to pay even a single shilling of dividend, without plunging head over ears in debt. 1809 T. Hill Marmion Travestied iii. 105 One who was head and ears in love. 1843 A. Bethune Sc. Peasant's Fire-side 62 He intended..to take a third individual to a horse-pond..and duck him head and ears three times. 1887 C. Fothergill Enthusiast II. 95 He was head over ears in debt when he married her. a1908 J. S. Lamar in L. L. Knight Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials, & Legends (1914) II. xxxii. 262 Strong arms..would duck him head and ears in the water. 1920 J. D. Beresford Imperfect Mother vi. 240 I don't want you to fall head over ears in love with her, and make yourself utterly miserable. 1946 U. Pope-Hennessy C. Dickens xxiii. 351 He falls head over ears in love with Dora Spenlow. 2011 Leicester Mercury (Nexis) 11 May They left this country head and ears in debt. (c) by (the) head and ears: (with reference to pulling, dragging, etc.) roughly, violently; unceremoniously. Also figurative. Cf. by (the) head and shoulders at Phrases 3o(a)(i), to pull (also drag, draw, pluck, etc.) by the ears at ear n.¹ Phrases 1c(c). ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > violent behaviour > [phrase] > by violence or force strong handOE by forcec1320 through, with, of forcec1320 by or with strifec1330 by way of feat1362 by (also with, by) fine forcea1375 by mighta1425 by force and armsa1481 by way of deed1535 by (the) head and shoulders1571 by (the) head and ears1590 sting and ling1816 1590 ‘Pasquil’ First Pt. Pasquils Apol. sig. C^v They haue all vowed to hale thee out of thy trenches by the head and eares. 1650 J. Price Cloudie Clergie 7 Such treacherous, if not traiterous persons as these were, should be pluck't away even by head and ears. 1783 Weekly Entertainer 3 Feb. 110 An enthusiast..lugs in the gospel by head and ears, in season and out of season. 1873 Punch 17 May 200 An..utterly irrelevant story, lugged in by head and ears. 1911 Cosmopolitan Mag. June 11 Governor Davidson, who—dragged in by head and ears—made but a limp witness before the legislative committee. 1983 I. Avsey tr. F. Dostoevsky Village of Stepanchikovo i. ix. 128 ‘Drag him here by the head and ears!’ Uncle shouted, stamping his foot. f. (a) (from) head to foot (also feet) and variants: all over or throughout a person's body; figurative completely, thoroughly, through and through. Also head and foot. Cf. from head to toe at toe n. 5d.In quot. 1765 with reference to a full-length portrait. [After post-classical Latin a capite usque ad pedes (Vulgate).] ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > part of body > [adverb] > every part or all over (from) head to foot (also feet)eOE ich a limbc1275 life and limbc1275 limb and headc1275 limb and landc1275 limb and lithc1275 from face to foot1567 limb and bone1599 limb and wind1697 limb and carcass1841 the world > relative properties > wholeness > completeness > completely [phrase] > thoroughly > from beginning to end or through and through to the boneOE through and throughc1225 out and outc1300 from top to tail1303 out and inc1390 (from) head to heel (also heels)c1400 (from) head to foot (also feet)c1425 from top to (into, unto) toec1425 to the skin1526 to one's (also the) finger (also fingers') ends1530 from first to last1536 up and down1542 whole out1562 to the pith1587 to the back1594 from A to (also until) Z1612 from clew to earing1627 from top to bottom1666 back and edge1673 all hollow1762 (all) to pieces1788 from A to Za1821 to one's (also the) fingertips1825 to one's fingernails1851 from tip to toe1853 down to the ground1859 to the backbone1864 right the way1867 pur sang1893 from the ground up1895 in and out1895 from soda (card) to hock1902 eOE tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (Tanner) iv. xxxii. 378 Þa he arisende wæs, þa gefelde he his lichoman healfne dæl from þæm heafde oð þa fet [L. a capite usque ad pedes] mid þa aðle geslægene beon, þe Grecas nemnað paralysis. a1300 in C. Brown Relig. Lyrics 14th Cent. (1924) 3 Fram side to side fro hiued to þe fot..oueral þu findest blod. a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 3151 Ile man..Heued and fet..lesen fro ðe bones and eten. a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1961) Lev. xiii. 12 Ȝif..þe rennynge lepre..couere al þe flesch fro þe hed vnto þe feet. c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) ii. l. 1035 (MED) Þis ymage, by diuisioun, Was of schap and of proporcioun From hed to foot so maisterly entayled. c1450 in F. J. Furnivall Polit., Relig., & Love Poems (1903) 180 Y fond..a man sittynge, From heed to foot woundid was he. a1500 (c1400) Vision of Tundale (Adv.) (1843) l. 949 Fro hed to fotte ay was gnawyng Scrattyng fretyng fleyng and styngyng. a1560 W. Kennedy Passioun of Christ in J. A. W. Bennett Devotional Pieces (1955) 32 Fra heid to fute þai brak baith hid and ryme. 1596 H. Clapham Briefe of Bible i. 101 Likewise should Ezra see their whole Monarch, head and foote. 1603 W. Shakespeare Hamlet ii. ii. 459 [He] Hath now his blacke and grimme complexion smeered With Heraldry more dismall, head to foote. 1632 T. E. Lawes Womens Rights v. xxviii. 389 At Rome, or Reams, where they vse to belie vs head and foot. 1672 M. A. Cataplus 62 Others in little ease are put And others fast'ned head to foot. 1765 H. Walpole Vertue's Anecd. Painting (ed. 2) II. iii. 120 He..leaves..to Lord Rothes the King's picture from head to foot. 1784 R. Bage Barham Downs I. 269 He overthrew it head and foot. 1803 A. Ellicott Jrnl. viii. 212 Blistered by the rhus radicans (poison vine) from head to feet. 1851 Sartain's Mag. Nov. 382/2 The traveller was a handsome cavalier,..a gentleman from head to foot. 1922 Ladies' Home Jrnl. Dec. 15/1 From head to foot she is a figure of elegance. 1977 J. Langone Life at Bottom xix. 202 We all take our clothes off and take a big paintbrush and paint each other head to foot with molasses. 2001 S. Wales Echo (Nexis) 31 Dec. 3 [She] admits she's ‘still quaking from head to foot’ at the thought of meeting the Queen. †(b) to have neither head nor foot (also feet) and variants: to be unintelligible or nonsensical, to make no sense. Cf. head or tail at Phrases 3r(a). Obsolete. [Compare classical Latin nec caput nec pedes neither head nor feet (Cicero), nec caput nec pes neither head nor foot (Plautus), and further variants.] ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > unintelligibility > depth, obscurity > offering nothing intelligible [phrase] to have neither head nor foot (also feet)1567 (as) clear as mud1805 top or tail- 1567 J. Jewel Def. Apol. Churche Eng. vi. vi. 622 A longe tedious tale, without heade, or foote. 1570 J. Foxe Actes & Monumentes (rev. ed.) II. 1392/2 When the Byshop..looked on the writyng, he pusht it from hym, saying: what shall this doe? It hath neither head not foote. 1573 G. Gascoigne tr. Ariosto Supposes ii. i, in Hundreth Sundrie Flowres 16 I finde neither head nor foote in it. 1646 S. Rutherford Dispute touching Scandall 25 in Divine Right Church-govt. If this argument (as I see not head nor feet in it) be founded upon the lawfulnesse and expediencie of Ceremonies commanded. 1665 R. Brathwait Captive-captain 96 Their Discourse..is egregiously Course: Circularly prodigious, having neither head nor foot. 1674 R. Godfrey Var. Injuries in Physick 13 Having met with some passage that pleaseth not a little, though they understand neither head nor feet of the Discourse, they forthwith fall to work. 1727 T. Woolston 2nd Disc. Miracles 67 The Evangelist has told us a Tale, that has neither Head nor Foot to it. 1852 H. T. Riley tr. Plautus Asinaria iv. iii, in tr. Plautus Comedies I. 514 Why, neither head nor foot of your talking is visible; I can understand neither what you mean, nor why you are trifling with me. g. head and front n. the highest extent or pitch of something; the principal and foremost part of something; the core, the essence.Sometimes consciously echoing quot. a1616. ΚΠ a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) i. iii. 80 It is most true: true, I haue married her, The very head and front of my offending, Hath this extent no more. View more context for this quotation 1795 S. J. Pratt Gleanings through Wales I. vi. 46 Occasionally to borrow from others, what may be honorable to them in the repetition..is the ‘head and front’ of my office as a Gleaner. 1799 N. Gay Strictures on Proposed Union 7 It is the very being, end and aim, the very head and front on which this subject for and against an union will unquestionably rest. 1813 W. Scott Let. 25 July (1932) III. 308 The head and front of your offending is precisely your not writing explicitly. 1888 J. W. Burgon Lives Twelve Good Men II. xii. 375 He was the head and front of every movement for good in his neighbourhood. 1941 W. J. Cash Mind of South ii. ii. 157 There arose in the South the white tenant and the white cropper, the head and front of the poor-white class from that day to this. 1996 M. A. Doody True Story of Novel (1997) xviii. 428 The head and front of the offense is the transformation of the palpable and natural into the spectacular and artificial. †h. head and girth: (so as to be) exactly matched; neck and neck. to run head and girth: to keep pace with during a race. Obsolete.Chiefly with reference to horse racing. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > rate of motion > [phrase] > keeping pace with step by step1565 head and girth1796 head-to-head1799 neck and neck1799 society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > horse racing > ride horse in race [verb (transitive)] > keep pace with or overtake to show the waya1382 buttock1607 to run head and girth1796 shoot1868 to peg back1928 1796 J. Lauderdale Coll. Poems Sc. Dial. 5 My mind and means, they frae my birth, Ran lang, exactly head an' girth. 1804 Brit. Press 11 Aug. The Colt..was hardly pressed..by Citizen, who ran him head and girth into the post. 1863 N.Y. Herald 17 June Both horses came head and girth to the..highest fence. i. (a) (from) head to heel (also heels) and variants: = (from) head to foot (also feet) at Phrases 3f(a). ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > wholeness > completeness > completely [phrase] > thoroughly > from beginning to end or through and through to the boneOE through and throughc1225 out and outc1300 from top to tail1303 out and inc1390 (from) head to heel (also heels)c1400 (from) head to foot (also feet)c1425 from top to (into, unto) toec1425 to the skin1526 to one's (also the) finger (also fingers') ends1530 from first to last1536 up and down1542 whole out1562 to the pith1587 to the back1594 from A to (also until) Z1612 from clew to earing1627 from top to bottom1666 back and edge1673 all hollow1762 (all) to pieces1788 from A to Za1821 to one's (also the) fingertips1825 to one's fingernails1851 from tip to toe1853 down to the ground1859 to the backbone1864 right the way1867 pur sang1893 from the ground up1895 in and out1895 from soda (card) to hock1902 OE Glosses to Lorica of Laidcenn (Harl. 585) in E. Pettit Anglo-Saxon Remedies, Charms, & Prayers (2001) I. 54 Ut a plantis usque ad uertice[m] nullo membro meo..egrotem : þætte from þæm hælum [eOE Cambr. Ll.1.10 ilum] oð ðæs heafdes heannesse nængum lime minum..ic geuntrumige.] c1400 Life St. Anne (Minn.) (1928) l. 2007 Our lamed childe es now hale Ffro hys hede to hys hele. c1450 (a1425) Metrical Paraphr. Old Test. (Selden) l. 15856 He has rent and ryches ryfe and hape and hele fro hed to heyle. c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 118^v Ffro the hede to þe hele horit as a capull. 1561 B. Googe tr. ‘M. Palingenius’ Zodiake of Life (new ed.) vi. sig. S.vi^v Al from head to heles Doth grefe and sicknesse sore sustaine. 1635 T. Heywood Hierarchie Blessed Angells viii. 513 This well fed Groome..Begot you then all ouer, head to heele. 1781 W. Cowper Anti-Thelypthora 184 So polished and compact from head to heel. 1842 T. B. Macaulay Battle Lake Regillus in Lays Anc. Rome 115 And many a curdling pool of blood Splashed him from heel to head. 1850 G. Rae Internal Managem. Country Bank xxiii. 196 To tie a Manager head to heel with the cords of responsibility. 1886 M. W. Hungerford Lady Branksmere i. iv. 96 A tall figure..clothed from head to heel in sombre garments. 1921 W. H. Blake tr. L. Hémon Maria Chapdelaine iv. 64 He was from head to heel of a piece with the soil. 1982 Washington Post 20 Aug. c4/2 In marched a tall, slender woman swathed head to heel in about 30 yards of cloth of gold. 2012 Leader-Post (Regina, Sask.) (Nexis) 16 Dec. a6 The more general question of whether it's acceptable in Canadian public places that women cover themselves from head to heels. (b) not to know whether one is on one's head or one's heels and variants: to be in a state of confusion. ΚΠ 1651 T. Violet Advancem. Merchandize 148 They are so proud, they know not whether they stand on their heels or their head. 1665 J. Davies tr. A. de Castillo Solórzano La Picara 136 The besotted Cocks-comb was so transported..that he knew not whether his head or his heels were on the ground. 1682 Observator 29 May You must not take him for one of your Downright Sillytons, that does not know whether he goes on his Head or his Heels. 1734 Kick him Jenny (new ed.) 16 He..felt such unusual Joy and Dreas, That whether on his Heels or Head He went alas! he hardly knew. 1857 Putnam's Monthly Apr. 416/2 The magistrate was generally unable to tell whether he was on his head or his heels. 1912 E. Jepson Pollyooly i. 42 For a while Pollyooly did not know whether she stood on her head or her heels, so great were her joy and relief. 2021 @DebbieDiamibds 22 Mar. in twitter.com (accessed 3 June 2021) Blimey this last year has turned so many people's lives..up and down and side ways! Don't know if I'm on my head or my heels at times. (c) head over heels. Also (now less commonly) over head and heels (cf. over head and ears at Phrases 3e(a)). (i) With reference to falling, tumbling, etc.: so that one's heels are in the air and one's head is below them; so as turn completely over, as in a somersault; headlong.Apparently arising from an inversion of the elements in earlier heels over head at heel n.¹ and int. Phrases 3a. Cf. top over tail at top n.¹ and adj. Phrases 3b. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > falling > [phrase] > head over heels tail over top1303 top over tailc1330 heels over headc1400 tail and top1558 head over heels1678 over head and heels1678 heels over gowdy1751 head over tip1824 arse over tip1922 ass over tea-kettle1963 1678 D. Manly Hexham's Dictionarium (new ed.) Rol-bollen, Tumble over head & heels. 1694 French Rogue (new ed.) x. 113 My Spark..getting to the Stair-head, made, for haste, but one leap to the bottom, and tumbl'd Head over Heels down the other. 1771 H. Lawrence Contempl. Man I. ii. viii. 133 He gave [him] such a violent involuntary Kick in the Face, as drove him Head over Heels. 1825 ‘E. Hardcastle’ 29th May I. viii. 256 They rolled together down the wide stairs..with such an extraordinary impetus, that each went completely over-head-and-heels. 1887 H. R. Haggard Jess i. 4 Away he went head-over-heels like a shot rabbit. 1919 ‘K. Mansfield’ Let. 29 Oct. (1993) III. 59 [She] looked as though she were just about to fall backwards head over heels. 1956 S. O'Casey Green Crow p. x They [sc. ravens] tumble over and over as they fly..and go over head and heels again and again with a skill no airman could imitate. 1987 H. W. Pfanz Gettysburg: Second Day xv. 366 Its [sc. the shell's] burst sent Wilcox's remaining courier..flying head over heels. 2005 K. Hancock Shadow over Kiriath 355 He tumbled head over heels as if bowled toward shore by a powerful wave, then came suddenly upright and still. (ii) figurative. In a particular state, esp. that of being in love, to an extent or in a manner which suggests complete lack of control or reservation; headlong; abandonedly, hopelessly, utterly. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > attention > earnest attention, concentration > completely involved [phrase] over head and ears1663 head over heels1710 head over ears1920 1710 J. Drake tr. Lucian Philopatris in Wks. Lucian II. 23 You seem to be wholy lost in Thought, and retir'd into the inmost Cabinet of your Breast, reeling and tumbling Head over Heels [Gk. κάτω περιπολῶν]. 1719 T. Gordon Apol. Danger of Church 15 There has not been a Blast of Wind, or a Shower of Rain, these five Years, but what has been drawn, Head over Heels, into the Party and Interest of the Church. 1778 W. Livingston Let. 18 June in Mem. (1833) viii. 293 Now behold I find myself head-over-heels in debt to you. 1811 M. G. Lewis One O'Clock i. i. 13 If by good luck the Count had not rescued her from the Giant Hacho, and instantly fallen head over heels in love with her himself. 1833 Sporting Mag. Oct. 471/2 Sa Signeurie being, it is said, over head and heels in—Love. 1895 Black & White 15 Apr. 38/2 Lemaitre, the French actor, was always head over heels in debt, despite an enormous salary. 1921 Sat. Evening Post 2 Apr. 73/1 Many's the lad his age goes head over heels for a grown woman. 1998 S. O'Connell Angel Bird 279 I met him when I was nineteen and fell head over heels, as they say. 2012 Baltimore Sun (Nexis) 24 June e3 [She] can't believe her luck when British billionaire Julian Laurence falls head over heels in love with her after one business meeting. j. head of horns n. the horns of a deer, bull, etc., as forming the adornment of the head; in later use also head of antlers; cf. sense 6. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > male > [noun] > body and parts > antler > collectively headc1400 rightc1425 attire1562 attirement1566 head of horns1626 stag-horns1663 head of antlers1839 antlery1849 rack1915 1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §757 To make an Oxe or a Deere haue a Greater Head of Hornes. 1787 R. Burns Poems & Songs (1968) I. 295 That you may wear A noble head of horns. 1839 H. Bevan Thirty Years India II. vii. 106 Some pea-fowl, and a fine spotted deer with a full head of antlers, were killed near the same spot. 1856 Wool Grower Feb. 49/2 Mr. Stirling's ox, whose fine head of horns attracted so much attention. 1888 J. Inglis Tent Life Tigerland 345 Intent on securing what seemed to be a good head of horns. 1907 H. Storey Hunting & Shooting in Ceylon xiv. 232 I..saw, to my further delight, a fine head of horns which, later, the steel tape gave as 29 inches, with a grand spread. 1995 K. Atkinson Behind Scenes at Museum (1996) 236 It's a stag, a huge monarch, with a great head of antlers. 2007 Spokesman Rev. (Spokane, Washington) (Nexis) 28 Apr. i. 7 Baldwin saw a bull elk with a full head of horns grazing peacefully on his land during the first week of April. k. heads and points. (a) Any of various children's guessing games played with pins, involving one player having to guess the orientation of a pin or set of pins hidden in the hand. Now rare. ΚΠ 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues at Bechevet Teste a teste Bechevet, the play with pins, called, heads and points. a1672 F. Willughby Bk. of Games (2003) 187 Heads and Points is when one hides 2 pins in his hand clutched. If both the heads lie one way, they are called Heads, if contrary ways, Points. 1724 J. Anderson Let. 10 Apr. in J. Maidment Private Lett. (1829) xix. 39 A gentleman's child..engadging [sic] one of the company to play with pins at heads and points, the person soon gott all his pins. 1830 W. Carleton Traits & Stories Irish Peasantry II. 165 Behind the master is a third set [of boys], playing ‘Heads and points’—a game of pins. 1895 T. B. Atkins Out of Cradle into World iii. 40 That group of fickle children are for a minute all absorbed in a game of heads and points. 1920 A. C. Baker Trav. 97 in Geneal. & Hist. Baker, Andrus, Clark, & Adams Families When a boy it was my pleasure to play heads and points with pins. (b) Of a group of people or objects: (so as to be) arranged or disposed such that individuals lie or point alternately in opposite directions; (sometimes more generally) in confusion, higgledy-piggledy. Also at heads and points. Cf. heads and thraws at throw n.² 2, top to tail adv. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > space > direction > in the direction that [phrase] > in opposite directions heads and points1612 heads and thraws1728 1612 J. Smith Map of Virginia 21 On these round about the house, they lie heads and points one by thother against the fire. 1669 S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. i. 20 Give fire Starboard; Well done Gunner; They lie Heads and Points aboard the Chase. 1775 E. Burke Speech Amer. Taxation 45 They found themselves..pigging together, heads and points, in the same truckle-bed. 1788 Amer. Museum Feb. 139/1 The hemp..must be laid down, heads and points, two, four, or six [sheaves] thick. 1828 Red Barn ix. 216 Jackson, the maid, Creed, and the young lady, were lying at heads and points in the hall. 1877 W. H. Macy There she Blows! xvi. 201 The second mate struck first, and his whale, after running a short distance, stopped, and all the rest came up around him, and lay for some time, blowing, ‘heads and points’. 1898 New Roadmasters' Assistant vi. 60 They [sc. poles] should be laid heads and points, in a bunch of three or four, with their ends slightly overlapping. 1922 Missionary Surv. Apr. 273/1 A bed for father and mother with four year old Mattie at the foot, another for the five girls sleeping ‘heads and points’. l. heads and posts n. now rare (a) imitation heads, usually made of leather, placed on posts for use as targets in various tests of horsemanship (such as aiming a blow with a sword or other weapon while on horseback); (b) tests of skill of this kind. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > drill or training > [noun] > cavalry exercise > leather heads on posts for use in heads and posts1848 1843 T. Stephens New Syst. Broad & Small Sword Exercise i. v. 82 Parry from front to rear the arm, and cut five at the neck, or stick between the Head and Post.] 1848 A. Somerville Autobiogr. Working Man xvii. 226 Farrier Simpson had a strong regard for the stately trooper upon which I was to learn how to ‘mount’, ‘dismount’,..‘draw swords’, ‘leap the bar’, cut at ‘heads and posts’, ‘turn,’ ‘circle’, [etc.]. 1854 Morning Post 1 June 3/3 An extra prize was offered for the best swordsman at heads and posts. 1907 Yesterday's Shopping (1969) 1017/2 Heads and Posts..for Military Tournaments. 1911 Times 13 June 7/4 A very excellent display was witnessed in the ‘heads and posts’. 1951 Times 30 June 8/5 Heads and Posts Competition [at the Metropolitan Police Horse Show]. m. head of the river n. (in certain rowing races, esp. ‘bumping’ races at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge: see bump v.¹ 6a) the position of being the leading boat, the winning position; the boat, college, etc., which achieves or holds this position; also in to go head of the river. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > boat racing or race > [noun] > first in race head of the river1826 paddle-over1906 1826 Lit. Magnet 4 47 After several hard struggles among the racing boats, for holding the head of the river, Christchurch came in victorious. 1841 Yale Lit. Mag. Nov. 40 Trinity was ‘head of the river’ once more, and great was the joy of her inmates. 1867 London Society July 73/1 By the day the races began we were justly considered the best boat on, and our going head of the river was held, on all hands, to be ‘a moral’ [i.e. a moral certainty]. 1903 A. Cambridge Thirty Years in Austral. 283 He had been over four years at Geelong, and his boat had been Head of the River most of the time. 1977 J. I. M. Stewart Madonna of Astrolabe viii. 121 When the college next goes head of the river, have the undergraduates build a bonfire of it. 2000 S. H. S. Hughes Steering Course 46 In the previous year..Oriel rowed over as head of the river. n. head of the school n. (also head of school) (in early use) the scholar occupying a position of pre-eminence in a school on grounds of ability; (later) the head boy or head girl of a school. ΚΠ 1679 T. Sheppey Several Weighty Considerations recommended to Rom. Catholicks Eng. 1 I being the Head of the School at that time, he pretended a particular Complacency..in my self. 1797 Gentleman's Mag. Feb. 113/2 You, Mr. Stevens, I presume to be head of the school..from your name appearing first on the MS list presented to me by one of the scholars. 1856 C. M. Yonge Daisy Chain I. xv. 186 Very clever—the head of the school, as his father tells me—and so modest and unassuming. 1887 Jrnl. Educ. July 319/2 [She] entered St. Leonards School October, 1880... [She] was head of school in 1883. 1954 Househ. Guide & Almanac (News of World) 38 He captained the cricket and hockey teams and was head of the school. 2002 D. MacPherson Suffragette's Daughter vi. 61 I made Betty Head of School because you will find in life the best thing to do with a rebel is to give them responsibility. o. (a) (i) by (the) head and shoulders: (with reference to dragging, thrusting, etc.) violently, roughly, esp. in figurative contexts with reference to something being brought irrelevantly into a speech or text. Sometimes also without by. Cf. by (the) head and ears at Phrases 3e(c). Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > violent behaviour > [phrase] > by violence or force strong handOE by forcec1320 through, with, of forcec1320 by or with strifec1330 by way of feat1362 by (also with, by) fine forcea1375 by mighta1425 by force and armsa1481 by way of deed1535 by (the) head and shoulders1571 by (the) head and ears1590 sting and ling1816 the world > relative properties > relationship > relevance or pertinence > [phrase] > irrelevant > irrelevantly introduced by (the) head and shoulders1571 1571 J. Bridges Serm. Paules Crosse 76 Workes are thus by S. Paul in the matter of Iustification thrust clean out of the dores by the heade and shoulders. 1577 R. Stanyhurst Hist. Irelande iii. 94/1 in R. Holinshed Chron. I Diuers thoughte to haue bin housed, and so to lurke in Lorelles denne, who were thrust out by the head and shoulders. 1647 N. Ward Simple Cobler Aggawam 23 Any, whom necessity..thrusts out by head and shoulders. 1679 tr. Trag. Hist. Jetzer 20 The Lecturer brought in this whole affair by the head and shoulders into his Sermon. 1751 J. Wesley Let. Dec. (1931) III. 300 My supposed inconsistency with regard to the Moravians, which you..drag in (as they say) by head and shoulders. 1775 M. Lewis Let. 4 Sept. in Corr. & Jrnls. S. B. Webb (1893) I. 102 New York was, according to custom, lugged in Head & shoulders by Col. Gadsden. 1839 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Sept. 412/2 Nine-tenths of the songs which we hear upon the stage are so lugged in by the head and shoulders, that we cannot be surprised if they suffer from the operation. 1887 T. A. Trollope What I Remember II. iii. 44 I must drag the mention of the fact in head and shoulders here, or else I shall forget it. 1910 G. Saintsbury in Cambr. Hist. Eng. Lit. V. 507 I have endeavoured, without lugging in discussion of it by head and shoulders, to justify its adoption where it seemed proper to do so. 1919 E. C. Clark Hist. Rom. Private Law III. 497 [This] involves..the postponement of Livy's introduction of the manipular system, which he rather drags in by the head and shoulders, about 337 b.c. (ii) head and shoulders: (with above, higher, taller, etc.) used adverbially to indicate the (considerable) amount by which a person's height exceeds that of others; also figurative with reference to attributes such as intellectual or moral stature. Frequently in to stand head and shoulders above. Cf. taller by the head at sense 1b(a).Originally with allusion to the height of Saul as described in 1 Samuel 9:2. [Compare post-classical Latin ab umero et sursum from the shoulder upwards (Vulgate, 1 Samuel 9:2) and the similar Hebrew expression underlying this (both without a word for ‘head’), but also quot. 1535 at sense 1b(a) (Coverdale, translating the same passage) and Luther's similar German translation eyns heubts lenger ‘taller by one head’ (1524).] ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > bodily height > tallness > [adverb] head and shoulders1642 the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > greatly or very much [phrase] > to a great extent or by far great quantityc1330 far forthly1362 by farc1380 well awayc1390 by half?a1400 by mucha1450 far (and) away1546 by a great sort1579 to stand head and shoulders abovea1683 (by) a long way1741 by a jugful1831 by all odds1832 by a long, damn, etc., sight1834 out and away1834 (by) a long chalk1835 by chalks1835 by long chalks1835 by a street1886 a whole lot1886 c1450 (a1425) Metrical Paraphr. Old Test. (Selden) l. 5160 He [sc. Saul] was cumly to ken, of breyd and heyghnes als, A bowe all oþer men both be þe hede and þe hals. 1608 Bp. T. Morton Preamble Incounter 62 I haue preferred a Saul, one higher by the head and shoulders than any of the rest.] 1642 A. Grosse Sweet & Soule-perswading Inducements 235 Saul was head and shoulders above the residue of the people; the life of grace is head and shoulders, very high and farre above the life of nature. a1683 B. Whichcote Several Disc. (1703) III. viii. 120 By these [sc. intelligence and freedom] we stand Head and Shoulders higher than the whole Creation below us. 1744 Def. People 68 The Difficulty is not simply to expose Fallacies and detect Falshoods; but out of such a puzzling Variety, to fasten upon those which are Head and Shoulders above the Rest. 1833 London Lit. Gaz. 2 Feb. 66/1 These two young men..generally stood head and shoulders above the thousands there assembled. 1885 D. C. Murray Rainbow Gold II. iv. v. 124 Job walked leisurely among them, head and shoulders higher than his neighbours. 1906 A. Colvin Making of Mod. Egypt iii. 53 In intellect, in acquirements, in experience, and in the supple arts of convincing men, Nubar Pasha was head and shoulders higher than any of his contemporaries. 1961 J. B. Cullen & F. C. Watkins Old Times in Faulkner Country ii. 8 I was head and shoulders taller than the others in the seventh grade. 2006 Ireland's Own Feb. 41/1 The one player who stands head and shoulders above the rest is button-accordion virtuoso Joe Burke. (b) an old head on (also upon) young shoulders (formerly also †a grey head upon green shoulders): a personality or character (as manifested in attributes such as wisdom or staidness) apparent in a young person which would more usually be expected of an older person. Hence in analogous phrases, reversing or replacing old and young, expressing personal qualities, characteristics, etc., which confound or are at variance with expectations. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > understanding > reason, faculty of reasoning > common sense > be sensible [phrase] on one's feetOE an old head on (also upon) young shoulders1591 to know enough to come in out of the rain1599 to have the (good) sense to (do something)1620 to have a (good, wise, etc.) head on (also upon) one's shoulders1659 to know enough to come (or go) in when it rains1797 to come (also get) down to brass tacks (or nails)1897 the mind > mental capacity > understanding > reason, faculty of reasoning > common sense > be sensible [phrase] > make sensible an old head on (also upon) young shoulders1591 1591 H. Smith Preparatiue to Mariage 15 It is not good grafting of an olde head vppon young shoulders, for they will neuer beare it willingly but grudgingly. a1679 M. Poole Annot. Holy Bible (1683) I. sig. L4^v/2 One wise above his years, one that had a gray head, as we say, upon green shoulders. 1723 J. Sturmy Compromise iv. 52 Show him the impossibility of putting old Heads upon Young Shoulders. 1769 Hist. Miss Sommervile I. ii. 10 Old heads upon young shoulders, he confessed to me.., is his aversion. 1826 Lancet 25 Nov. 261/2 This is a matter of some difficulty,..‘to put a new head on old shoulders’. 1842 F. Marryat Percival Keene II. i. 98 You appear to have an old head upon very young shoulders. 1848 J. R. Lowell Fable for Critics (ed. 2) 27 His [sc. Emerson's] is, we may say, A Greek head on right Yankee shoulders. 1886 Sat. Rev. 6 Mar. 348/2 It is not invidious to say that M. Houssaye fils is no bad specimen of the grey head on green shoulders. 1910 Copper, Curb & Mining Outlook 1 June 20/3 An ability for organization which put a trained executive head on youthful shoulders. 1961 M. Spark Prime of Miss Jean Brodie i. 6 I am putting old heads on your young shoulders,..and all my pupils are the crème de la crème. 1989 S. Egoff in W. Ragsdale Sea of Upturned Faces iii. 35 Jasmin is forced to have an old head on young shoulders in her large, chaotic, demanding family with the additional care of a retarded brother. 2001 Scotsman (Nexis) 17 Jan. 7 The golden oldies may not be quite so nimble on their feet, but sometimes you just can't beat a young head on old shoulders. (c) to have a (good, wise, etc.) head on (also upon) one's shoulders and variants: to be sensible, level-headed, reliable, etc. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > understanding > reason, faculty of reasoning > common sense > be sensible [phrase] on one's feetOE an old head on (also upon) young shoulders1591 to know enough to come in out of the rain1599 to have the (good) sense to (do something)1620 to have a (good, wise, etc.) head on (also upon) one's shoulders1659 to know enough to come (or go) in when it rains1797 to come (also get) down to brass tacks (or nails)1897 1659 J. Howell Prov. Eng. Toung 13/2 in Παροιμιογραϕια He that hath money in his purse cannot want a head for his shoulders. 1758 Centinel I. 123 They will shew to the world the existence of that paradox, a good woman with a head upon her shoulders. 1812 M. Edgeworth Absentee xvi, in Tales Fashionable Life VI. 412 Lady Dashfort, who had always..‘her head upon her shoulders’. 1823 Sporting Mag. Sept. 283/2 No one..who has a good head on his shoulders, but what must see the folly of training race horses in the way they are now trained. 1852 H. H. Paul Dashes Amer. Humour 48 That's nothin' to nobody, so long as I carry a wise head on my shoulders and regelate the nashun! 1912 Children's Friend Feb. 59 She answered so clearly and modestly that she saw she had a good head on her shoulders. 1946 W. S. Maugham Then & Now 277 Evidently she needed a man to protect her and Piero has a head on his shoulders. 1997 L. E. Pettiway Workin' It 121 When you deal with somebody, you got to get into them. You've got to have your head on your shoulders. You've got to be more cautious. 2011 S. Poulson-Bryant VIPs 335 You always did have a good head on your shoulders, Joey. p. head of state n. the chief public representative of a country (sometimes also the head of the government), such as a president or monarch. ΘΚΠ society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > sovereign ruler or monarch > [noun] princec1225 sovereign1297 monarch?a1439 royc1440 royalc1440 regala1450 crown1474 potentatec1475 throne1593 mulai1594 Monarcho1598 sovran1649 sceptre-holder1655 Elohima1682 head of state1873 the Palace1962 society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > a or the government > head of government > [noun] premier1871 head of state1873 society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > a or the government > head of government > [noun] > in a republic pres.1686 president1784 head of state1873 1873 Japan Weekly Mail 18 Oct. 735/2 The ideas of rights and liberties as belonging to themselves, and of responsibilities as inseparably attaching to the Head of State. 1960 H. Seton-Watson Neither War nor Peace viii. 226 On the death of President Hindenburg in 1934 [Hitler] replaced him as Head of State. 1975 Times 13 Feb. 7/4 The Malagasy head of state [was] murdered in a rebel ambush. 2002 B. Hoey Her Majesty xiv. 220 She is by far the longest-serving head of state. q. head of steam. (a) A confined body of steam under pressure, esp. as a source of power; the pressure of such steam. Frequently in full head of steam. Cf. sense 44b. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > physics > mechanics > force > [noun] > pressure > fluid pressure > specific overpressure1819 head of steam1820 pressure head1856 velocity head1884 velocity pressure1904 impact pressure1919 impact head1928 1820 ‘A. Seaborn’ Symzonia iv. 60 I..ordered the engineer to raise a head of steam, and have the engine in readiness for instant motion. 1862 Times 27 Mar. The ‘Merrimac’..made direct for the ‘Cumberland’ under a full head of steam. 1906 Mag. Hist. July 28 They threw open the throttle valve and away they would go, trusting to their great speed and full head of steam to run us out of sight. 1965 E. G. Love Situation in Flushing vi. 80 Fires were to be built under the boilers and a head of steam built up. 2012 T. E. Alexander & D. K. Utley Faded Glory iii. 81 The Clifton began moving directly toward the fort under a full head of steam. (b) A substantial accumulation of energy, momentum, or enthusiasm, esp. that required to do something effectively; (also) an accumulation or build-up of pressure, tension, or strain.Frequently as part of an extended metaphor, as to get up (also work up, etc.) a head of steam. ΚΠ 1838 Amer. Monthly Mag. Mar. 248 ‘What's this I hear about John?’ ‘Gone into crockery business; full head of steam on!’ 1869 P. T. Barnum Struggles & Triumphs xxxiii. 525 I was now once more before the public with the promise to put on a full head of steam, to ‘rush things’, to give double or treble the amount of attractions ever before offered at the Museum. 1892 Oelwein (Iowa) Reg. 4 Feb. Rheumatism and la grippe are easily extinguishable at the start. Why then allow them to get up a full head of steam? 1910 Hutchinson (Kansas) News 28 Dec. 12/2 There must be some more enthusiasm in this thing... That's the only way to accomplish a thing. Work up a bigger head of steam. 1921 H. M. Poteat Pract. Hymnol. ii. 68 You are supposed to say ‘Tum-te-tum-te-tum’, etc., until you arrive at the chorus, when you are expected to get under a full head of steam immediately. 1962 Times 18 Dec. 11/6 The risk of such a change has to be balanced against the danger that without it a dangerous head of steam might build up. 1990 J. Eberts & T. Ilott My Indecision is Final xiii. 139 A film starts off slowly, then builds a head of steam and does better than you thought. r. (a) head or tail: either one thing or another; anything definite or intelligible. Usually in negative or interrogative contexts, and now chiefly with make (as (not) to make head nor tail of, to make neither head nor tail of, etc.). Cf. to have neither head nor feet at Phrases 3f(b). ΚΠ 1546 G. Joye Refut. Byshop Winchesters Derke Declar. f. clxxix A longe confuse talke of this bish. which as it is all out of his owne brayne dreamed withoute anye scripture, so hathe it nether head ne tayle. 1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. viii. 109 That was a kind of Lechecraft, which as yet had neither Head nor Tayle. 1662 A. Brome Rump (new ed.) i. 222 If you studdy upon't, I hope you will neither make Head or Tayle on't. 1698 Digiti-lingua 27 'Tis but exchanging five or more Letters in an Alphabet, and they can never make Head or Tayl of it. 1730 H. Fielding Pleasures of Town iii. i, in Author's Farce 29 But what is the Design or Plot? for I could make neither Head nor Tail of it. 1771 T. Nugent tr. B. Cellini Life I. ii. x. 417 You are trifling, and there is neither head nor tail in what you say. 1831 Boston Transcript 2 Aug. 2/3 The entertainment happened to be the ‘Stage Coach’, which was acted so wretchedly that it was impossible to make head or tail of it. 1890 J. H. McCarthy French Revol. II. 88 It is difficult to make head or tail of the whole business. 1923 R. J. Cortissoz Amer. Artists viii. 98 When Lowell heard Emerson lecture in the time of his declension..he could not make head nor tail of the discourse. 1984 B. MacLaverty Cal (new ed.) 126 He read some of it but could not make head or tail of it. 1994 News (Boca Raton, Florida) 3 Oct. e15/1 I can't fathom head or tail of what I'm reading. (b) heads or tails n., adj., and int. (a) n. a game of chance in which players try to predict which way up a tossed coin will fall (see sense 4b); cf. cross and pile at pile n.² 1; (b) adj. (in predicative use) evenly balanced between two equally likely outcomes; dictated by chance; (c) int. used as a request to predict which way up a tossed coin will fall. ΚΠ 1675Heads or tails [see sense 4b]. 1684 T. Otway Atheist ii. 17 As the Boys do by their Farthings..go to Heads or Tails for 'em. 1771 T. Bridges Adventures of Bank-note IV. xx. 186 This affair seemed like a law-suit, where it is only heads or tails, whether the best or worst gets it. 1812 Bk. Games ii. 19 Who has a half-penny, to toss up for first innings? O, here is one; heads or tails? 1844 New World 10 Feb. 187/1 Some truant boys, who have stolen into a barn to play ‘heads or tails’. 1886 J. C. Battersby Bridle Bits i. 31 With this gait it is ‘heads or tails’ which gets tired first—the horse or the rider. 1899 W. Harvey Sc. Life & Char. xi. 347 I lost it [sc. money] wi' anither laddie at heads or tails. 1929 Morning Call (Laurel, Mississippi) 6 Oct. 2/6 The teams are evenly matched and it's ‘heads or tails’ who wins. 1995 J. L. Singman & W. McLean Daily Life Chaucer's Eng. ix. 189 Cross and Pile was another simple pastime, exactly the same as modern Heads or Tails. 2008 Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minnesota) (Nexis) 5 Aug. (Family Fun Mag.) Troy pulled a quarter from his pocket. ‘Heads or tails?’ he asked. 2012 Daily Star (Nexis) 31 Mar. I think it's heads or tails who wins that one. Both teams will be under pressure. (c) heads I win, (and) tails you lose: I win whatever happens. Also similarly heads you win, (and) tails I lose, heads I win, tails I win, etc. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > prosperity > success > there is much success [phrase] > I win whatever happens heads I win, (and) tails you lose1728 1728 G. Vane 2nd Ess. Catholick-relig. 151 Makes him play at Fools-game (even at Heads I win, and Tails you loose) with his Wealth and Substance. 1789 World 19 Dec. It was impossible any man in his senses could enter into a contract upon the former interpretation; that would be following the old maxim, ‘Heads, I win—Tails, you lose.’ 1832 A. W. Fonblanque Eng. under Seven Admin. (1837) II. 302 They would play the toss up with the creditor on the terms ‘Heads I win, tails you lose’. 1858 Calcutta Rev. June 369 Between the Indian public and the Indian Government, it is invariably the old one-sided game of ‘heads we win, tails you lose’. 1918 D. Haig Diary 15 July in War Diaries & Lett. 1914–18 (2005) 430 This is a case of ‘heads you win, and tails I lose’! If things go well, the Government take credit to themselves and the Generalissimo: if badly, the Field Marshal will be blamed! 1958 Times 17 Oct. 17/1 The heads-I-win, tails-you-lose sort of argument between the conscious and the unconscious. 1991 Stanford Law Rev. 43 784 Whenever it is appropriate for courts to consider extrinsic evidence in interpreting standard form policy language, it normally should be a ‘heads I win tails I win’ matter for the insured. 1999 Vanity Fair May 124/3 The profit margin is excellent... Heads I win, tails you lose! s. British colloquial. head over tip: = head over heels at Phrases 3i(c). Cf. arse over tip at arse n. and int. Phrases 1. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > falling > [phrase] > head over heels tail over top1303 top over tailc1330 heels over headc1400 tail and top1558 head over heels1678 over head and heels1678 heels over gowdy1751 head over tip1824 arse over tip1922 ass over tea-kettle1963 1824 J. Badcock Boxiana IV. 260 A first-rate swell, who was extremely eager to get on board, lost his footing, and went head over tip into the water. 1844 R. B. Peake Cartouche III. xx. 24 My heart was so easily inflamed that I fell head over tip in love with every female I met. 1906 E. Dyson Fact'ry 'Ands xv. 202 Er stream iv water..sluices ther red-'eaded girl..'ead-over-tip down ther front stairs. 1983 Observer 9 Oct. 49/4 I did once see a motorcyclist go head over tip as a result of getting a wheel tangled up in an errant trolley line! 2007 Sun (Nexis) 23 May [The vehicle] rolled several times and even went head over tip. t. to keep (also hold, etc.) one's head above water and variants: to keep oneself out of difficulty, esp. debt or financial ruin. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > management of money > solvency > be solvent [verb (intransitive)] able to tine or win1340 to have (also get) beforehand1526 to keep (also hold, etc.) one's head above water1608 to pay one's way1786 ?1605 J. Davies Wittes Pilgrimage sig. X1^v Still I swimme In Sorrowes Seas... I scarse can keepe me Head aboue the Waues With all my Laboures, my Starres are so crosse!] 1608 E. Grimeston in tr. J. F. Le Petit Gen. Hist. Netherlands xvi. 1336 They..remayned no longer constant therein [sc. in a truce], but vntill that their countriemen and those of the religion had gotten their heads aboue water, and taken breath. 1627 J. Rogers Doctr. Faith 115 The Gospell..staies him from sinking under his burden, from despaire, and keepes his head above water. 1665 J. Wilson Projectors i. 4 To beget an opinion in him that I had great dealings in the world; when yet I have found enough to do, to keep my head above water. 1742 H. Fielding Joseph Andrews II. iii. x. 165 There are many who I fancy believe that..my Pockets..are lined with Bank-Bills; but I assure you, you are all mistaken... If I can hold my Head above Water, it is all I can. 1772 W. O'Brien Cross Purposes i. i. 5 I believe we must marry somebody; we can't keep our heads above water much longer if we do not. 1830 Reg. Deb. Congr. U.S. VI. 902/2 The manufacturers are so depressed, that they can scarce hold their heads above water. 1866 E. Tuckett Beaten Tracks 221 The prices of everything are raised, and it is difficult to get along at all with your head above water. 1901 W. Hargreaves Lost & Found! v. 32 As for saving, it is all I can do to keep my head above water and make ends meet. 1956 M. Dickens Angel in Corner viii. 114 She struggled to keep her head above water, and to appear as if she had nothing on her mind. 2001 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 8 Dec. 30/7 It has taken four-and-a-half years of shiftwork to get our heads above water. u. Nautical and Aeronautics. head to (the) wind: (so as to be) facing directly into the wind. ΚΠ 1720 J. Burchett Compl. Hist. Trans. at Sea v. xv. 658 She came Head to Wind in five Fathom. 1766 J. H. Grose Voy. E.-Indies (ed. 2) II. vii. ii. 203 The helm was immediately put a-lee: but before she came quite head to wind, she struck lightly, and then stronger. 1842 F. Marryat Percival Keene III. xx. 246 The frigate was head to wind, rising and pitching with the heavy sea, but not yet feeling the strain of the cables. 1894 H. Caine Manxman v. iii The boat was brought head to the wind. 1919 H. Shaw Text-bk. Aeronaut. xiii. 169 The other [type of drift indicator] is intended to indicate whether or not the machine is flying head to wind. 2002 D. Lundy Way of Ship (2003) v. 183 Once a mast is jury-rigged and a scrap of sail raised to keep the vessel head to wind, it faces the waves again. P4. With a verb.to beat one's head, to hang the head, to hide one's head, to turn a person's head, etc.: see the verbs. †a. to bear head against: = to keep head against at Phrases 4g(a). Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > forward movement > move or cause to move forward or advance [verb (transitive)] > advance in spite of to bear head againsta1596 to make head against1841 a1596 G. Peele Loue King Dauid & Fair Bethsabe (1599) sig. Hij Then why should passions of much meaner power, Beare head against the heart of Israel. 1601 A. Munday tr. J. Teixeira Strangest Aduenture 64 Thus could and can the kingdome of Portugall beare head against the rest of Spaine. a1627 J. Hayward Ann. Four Years Elizabeth (1840) 43 Unable..to beare head against this storme. a1668 J. Alleine Divers Pract. Cases Conscience (1672) i. 4 To bear head against the current of the times, and to be for strict Godliness in all your ways, when the stream runs quite against it. 1742 G. Turnbull Observ. Liberal Educ. 399 Fortify and strengthen reason, that it may timeously be able to bear head against all the allurements of sense. 1761 Ess. Art War 63 A Peace of about twenty Years..enervated them [sc. the Romans] to such a Degree, that they were not able to bear Head against Hannibal. b. to bring to a head: (a) to cause (a boil, abscess, or spot) to form a head and come to the point where likely to burst; cf. sense 19a; (b) to bring (a situation, state of affairs, etc.) to a critical point, or to a point of maturity or maximum intensity; cf. sense 54. [Compare Middle French, French mettre à chef to bring to a conclusion (c1240 in Anglo-Norman).] ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > suppuration > cause suppuration [verb (transitive)] > bring to head ripea1398 to bring to a head1566 concoct1584 ripen1590 the world > action or operation > prosperity > advancement or progress > [verb (transitive)] > bring to or form highest point to bring to a head1603 culminate1659 cumulate1660 climax1807 pinnacle1840 peak1887 the world > relative properties > quantity > increase in quantity, amount, or degree > [verb (transitive)] > to highest degree to bring to a head1603 culminate1659 climax1807 maximize1815 1566 T. Blundeville Order curing Horses Dis. lvi. f. 36, in Fower Offices Horsemanshippe A Linnen cloute, whiche being layd vnto the swelling, two or three dayes,..wyll bryng it to a heade. 1603 H. Crosse Vertues Common-wealth sig. I4^v What moueth the Lawier to..be so earnest to finde out the differences of causes, to bring them to a head, but glory? 1641 S. Hartlib Briefe Relation 25 Master Dury was lodged and entertained with him..for the space of fourteen dayes, that they together might ripen matters, and bring their thoughts to a head. 1662 S. Pepys Diary 31 Oct. (1970) III. 245 Some plot there hath been, though not brought to a head. 1722 D. Defoe Jrnl. Plague Year 97 If these Swellings could be brought to a Head,..the Patient generally recover'd. 1788 tr. G. Sénac de Meilhan Considerations upon Wit & Morals 177 Your illness is an ambition not brought to a head. 1823 W. Scott Peveril I. ix. 204 The uncharitable prejudices against other sects, which polemical controversy had generated, and the Civil War brought to a head. 1887 T. Hardy Woodlanders I. ix. 168 It might bring things to a head, one way or the other. 1922 F. H. Dixon Railroads & Govt. v. 60 With the introduction of the parcel post..the problem became more complicated and the issue was brought to a head. 1994 Daily Mail (Nexis) 20 Sept. 37 Honey..can draw poisons and pus out of an infected wound or ulcer, or bring boils to a head. 2009 C. Asquith Sisters in War xvii. 157 Events were already conspiring to bring their relationship to a head. c. to come to a head: (a) (of a boil, abscess, or spot) to form a head and come to the point where likely to burst; cf. sense 19a; (b) (of a situation, state of affairs, etc.) to reach a critical point, or a point of maturity or maximum intensity; cf. sense 54. [Compare post-classical Latin venire ad caput (see achieve v.), Middle French, French venir à chef to accomplish (a1200 in Old French as venir a chief).] ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > suppuration > suppurate [verb (intransitive)] whealc1000 rank?a1300 ranklec1330 festera1400 putrefya1400 quittera1400 suppure?a1425 to come to a head1566 undercot1591 suppurate1615 youster1691 digest1722 maturate1726 the world > existence and causation > occurrence > [verb (intransitive)] > come to the crunch or critical point to come to a head1655 to come to the crunch1960 the world > relative properties > quantity > increase in quantity, amount, or degree > [verb (intransitive)] > to highest degree > reach highest degree of increase to grow to a head1579 to gather to a heada1616 to come to a head1655 culminatea1662 climax1882 to reach a crescendo1925 to top off1970 to top out1972 1566 T. Blundeville Order curing Horses Dis. cxliii. f. 99, in Fower Offices Horsemanshippe The swelling is apparant to the eye, which in foure or fyue dayes commeth to a heade. 1655 W. Gurnall Christian in Armour: 1st Pt. 224 Satan..can..keep such thoughts from coming to a head, and ripening into a present resolution. 1685 tr. N. Lémery Mod. Curiosities of Art & Nature i. xxiii. 256 With it rub the sore, and it will come to a head. 1715 Hist. Wars Charles XII. King of Sweden 23 We shall see the particular Degrees by which the War which afterwards follow'd came to a Head. 1768 T. Berdmore Treat. Disorders & Deformities Teeth & Gums ii. v. 61 Thinking that this would come to a head, (as he termed it) and then disappear of its own accord, like the former ulcers. 1801 H. L. Piozzi Retrospection I. xvii. 384 A charitable corporation had upon this principle been instituted some years before..but in 1731 the precious project came to a head and burst. 1871 A. M. Diaz William Henry Lett. 134 Come to a head—like a boil or a rebellion. 1878 R. B. Smith Carthage 281 The revolt of Sardinia was stamped out before it came to a head. 1910 Encycl. Brit. VI. 346/2 In 1884 the struggle between stationary and progressive Toryism came to a head, and terminated in favour of the latter. 1947 H. R. Isaacs New Cycle in Asia viii. 157 Matters came to a head in Hanoi on December 19, 1946, when clashes in that city resulted in generalized warfare. 1990 R. H. Bork Tempting of Amer. 29 The crisis came to a head when Missouri sought statehood. d. (a) to get (a) head: to gain force, momentum, power, or ascendancy; to become established. Cf. sense 56. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > quantity > increase in quantity, amount, or degree > [verb (intransitive)] forthwaxa900 wax971 growOE risec1175 anhigh1340 upwax1340 creasec1380 increasec1380 accreasea1382 augmenta1400 greata1400 mountc1400 morec1425 upgrowc1430 to run up1447 swell?c1450 add1533 accresce1535 gross1548 to get (a) head1577 amount1583 bolla1586 accrue1586 improve1638 aggrandize1647 accumulate1757 raise1761 heighten1803 replenish1814 to turn up1974 1577 R. Holinshed Chron. II. 1861/1 It will bee too soone perceyued though happily too late to stoppe the breache, when the floud hath gote head, and once wonne passage through the banke. 1627 R. Sanderson Ten Serm. 263 The times were such, as wherein sin had gotten head. 1631 W. Gouge Gods Three Arrowes iii. §84. 341 Whereas..Haman..got some head, the Lord had warre with him. a1686 T. Watson Body Pract. Divinity (1692) 429 He..fears..least Profaneness should break in like a flood, least Popery should get head, and God should go from a people. 1722 D. Defoe Jrnl. Plague Year 228 A great Fire..gets a Head. 1812 Sporting Mag. 39 92 Hydrophobia..will occur and get head even in the coldest weather. 1867 Rep. Sel. Comm. Fire Protection (House of Commons) 222/1 The candle was placed on a piece of tallow..and it fell over; the fire was discovered before it got head. 1919 N.Y. Med. Jrnl. 27 Sept. 533/2 The fever went on, got head; and often proved mortal. (b) to get (something) into (also in) one's head: to conceive the idea or notion of (something); to have (something) occur to one; (also) to come to realize or understand. Frequently with negative connotations. Chiefly in to get it into one's head with that-clause or infinitive. Cf. to take (something) into (also in) one's head at Phrases 4q(b)(ii).to get ideas into one's head: see idea n. Phrases 3b. ΚΠ a1602 W. Perkins Cloud of Faithfull Witnesses (1607) 459 [They] get this conceite into their heads, that God will likewise forsake them as he hath done these whom they behold. 1677 W. Wycherley Plain-dealer iv. 64 How? What Quirk has she got in her head now? 1695 T. Brown tr. J. Le Clerc Life Famous Cardinal-Duke de Richlieu II. iv. 116 This man had got it into his Head to make himself be crown'd King of Bohemia. 1708 tr. M.-C. d'Aulnoy Hist. Earl of Warwick i. 82 If the Earl of Devonshire should get it into his Head, that she had bin reprimanding her Daughter concerning her ill Conduct. 1762 O. Goldsmith Citizen of World II. 56 The people, it seems, have got it into their heads that they have more wit than others. 1849 C. Brontë Shirley III. v. 139 She would sometimes get a notion into her head, on a cold, wet day, that the school-room was no cheerful place. 1876 H. Kingsley Grange Garden I. xvii. 118 Will you get it into your head that I am not talking about him, but about Lionel? 1898 D. C. Murray Tales 255 She's got some maggot in her head about being loved for her own sake. 1912 Amer. Mag. July 324/2 All she needs are some clothes and I've gotten it into my head to take her to my own dressmaker's in town. 1961 L. E. Harris Two Netherlanders 190 Had Drebbel got some idea into his head to use solar energy to produce heat? 1977 A. Waugh in Spectator 7 May 6/1 It is something which the ambitious minority seem quite unable to get into its head—that most of us are lazy. 2005 M. Lewycka Short Hist. Tractors in Ukrainian xxviii. 292 She had got it into her head that she was entitled to half the house, and she wouldn't listen to anyone that told her otherwise. (c) colloquial (originally British). to get one's head down. (i) Originally Nautical. To settle oneself down before going to sleep; to have a sleep, to get some sleep. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sleeping and waking > sleep > [verb (transitive)] sleepc825 slumber1749 to get one's head down1868 zizz1972 1868 C. Chapman All about Ships 124 Right glad will you be to get your head down for a rest. 1891 Hampshire Tel. & Sussex Chron. 21 Feb. (Suppl.) 11/3 Sailors' Lingo... ‘To get your head down’ or ‘back stitching’ is going to sleep. 1902 Presbyterian Banner 19 June 15/1 ‘Girls, let us take Aunt Debby to her room and help her undress, she is worn out.’ ‘Yes, dearies, I would like to get my head down,’ was the grateful reply. 1958 ‘N. Shute’ Rainbow & Rose 61 I'll have to get my head down for a bit, though, before going out again. 1994 M. Gee Crime Story (1996) x. 168 I want to get my head down for the night. (ii) To apply oneself to, or concentrate on, the task in hand; to ‘knuckle down’. ΚΠ 1904 London Jrnl. 29 Oct. 380/2 The fond husband got his head down and plugged along as hard as a galley-slave every inch of the thirty-three miles. 1954 Times 23 July 9/1 May..had not seemed anxious to get his head down and go willingly to work. 1971 New Scientist 23 Dec. 210/2 Birch ‘got his head down for three solid weeks’ and successfully submitted his 17 outstanding course units. 1988 Soccer Special '88 Aug. 9/2 He got his head down.., put in a lot of hard work and found himself playing in the First Division. 2010 S. McBride Kris Meeke ii. 8/1 Kris..got his head down and got a degree in Mechanical Engineering. (d) colloquial (originally U.S.). to get one's head together: (a) to collect or compose one's thoughts; (b) to gain or regain one's mental equilibrium or composure, esp. with regard to finding one's sense of purpose; to take stock of or re-evaluate one's life. Cf. together adj. b and similar to get one's act together at act n. Phrases 12, to get one's shit together at shit n. and adj. Phrases 23a. ΚΠ 1872 Testimony Joint Select Comm. Condition of Affairs Insurrectionary States: Florida 113 in U.S. Congress. Serial Set (42nd Congr., 2nd Sess.: House of Representatives Rep. 22, Pt. 13) II Question. Who were your justices of the peace? Answer. It is right at my tongue's end, but I cannot get my head together rightly to save my life. 1911 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 5 Sept. 1/1 I am possessed with an evil spirit... If I could only get my head together I could get out of this and be alright. 1970 N.Y. Times Mag. 7 June 77/1 Everybody I know is always talking about getting his head together. If you can just get it together, you can do something..healthful. 1984 Nutshell (Gainesville, Florida) Spring 15/1 The course would get my head together. 1991 Coarse Fishing Feb. 16/1 Sometimes a break is needed to ‘get one's head together’ so to speak and generally take stock of things. 2003 N.Y. Times Mag. 14 Sept. 52/2 If Jenks can get his head together, he could very well be a dominating major-league pitcher. e. †(a) to give one's head for the washing (also polling): to yield tamely without resistance; chiefly in negative contexts. Obsolete. ΚΠ 1542 T. Becon in M. Coverdale tr. H. Bullinger Golden Bk. Christen Matrimonye Pref. sig. A.v Lyke a fellowe, that wyll not gyue his head for y^e wasshynge. a1601 J. Hooker Discr. Excester (1765) 82 Such a one as would not give his Head for the polling, nor his Beard for the washing. 1639 J. Taylor Iuniper Lect. viii. 56 When I was yong, as now I am old, I would not have given my head for the washing. 1663 S. Butler Hudibras: First Pt. i. iii. 182 For my part, it shall ne'er be sed, I for the washing gave my head. 1738 J. Swift Compl. Coll. Genteel Conversat. 34 I find, Mr. Neverout, you won't give your Head for the washing, as they say. (b) to give (a horse) his (also her, its, etc.) head (formerly also to give (a horse) (the) head): to give free rein to (a horse). Frequently in extended use with a person, etc., as object: to give freedom of action to; to free from constraint. Similarly with other verbs, as allow, let, etc. Cf. sense 57. ΘΚΠ society > authority > lack of subjection > freedom or liberty > freedom of action or from restraint > not restrain [verb (transitive)] slidec1386 to give a person rope (also enough rope, etc.)a1475 to give (the) rein(s) (to)1484 to let go1526 to give (a horse) his (also her, its, etc.) head1571 license1605 to give linea1616 unchecka1616 to give a loose (occasionally give loose) to1685 to give stretch to1777 to let rip1857 society > travel > transport > riding on horse (or other animal) > ride (a horse or other animal) [verb (transitive)] > allow (a horse) free motion to give (a horse) (the) head1571 to give (the) rein(s) (to)1606 to let out1849 1571 Dict. French & Eng. sig. A.iij^v Les ailes qu'on baille à vn cheual, to giue a horse the heade. 1579 S. Gosson Schoole of Abuse f. 6^v You are no soner entred, but libertie looseth the reynes, and geues you head. 1582 T. Rogers tr. J. Rivius Of Foolishnes of Men iv. 43 Parents..do nussell yong children in wickednes, giue them the head to do what they list. 1603 T. Dekker et al. Patient Grissill sig. L^v But you Sir Owen giuing her the head, As you gaue liberty to those three wandes, Shee'll [etc.]. 1636 W. Evans Christian Conflict & Conquest 37 Give a hot horse his head at first, and he will surely runne away with you. 1697 G. Stanhope tr. P. Charron Of Wisdom I. i. xiv. 150 It is a much safer Course..to sooth and gently lay this indiscreet Minor asleep, than to let him have his Head, and ramble abroad at his own Pleasure. 1705 R. Steele Tender Husband i. i. 14 What a Fool have I been to give him his Head so long! 1743 H. Bracken Traveller's Pocket-farrier 3 Give him his Head without forcing him, by Whip or Spur, to perform with more Life and Spirit than is otherwise inclinable. 1759 J. Fawcett Dialogues Other World 30 He wanted nothing else..but only to have his Reason put in Exercise: But however let him take care he does not give too much Head to it, lest [etc.]. 1762 L. Sterne Life Tristram Shandy V. i. 16 Chastity, by nature the gentlest of all affections—give it but its head—'tis like a ramping and a roaring lion. 1867 Baily's Monthly Mag. Jan. 306 Having a good plain before me, I allowed him his head. 1886 E. Lynn Linton Paston Carew III. v. 105 He had yielded so far to the necessities of the case as to give Lady Jane her head. 1932 Collier's 9 Jan. 42/3 You're not going to marry this wishy-washy just because he gives you your head. 1940 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 11 Apr. 16/2 Director Olivier gave Actor Olivier too much head and Actor Olivier got out of hand. 1955 E. A. Powell Adventure Road ii. 7 He started out at steeplechase pace, but as we were crossing a stretch of level grassland I let him have his head. 1989 Managem. Today July 82/1 For a time, he gave his intellectual side its head, doing his doctorate and becoming an assistant lecturer. 2012 Church Times 20 Jan. 28/2 Lindy had married Robert the man, not Robert the priest, and, while he gave her her head, he also relied on her absolute candour. (c) slang (originally U.S.). to give head (also to give a person head): to perform fellatio or cunnilingus (on a person). Also with qualifying adjective, as to give good head, etc. Cf. sense 9. ΚΠ 1956 O. Duke Sideman ii. vii. 103 She's wild, man! Gives the craziest head! 1967 N. Mailer Why are we in Vietnam? 24 Gather here, footlings and specialists, hot shit artists, those who give head, and general drug addicts of the world. 1978 K. Acker Blood & Guts in High School 102 Not yet completely gaga, I gently crawled up to his bed to give him head but the more horney I became, the drunker I became. 1996 Minx Nov. 61/2 Frank's my boyfriend but he doesn't give good head. 2003 Ice Oct. 28/2 I think it also helped how much I loved to give girls head. f. to go to a person's head: (originally of alcoholic drink) to intoxicate, impair the faculties or judgement of a person; (in extended use) to make conceited or overconfident. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > drink > thirst > excess in drinking > [verb (intransitive)] > make drunk (of drink) tox1637 intoxicate1687 to strike up into the head1711 to go to a person's head1808 mount1884 mickey-finn1933 mickey1946 the mind > emotion > pride > be proud [verb (intransitive)] > make proud to go to a person's head1926 1808 H. Murray tr. J.-F. Marmontel Mem. I. iv. 333 While yet warm with acting, she drank this wine, and it went to her head [Fr. il lui porta à la tête]. 1836 Lit. Gaz. 30 July 492/2 You have only to make him drink; a single glass would go to his head, and then my mill is done for. 1866 F. Browne Hidden Sin xxii. 75/2 The words seemed to come from her heart, and went to my head like new wine. 1926 People's Home Jrnl. Feb. 20/2 It seemed as if power had gone to his head. 1942 A. Christie Body in Libr. xii. 108 He settled a large sum of money on Frank... It went to Frank's head. 1990 P. Auster Music of Chance vii. 156 Neither one of them was used to drinking champagne, and the bubbles had quickly gone to their heads. 2007 N.Y. Times Mag. 4 Feb. 53/1 A defrocked superhero..whose special powers went to his head and got him booted out of the Elite League. g. (a) to keep head against: to hold one's own in the face of (difficulty or opposition); to maintain headway against; to resist. Cf. sense 56. Now rare. ΚΠ a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) iii. viii. f. 270^v Amphialus..kept head aginst his enemies while some of his men caried away Philanax. 1618 S. Ward Iethro's Iustice of Peace 26 For whom it is as possible to steere a right course..as it is for a cock-boat to keep head against winde and tide, without helpe of oares or sailes. 1781 J. O. Justamond tr. B.-F.-J. Mouffle d'Angerville Private Life Lewis XV II. 87 The French army..was not even in a condition to keep head against the united troops of Prince Charles and Lobkowitz. 1820 J. Keats Isabella in Lamia & Other Poems 62 The bream Keeps head against the freshets. 1893 Amer. Lancet Mar. 98/2 The patient, thorough-going young physician..is having more and more difficulty to keep head against the splurgy, dashy fellows who use all the arts of politics to win what is called success. 1959 P. H. de Lacy & B. Einarson tr. Plutarch Moralia VII. 195 That the argument, as though with a haven and refuge in view, may the more boldly in its bark of plausibility keep head against the difficulty. (b) to keep one's head: to remain calm, to retain self-control; to keep one's wits about one. Similarly to keep a cool (also level, etc.) head. Also to keep one's head together. Cf. to lose one's head (see Phrases 4j(b)). ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > calmness > self-possession or self-control > maintain self-control [verb (intransitive)] to keep one's countenance1470 to get above ——1603 to keep one's head1717 keep your shirt on1844 to keep one's hair on1883 to keep one's wool1890 not to bat an eye, eyelid1904 to keep one's pants on1928 to play it cool1955 to keep (also blow, lose) one's cool1964 1717 M. Prior Alma iii. 186 Richard, keep thy head, And hold thy peace. 1753 S. Richardson Hist. Sir Charles Grandison I. xxxi. 218 The young women wept. The mother was mov'd. I wonder I kept my head. My brain was on fire. 1857 T. Hughes Tom Brown's School Days ii. v. 325 Hold on's the horse that's to win. We've got the last. Keep your head, old boy. 1878 Dental Cosmos Feb. 96 Better keep a level head and a firm footing, directed by sound reason and unbiased judgment. 1883 M. Oliphant Hester II. v. 63 All that jargon about watching the market, and keeping a cool head, and running no unnecessary risks. 1910 R. Kipling If in Rewards & Fairies 175 If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you. 1922 M. Monahan Life & Lett. J. Erskine Stuart xv. 211 Those in whose hands was the welfare of the actual children had great need to keep a calm head. 1974 Black Belt Aug. 38/2 One of his students...could be a top competitor in a few years if he could learn to keep his head together on the tournament floor. 1995 P. Conroy Beach Music (1996) xxxi. 552 Jordan was patient and kept his head. 2010 E. Sze Heart of Buddha xliii. 185 I sat down inside the tent, trying to gather my thoughts and keep a cool head. (c) to keep one's head down: to keep down or out of sight in order to avoid gunfire, etc., in battle; (in extended use) to remain inconspicuous, to keep a low profile. ΚΠ 1830 W. T. Parke Musical Mem. II. 237 When you go into battle, Bosville, be sure to keep your head down, or you will be popped off presently. 1887 Oskaloosa (Iowa) Herald 3 Mar. 1/5 You'd better keep your head down or you'll get it knocked off. 1918 A. G. Empey First Call xxiii. 191 The first rule in trench warfare is ‘keep your head down’. 1937 El Paso (Texas) Herald-Post 29 Mar. 5/5 The best strategy is to create the impression..of a ‘non-partisan issue’ and therefore they are keeping their heads down while Democrats shoot at each other. 1952 W. R. Burnett Little Men, Big World viii. 91 ‘Lots of people think you're dead.’ ‘I'm close. You are too. Keep your head down.’ 1975 Ebony June 54 One of the first things I learned as a commissioner is that in those meetings with Congress you keep your head down and try to be inconspicuous..otherwise they will tear your butt up. 2011 Business Day (S. Afr.) (Nexis) 25 July Stockbrokers kept their heads down. By staying out of the limelight they avoided onerous conditions. h. to knock on the head: see knock v. 3. i. to lay (down) one's head: to settle down to rest, to go to sleep (esp. with reference to a habitual resting or sleeping place). Cf. to get one's head down at Phrases 4d(c). ΚΠ 1526 Bible (Tyndale) Matt. viii. f. x^v He sonne of the man hath not where onto leye his heede [1557 Geneva head]. 1641 J. Milton Reason Church-govt. Concl. 64 But laying down his head.., while he sleeps..they wickedly shaving off all those..tresses [etc.]. 1794 C. Smith Banished Man II. ii. 35 De Touranges cared not where he laid his head. 1837 W. Wordsworth Memorials Tour in Italy vii, in Poems (1845) 275 The noble Roman's scorn..at thought of laying down his head, When the blank day is over. 1883 Luther's Cradle Song in Sailors' Mag. Nov. 351/2 Away in a manger, No crib for his bed, The little Lord Jesus Lay down His sweet head. 1950 D. Thomas Let. 7 Apr. (1987) 756 I..lay down my head & do not sleep until dawn because I can hear your heart beat beside me. 1964 in R. D. Abrahams Deep down in Jungle ii. iv. 166 Is this where the broad named Big Whore lays her head?.. Tell her I'll see her tomorrow morning. 2006 Wanderlust Mar. 60/1 We've found the best places to lay your head just minutes from Jordan's best-loved treasures. j. to lose one's head. (a) To have one's head cut off; to be beheaded (as a form of capital punishment). Now chiefly historical. ΘΚΠ society > authority > punishment > capital punishment > execute [verb (intransitive)] > be beheaded to hop headlessc1330 to lose one's headc1405 c1405 (c1385) G. Chaucer Knight's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 849 Namoore vp on peyne of lesyng of your heed. 1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope ii. iii Which haue been cause of theyr dethe and to lese theyre heedes. 1533 T. Elyot Of Knowl. Wise Man i. f. 4^v There was an ordinaunce made..that if any man of Athenes came in to that Ile, he shulde immediately lose his hedde. 1597 W. Shakespeare Richard III iv. iv. 229 Vp to some scaffold, there to loose their heads. View more context for this quotation 1644 W. Prynne & C. Walker True Relation Prosecution N. Fiennes 93 The Defendant..deserves to lose his head for yeelding Bristol up too soone. 1709 R. Gould Wks. I. 313 Why shou'd our Royal Martyr lose his Head And a Rump Senate Govern in his Stead? 1788 E. Inchbald Such Things Are v. iii. 69 An English prisoner, just now condemned to lose his head. 1801 R. Wilson Diary 4 July in Life (1862) I. iv. 200 He would rather lose his head than break his faith pledged to the Mamelukes. 1888 S. Baring-Gould Eve I. iii. 31 Copplestone..escaped losing his head for the murder by the surrender of thirteen manors. 1916 T. de Vries Holland's Infl. Eng. Lang. & Lit. xxvi. 219 He was now imprisoned as a spy; and was even condemned to lose his head by martial law. 1982 P. Carter Children of Bk. ii. 26 Any man who did not obey his orders would lose his head. 2002 Times 11 Feb. i. 15/1 The spot where Charles I was condemned to lose his head. (b) To lose one's presence of mind or self-control; to become irrational; to panic. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > inattention > mental wandering > lack of concentration, distraction > be distracted [verb (intransitive)] wanderc1400 to lose one's head1798 1798 Substance of Rep. Court of Directors Sierra Leone Company 37 Though a headman, Pa Dembo had ‘lost his head’ by drink, and thus become ‘a boy’. 1815 Times 28 July 2/3 There is not the least doubt that this great man [sc. Napoleon] completely lost his head on the 18th Brumaire. 1850 Ld. Tennyson Princess (ed. 3) Concl. 174 The gravest citizen seems to lose his head. 1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. 121 He lost his head, almost fainted away on the floor of the House. 1900 Daily News 2 Jan. 6/1 It is to be hoped that they will not lose their heads when the rifles begin to talk in earnest. 1954 H. Macmillan Diary 16 Nov. (2003) 365 I got shouted at so much in the second half, that I lost my head somewhat, sat down too soon. 2005 B. Keating & S. Keating Blood Sisters (2006) x. 172 I made a hash of it... Lost my head like an idiot. k. (a) to make head against: to advance against; to resist; to rise in insurrection or revolt against; spec. to resist successfully, to advance in spite of. Also †to make head to. Now rare. ΘΚΠ society > authority > lack of subjection > rebelliousness > insurrection > rise against [verb (transitive)] revolt1548 to make head against1562 to lift at1647 the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > forward movement > move or cause to move forward or advance [verb (transitive)] > advance in spite of to bear head againsta1596 to make head against1841 1562 J. Shute in tr. A. Cambini in Two Comm. Turcks ii. f. 9^v No man paine of lyfe take anye spoyle, so longe as one enemie shal make hedde against vs, vntyl the battayle be ended. 1577 R. Holinshed Hist. Irelande i. 9/1 in Chron. I That..they might the better make head agaynst bothe Romayns and Brytayns. 1640 tr. G. S. du Verdier Love & Armes Greeke Princes i. 50 That done, he made head to the Giants, who battered him. 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ii. 992 That mighty leading Angel, who of late Made head against Heav'ns King. View more context for this quotation 1720 D. Defoe Mem. Cavalier 307 The Swiftness of our March..prevented all possible Preparation to oppose us, and we met with no Party able to make Head against us. 1735 tr. C. Rollin Anc. Hist. III. 277 The nobles of Athens seeing Pericles raised to the highest degree of power..resolved to oppose a man, who, in some measure, might make head against him. 1821 Ld. Byron Sardanapalus iii. i. 85 [They] make strong head against The rebels. 1841 C. Dickens Barnaby Rudge xxxiv. 129 They made head against the wind. 1854 F. I. Duberly Jrnl. 3 Dec. in Mrs Duberly's War (2007) 117 We, who are acclimatised, can hardly make head against the hardships of the life. 1927 H. T. Lowe-Porter tr. T. Mann Magic Mountain (London ed.) I. ii. 23 The labouring classes had begun to make head against the stout resistance of the free patriciate. 1958 R. A. Skelton Explorers' Maps ix. 195 These left unexamined..a vast area within which a ship could not make head against the westerlies. 1982 R. M. Scott Robert the Bruce viii. 80 It was to this province that..Bruce made his way, there to recruit an army to make head against an English invasion. (b) to make a head. (i) To raise a body of troops; (of soldiers, etc.) to come together in an orderly body, to rally. Also in extended use: to make a concerted stand against a person or thing. Cf. sense 55. Now rare. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military operations > distribution of troops > [verb (intransitive)] > levy or mobilize to make a head1580 1580 T. Newton View of Valyaunce f. 24^v An other company of the Lusitans, made an head, and ranged the countreyes of the Romaines. 1595 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 3 ii. i. 141 In the marches here we heard you were, Making another head to fight againe. 1627 M. Drayton Miseries Queene Margarite in Battaile Agincourt 95 That Warwick..Had met the Duke of Yorke, and made a head Of many fresh, and yet vnfought-with bands. 1648 J. Evelyn Mem. (1857) III. 8 To make a handsome head, and protect such as shall recruit. 1723 Hist. Reg. No. 30. 161 In the Confusion, their..Friends would have been able to have got together, and made a Head. 1771 W. Smith Nature & Inst. Govt. I. 256 Although the greatest part of them be of one opinion, yet it may so happen, as the lesser part having many legions, and making a head, may oppose itself against the greatest number, and get the victory. 1835 C. R. Forrester Battle of ‘Annuals’ 5 O! doubtless they can make a ‘head’, They march so firm ‘eyes right’. 1857 W. Acton Prostitution vi. 69 These defeated adventurers..joined their talents for the common good, and make [sic] a head against the world. 1900 E. Bellamy Duke of Stockbridge xxvi. 346 The Squire..observed that it was high time for the authorities to make a head against the tide of blasphemy which had swept over the State since the war. 1904 D. de Leon tr. E. Sue Pilgrim's Shell viii. 67 The Gallic chieftain Joel, who made a head against Cæsar. (ii) To make headway or progress. Now rare. ΚΠ 1863 H. Moody Our County iv. 53 Father's boy, you are too thin-skinned to make a head in the world. 1910 J. Masefield Bk. of Discov. xxii. 320 They had to use all their wits to make a head against the storm. l. colloquial (originally U.S.). to mess (also fuck, play, etc.) with a person's head: to disturb a person's mental state, esp. by means of psychological manipulation; to make a person feel confused, anxious, or upset. ΚΠ 1967 M. Braly On the Yard xiii. 213 I think he's trying to play with my head. 1975 N.Y. Mag. 28 July 66/3 I'm going back to my diet doctor—at least he doesn't mess with my head! 1978 R. Price Ladies' Man 211 I feel like you're fucking with my head... I feel head-fucked. 1985 Globe & Mail (Canada) (Nexis) 27 Feb. It plays with our heads... Nobody likes losing. 1992 Sports Illustr. 13 Jan. 76/2 He'd pick at you, mess with your head, tease you to death. 2005 C. Stross Accelerando v. 163 A ginger-and-brown cat—who has chosen to be female, just to mess with the heads of those people who think all ginger cats are male. 2012 C. L. Shultz Spellcaster 201 Very funny, Emma. I thought you were being serious... Don't screw with my head. m. U.S. regional. to open one's head: to speak, to say something. Chiefly in negative contexts. Cf. to open one's face at face n. Phrases 1k(b), to shut (one's) head at shut v. 4b(a). Now rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > speech > speak, say, or utter [verb (transitive)] speakc825 queatheOE forthdoc900 i-seggenc900 sayeOE speak971 meleOE quidOE spella1000 forthbringc1000 givec1175 warpa1225 mootc1225 i-schirea1250 upbringa1250 outsay?c1250 spilec1275 talec1275 wisea1300 crackc1315 nevena1325 cast1330 rehearsec1330 roundc1330 spend1362 carpa1375 sermona1382 to speak outc1384 usea1387 minc1390 pronouncea1393 lancec1400 mellc1400 nurnc1400 slingc1400 tellc1400 wordc1400 yelpc1400 worka1425 utterc1444 outspeakc1449 yielda1450 arecchec1460 roose?a1475 cutc1525 to come forth with1532 bubble1536 prolate1542 report1548 prolocute1570 bespeak1579 wield1581 upbraid1587 up with (also mid) ——1594 name1595 upbrayc1600 discoursea1616 tonguea1616 to bring out1665 voice1665 emit1753 lip1789 to out with1802 pitch1811 go1836 to open one's head1843 vocabulize1861 shoot1915 verbal1920 be1982 1843 Rural Repos. 8 Apr. 175/2 ‘Now you wont say any thing, about it—will you?’ ‘No, I will never open my head about it—sacredly. Hope-to-die this minute.’ 1885 H. H. Jackson Zeph ii. 44 He never opens his head to nobody. 1898 M. Deland Old Chester Tales 307 Jones said..that he hardly opened his head for the whole twenty-one miles. 1908 M. A. Grainger Woodsmen of West viii. 49 He must have done some quick thinking, for he never opened his head to say a single word. 1969 Times News (Twin Falls, Idaho) 8 Jan. 2/5 He was too frightened to tell his name and according to school officials ‘never opened his head all day’. n. (a) to put (something) into (also in) a person's head: to cause a person to have (a particular thought, notion, idea, etc.); to make a person think of (something); (also) †to remind a person of (something) (obsolete). Frequently in to put it into (also in) a person's head with that-clause or infinitive.to put ideas in a person's head: see idea n. Phrases 3a. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > memory > reminder, putting in mind > remind [phrase] to put (a person) in minda1500 to put (something) into (also in) a person's head1539 refresh1542 to put (a person) in the head of1561 to jog the memory1778 to ring a bell1933 the mind > mental capacity > thought > product of thinking, thought > matter of thought > present to the mind [verb (transitive)] suggest1526 to put (something) into (also in) a person's head1539 pense1575 1539 R. Morison Invective ayenste Treason sig. Diii God put it in your hedde to take your viage shortly. 1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VI f. clviij^v Puttyng into mens heades secretely his right to y^e crown. 1600 R. Chambers Palestina 197 He commanded him to shew truely..who had put this attempt into his head, and promised him his pardon. 1663 J. Heath Flagellum 6 He Dreamed, or a Familiar rather instincted him and put it into his Head, that He should be King of England. 1738 A. Pope Wks. II. ii. 165 She bids her Footman put it in her head. 1755 C. Charke Narr. Life 223 The good Nature of my Friends in Chepstow put it strongly in my Head to settle there. 1822 J. Galt Sir Andrew Wylie II. xvii. 159 ‘Base scoot!’ exclaimed Andrew..‘what puts such a thought into your head?’ 1874 T. Hardy Far from Madding Crowd II. xxii. 281 What the deuce put it into my head to run away at all, I can't think! 1937 J. P. Marquand Late George Apley (1940) xxxi. 351 If the War put some odd notions in your head, you cannot be blamed for that. 1957 M. Goudeket Close to Colette viii. 56 It was the name of one of them which put it into Colette's head to give a Spanish name to Gigi's grandmother. 1999 M. Weiss Slow Tango in South Seattle in Best of Frasier 69 Maris is reading Slow Tango in South Seattle... I think it's put thoughts in her head. †(b) to put (a person) in the head of: to remind (a person) of. Also to put (a person) in head that: to remind (a person) that. Cf. to put (a person) in mind at mind n.¹ 1g. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > memory > reminder, putting in mind > remind [phrase] to put (a person) in minda1500 to put (something) into (also in) a person's head1539 refresh1542 to put (a person) in the head of1561 to jog the memory1778 to ring a bell1933 1561 T. Hoby tr. B. Castiglione Courtyer iv. sig. Rr.i These thinges..beecome a noble and a right Prince, and shall make him both in peace and warr most triumphant and not put him in the heade [It. non lo auertire] of such particuler and smalle matters. 1618 S. Daniel Coll. Hist. Eng. 60 Putting the King in head, that all these great Castles..were onely to intertaine the partie of Maude. 1668 S. Pepys Diary 31 Jan. (1976) IX. 46 Griffin did..put me in the head of the little house by our garden..to make me a stable of. 1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones III. ix. vi. 356 And now you put me in the Head of it, I verily and sincerely believe it was the Devil. View more context for this quotation 1815 ‘J. Mathers’ Hist. Mr. John Decastro & Brother Bat III. iii. 156 She had so far warmed the philosopher, however, as to put him in the head of a wife. (c) to put (also drive) out of a person's head: to cause a person to forget; to drive from a person's thoughts. Cf. to put out of —— 1b at put v. Phrasal verbs 2. Also to put out of one's head: to abandon any idea or hope of. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > memory > faulty recollection > recollect wrongly [verb (transitive)] > cause to forget to put (also drive) out of a person's head1550 magic1906 the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > reversal of or forsaking one's will or purpose > reverse or abandon one's purpose [verb (intransitive)] > give up or discontinue discontinuec1425 to give upa1616 to put out of one's head1784 1550 N. Lesse tr. St. Augustine Of Vertue of Perseueraunce viii, in tr. St. Augustine Predestination of Saints sig. Pv^v To put it clean out of his head, that he be no more combered therwith, it is vnpossible [no exact equivalent in L. original]. 1578 A. Golding tr. Seneca Conc. Benefyting v. xvii. 77^v What man..will beare so greate a benefite in minde, anie longer than till the next matter that commes may put it out of his head? 1660 J. Tatham Rump iv. 49 I was just thinking of State-Affairs, and She has put all out of my head. 1682 A. Marsh Ten Pleasures of Marriage ii. 48 Your Wife [will] get more friends to accompany her, and drive fancies out of her head. 1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones V. xv. vii. 249 The Confusion into which he was thrown..had altogether driven former Thoughts out of his Head. View more context for this quotation 1784 J. O'Keeffe Poor Soldier ii. iii. 24 Eh!—what!—you marry her!—No such thing—put it out of your head. 1816 W. Scott Antiquary III. xiv. 310 You said something just now that put every thing out of my head. 1858 M. A. Paul Maiden Sisters xxxiv. 291 The sooner she can put that long Colonel out of her head, the better. 1888 H. R. Haggard Maiwa's Revenge viii. 194 For the moment that miserable ivory had driven the recollection of him out of my head. 1919 ‘L. Malet’ Deadham Hard iii. iv. 254 Other things happened which rather put him out of my head. 1953 J. Griffin tr. J. Giono Horseman on Roof (1954) vi. 151 I couldn't possibly lend you any bowl or dish, put that out of your head. 1961 Boys' Life Sept. 54/1 I can't drive these heathen notions out of his head. 2006 Mail on Sunday (Nexis) 22 Jan. (You Mag.) 44 Any thoughts of a career in music were put out of her head by an early marriage and the arrival of her son. (d) slang (originally and chiefly U.S.). to put a head on (also upon): to punch or assault; to give (a person) a beating. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific thing > strike with specific thing [verb (transitive)] > with the hand > with the fist boxc1390 punch1530 nevela1572 fist1600 transfisticate1600 fisticuff1653 nubble1673 befist1718 plug1847 to put a head on (also upon)1866 to stick one on1910 1866 Evening Bull. (San Francisco) 28 Nov. There runs an universal irritability through a community, when the most peaceful member of it would ‘put a head’ on any other member..on the slightest pretext. 1874 J. H. Carter Log Commodore Rollingpin 207 In spite of all remonstrance, he proceeded, as he thought, To ‘put a head upon his man’. 1881 R. E. Shapley Solid for Mulhooly xviii. 123 If I can find the ——..I'll put a head on him! 1913 S. E. White Gold xxx. 288 If I ever hear you say another word like that, I'll put a head on you. 1927 F. H. Shaw Knocking Around xiii. 128 He tried to drive us, until Chamberlain protested and threatened to put a head on him. o. to show one's head: to show oneself publicly; to appear in public. Cf. to show one's face at face n. Phrases 1b. ΚΠ c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) i. l. 2491 (MED) It is to hiȝe a routhe A man to apere or dore schewe his hede After tyme whan his worschip is ded. 1476 R. Cely Let. 28 Oct. in Cely Lett. (1975) 8 As for the tother ij, [they] dar not schew ther heddys. 1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Luke v. f. lxviii^v A ryght teacher of the gospell..shall shewe his head abrode, as often as the people shall nede the foode of euangelicall doctryne. 1597 W. Shakespeare Richard II v. vi. 44 With Cayne go wander through shades of night, And neuer shew thy head by day nor light. View more context for this quotation 1630 T. Randolph Aristippus 26 A Purgation, that should so scoure the Seas, that neuer a Dunkerke durst shew his head. 1671 E. Fowler Design Christianity xvi. 169 Where doth the highest and most daring of Impieties..so boldly shew its head as it doth here? 1764 S. Foote Patron iii. 68 I warrant he won't shew his head for these six months. 1822 London Mag. Apr. 305/1 The artificial Comedy, or Comedy of manners, is quite extinct on our stage. Congreve and Farquhar show their heads once in seven years only. 1895 E. E. Hale My Double 49 I shall not be likely ever to show my head there again. 1976 E. Crankshaw Shadow of Winter Palace (1978) ii. 35 Intervening with force anywhere in Europe where sedition showed its head. 2010 M. Sharratt Daughters of Witching Hill xv. 209 Old and infirm, she wasn't likely to show her head outside her door in such weather. p. to stand on one's head. (a) To perform a headstand by balancing on one's head with the feet in the air (usually using the hands or arms for support).In quot. stand v. in †to stand on head. ΚΠ eOE Bald's Leechbk. (Royal) (1865) i. lxxxiv. 154 Eft wiþ þon stande on heafde, aslea him mon fela scearpena on þam scancan. 1617 F. Moryson Itinerary i. 22 A Tumbler came in, and..stood upon his head. 1739 E. Carter tr. F. Algarotti Sir I. Newton's Philos. Explain'd I. iii. 156 A Boy who stands upon his Head sees every Thing inverted. 1886 R. Broughton Dr. Cupid II. iv. 103 Two years ago he would have stood on his head with joy at having the chance of going. 2018 Yorks. Post (Nexis) 30 Aug. The octogenarian can still perform cartwheels, stand on her head and do the splits. (b) In various expressions used to indicate or boast that something can be done easily. Esp. in I can do it (standing) on my head.Originally chiefly used by criminals to boast that a punishment can be endured easily or without hardship. ΚΠ 1842 Bradford Observer 25 Aug. 3/4 Prisoner: How long is it to my trial?—Town Clerk: Two months.—Prisoner: Oh! I can stand on my head that long, and whistle the charter through a window. 1849 Sunday Times 15 July 6/2 Mr. Combe..ordered him to pay 10l, the value, or, in default of payment, six month's imprisonment in the House of Correction, with hard labour. Prisoner (laughing):—Thank ye, I can do that upon my head with ease, or more. 1859 Calif. Police Gaz. 17 Apr. 1/3 Ten years is nothing,—we can stand on our heads for that time. 1901 Portsmouth Evening News 28 Aug. 4/1 When Holbein reached the French Coast..there was a slight lip on the water... He remarked ‘This isn't anything like so bad as the Solent, and I think I can do it on my head’. 1951 Control Narcotics, Marihuana, & Barbiturates: Hearings before Subcomm. of Comm. on Ways & Means (U.S. House of Representatives, 82nd Congr., 1st Sess.) 67 Violators usually get a year and a day, and they say ‘I could do that standing on my head.’ I have heard that so many times. 2012 J. Erdal Missing Shade of Blue xvii. 101 He had polished the jokes, cut out the fat. Now he could give them standing on his head. q. (a) to take head. (i) Also †to take the head. To throw off control or restraint; to behave in an unruly manner. Also with modifier, as to take too much head. Now rare (chiefly Irish English in later use).Originally and chiefly with reference or allusion to the behaviour of an unruly horse. Cf. to give (a horse) his (also her, its, etc.) head at Phrases 4e(b). ΚΠ 1548 H. Grey Let. 19 Sept. (Hatfield House CP 150/118) My doughter..shall hardlie rule hyr sylfe as yet without a guide, lest she shuld for lacke of a bridle take to moche the head and conceaue suche opinion of hyr sylfe that [etc.]. 1597 W. Shakespeare Richard II iii. iii. 14 Would you haue beene so briefe with him, He would haue bin so briefe to shorten you, For taking so the head, your whole heads length. View more context for this quotation 1622 J. Mabbe tr. M. Alemán Rogue ii. iii. 312 Shee had liu'd so long at her owne libertie, and had taken so much head, and now finding her selfe some-what restrain'd of it. 1754 A. P. Goddard tr. F. Guicciardini Hist. Italy VI. xi. 61 The Remissness of the Gonfaloniere in suffering the Enemies of the popular Government to take too much Head. 1844 Freeman's Jrnl. (Dublin) 21 May The horse took head at the precipitous step at Clonegam. 1858 Irish Metrop. Mag. 2 507 Roach had been quite calm throughout this interview. When he was alone, the bridled bitterness took head. 1906 Irisleabhar na Gaedhilge 16 184/1 The horse took head and ran or rushed headlong. (ii) To make a rush forward; to take off at a run. Also to take a head. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > rate of motion > swiftness > going swiftly on foot > go swiftly on foot [verb (intransitive)] > run > start running to take head1674 to take off1815 break1834 1674 N. Cox Gentleman's Recreation i. 37 Having broken out of a Forest and taken head end-ways, he [sc. a boar] will not be put out of his way either by man, dog..or any thing. 1768 H. Brooke Fool of Quality III. xvi. 115 So I took a head, and ran into the country as fast as my feet could carry me. (b) †(i) to take (a person) in the head: (of an impulse, whim, etc.) to come into (a person's) mind, to occur to (a person). Chiefly with it as subject and with that-clause or infinitive. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of ideation > idea, notion, or concept > come to mind, occur [verb (intransitive)] comeeOE runOE to come to mindOE occur?a1500 to move to mind?a1525 to come, fall under, lie in one's cap1546 to take (a person) in the head1565 present1585 overpass1591 to come in upon a person1638 suggest1752 to come up1889 1565 R. Shacklock tr. J. Osório Epist. to Quene of Eng. f. 54^v What so euer toy taketh hym in the heade [L. quidquid illi in mentem venit], that he so ernestly doth defend. 1591 F. Sparry tr. C. de Cattan Geomancie 38 He..will not do any thing but that which taketh him in the head. 1609 P. Holland tr. Ammianus Marcellinus Rom. Hist. xxi. i. 165 Now, it tooke him in the head..to set first upon Constantius. a1632 T. Taylor God's Judgem. (1642) i. i. xx. 70 It took him in the head to..visit Rome. 1727 P. Aubin tr. R. Challes Illustrious French Lovers II. 32 A Whim took me in the Head, that it would be an excellent Comedy to go and bolt in upon my Mistress at that unseasonable Hour. 1757 J. H. Grose Voy. E.-Indies viii. 128 A fancy that shall take them in the head, that Bombay would afford a good present pillage. 1807 Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. 22 Aug. 269 It took him in the head to write against the rulers there [sc. in America] also. (ii) to take (something) into (also in) one's head: = to get (something) into (also in) one's head at Phrases 4d(b). Chiefly in to take it into one's head. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of ideation > conceive, form in the mind [verb (transitive)] > take into the mind conceive?a1425 to take (something) into (also in) one's head1570 attract1593 to get ideas (into one's head)1814 1570 T. North tr. A. F. Doni Morall Philos. iv. f. 96^v To driue out the suspition the Kinge hath taken in his heade [It. ha preso], that he thinketh there hath bene some trechery vsed towards him. 1612 T. Shelton tr. M. de Cervantes Don-Quixote: Pt. 1 iii. xii. 256 My Lord abandoning the purpose to purchase an Empire, would take in his head that of becomming a Cardinall. 1687 Bp. G. Burnet tr. Lactantius Relation Death Primitive Persecutors 69 Madly expenceful was he in the design that he took into his head of making Nicomedia equal to Rome it self. 1709 D. Manley Secret Mem. 74 From thence (flatter'd by Love) [she] took it into her Head, that it would not be long before she should be the Dutchess of ——. 1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 47. ¶7 When every Body takes it in his Head to make as many Fools as he can. 1748 M. Towgood Dissenting Gentleman's Third Lett. i. 10 One good Bishop..taking it into his Head that there ought to be a Trine-Immersion in Baptism. 1837 B. Disraeli Venetia I. 106 I took it into my head to walk up and down the gallery. 1876 E. Jenkins Blot on Queen's Head 17 Little Ben had taken it into his head..that the sign-board..could be improved. 1925 L. Hémon Battling Malone 277 [He] took it into his head that the household concerns did not really constitute a sufficiently serious occupation to absorb all his daughter's time. 1987 J. McCorkle Tending to Virginia 80 We would have had money if Raymond hadn't always taken it in his head that he had to buy the biggest and the best. 2009 D. Gabaldon Echo in Bone xxxi. 306 Someone from the Teal might take it into his head to liberate the sailors in the hold. †(c) to take head against: = to make head against at Phrases 4k(a). Obsolete. ΚΠ 1577 R. Willes in R. Willes & R. Eden tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Hist. Trauayle W. & E. Indies f. 458 How Captayne Olitus, whom Cortesius feared not a litle, & therefore sent vnder the pretexte of honour as it were to discouer other landes, tooke head him selfe agaynst Cortesius. a1653 R. Filmer Patriarcha (1680) ii. 75 In no Kings Days were the Commons in greater Wealth, the Nobility more honoured, and the Clergy less wronged; who notwithstanding,..took head against him. 1681 R. Alleine Instr. Heart-work 162 When the People take Head against their Prince, what disorders follow? P5. Proverbs and proverbial expressions. a. to have a white (also grey, hoary, etc.) head and a green tail and variants: (of a man) to be lustful in old age. Now archaic and rare. [In early use, especially in metaphorical comparison to the leek, probably ultimately after Italian; compare Boccaccio Decameron (c1350) iv, il porro abbia il capo bianco, che la coda sia verde ‘although the leek may have a white head, its tail can still be green’.] ΚΠ c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Reeve's Tale (Ellesmere) (1870) Prol. l. 3878 Ffor in oure wyl ther stiketh euere a nayl To haue an hoor heed and a grene tayl. 1580 T. Crewe tr. G. Meurier Nosegay of Morall Philos. sig. B Q. What is an olde man amorous? A... He is like unto a hog with a white heade and a greene tayle. 1598 Bp. J. Hall Virgidemiarum: 3 Last Bks. iv. iv. 35 The maydens mocke, and call him withered Leeke, That with a greene tayle hath an hoary head. 1683 T. Tryon Way to Health xix. 613 How ill it looks to see..a Man, (according to the vulgar Proverb) appear like an Onion with a Gray Head and a Green Tail. 1721 J. Kelly Compl. Coll. Scotish Prov. 363 You breed of the Leek, you have a white Head and a green Tail. Spoken to old graceless prophane Wretches. 1841 Satirist 7 Feb. 47/2 There are three candidates for the hand of a Miss Piewell: an old Colonel Evans, with a grey head and a green tail—to his coat [etc.]. 1949 L. Gay Wine of Satan xxviii. 255 I'll be laughed at, called that old man of Antioch who has a white head and a green tail, like an onion. b. great (also big, mickle) head, little wit and variants: used to suggest that having a large head corresponds to a lack of intelligence. ΚΠ c1475 Mankind (1969) l. 47 Yowr wytt ys lytyll, yowr hede ys mekyll. a1598 D. Fergusson Sc. Prov. (1641) sig. D4^v Meikle head, little wit. 1610 A. Cooke Pope Joane 124 Should the Church haue her wit, when she is bereaued of her head? The saying is, Great head, litle wit. But without question: no head, no wit. 1670 J. Ray Coll. Eng. Prov. 101 A great head and a little wit. This is only for the clinch sake become a Proverb, for certainly the greater, the more brains; and the more brains, the more wit. 1721 J. Kelly Compl. Coll. Scotish Prov. 253 Mickle Head, little Wit. A groundless Reflection; an eminent Instance to the contrary was John Duke of Lauderdale. 1845 Graham's Mag. Dec. 270/1 ‘A man with such a head can hardly be a fool.’ ‘There's nothing in heads, child,’ said the old lady..; ‘that's just a romantic notion... I know it's a common saying,..“Little head, little wit, Big head, less yet”.’ 1885 Westville (Indiana) Indicator 10 Dec. The great difficulty with the Mug-wump party is that its mug is so much bigger than its wump—a clear case of big head and little sense. 1991 W. Mieder et al. Dict. Amer. Prov. 469 Big head, little sense. Vars.: (a) Big head and little wit. (b) Big head, little wit; little head, not a bit. c. two (also many) heads are better than one and variants.Cf. Ecclesiastes 4:9, ‘Two are better then one; because they haue a good reward for their labour’ (King James Bible). ΚΠ a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) i. l. 1021 Tuo han more wit then on.] 1546 J. Heywood Dialogue Prouerbes Eng. Tongue i. ix. sig. Cii^v Two hedds are better than one. 1586 J. Norden Mirror for Multitude 53 This argument of many heads better then one, holdeth not in causes of heauenlye reuelations. 1591 E. Spenser Prosopopoia in Complaints 82 Two is better than one head. 1638 J. Taylor Bull, Beare, & Horse sig. B7^v The Butchers are crafty fellowes, and if you take not heed, they will cosin you, therefore I advise you to take the Dog with you, for two heads are better then one. a1701 C. Sedley Speeches House of Commons 16 in Misc. Wks. (1702) Tho' it may be a Dispute, whether Many Heads are better than One, 'tis certainly true, that Many Votes are better than One. a1777 S. Foote Nabob (1778) i. 5 Here comes brother Thomas; two heads are better than one; let us take his opinion. 1817 W. Scott Rob Roy I. viii. 167 O certainly; but two heads are better than one, you know. 1845 Amer. Whig Rev. Nov. 485 ‘Two heads are better than one,’ oraculizes the vulgar saw. 1876 Engin. & Mining Jrnl. 24 June 613/2 The intellectual reinforcement expressed in the proverb, ‘many heads are better than one’. 1906 Mrs. H. De la Pasture Man from Amer. xvii. 239 I was about to propose—two heads being better than one—that you should take me into partnership over this matter. 1951 E. Fitzgerald tr. A. Weissberg Accused ii. 47 Let's discuss whatever it is together. Two heads are better than one. 2000 Yahoo! Internet Life Mar. 168/1 When it comes to search services, two heads are better than one. d. better (to be) the head of a dog than the tail of a lion and variants: it is better to be the most important or powerful person in a small or unimportant group, organization, etc., than to be an insignificant member of a larger or more prestigious one. Cf. big fish in a small pond at big adj. and adv. Compounds 2. [Apparently originally after Spanish (see quot. 1599), but similar proverbs exist in many countries.] ΚΠ 1599 R. Percyvall & J. Minsheu Spanish Gram. 83 Mas vale ser cabeça de Ratón, que cola de León... Better to be the head of a Mouse then the taile of a Lyon... Better be chiefe in a meane place, then vnderling in a greater. 1670 J. Ray Coll. Eng. Prov. 101 Better be the head of a dog, then the tail of a lion... Better be the head of an asse, then the tail of a horse... These..proverbs have..the same sense, viz, Men love priority and precedency..though in an inferiour rank and quality. 1771 E. Barker New & Easy Gram. Eng. Tongue 331 It's better to be the head of a Pike, than the tail of a Sturgeon. 1823 I. D'Israeli Curiosities of Lit. 2nd Ser. I. 452 The ancient..spirit of Englishmen, was once expressed by our proverb, ‘Better be the head of a dog than the tail of a lion’; i.e. the first of the yeomanry rather than the last of the gentry. 1875 Phrenol. Jrnl. Apr. 270/2 It has been said that it is better to be ‘the head of a dog than the tail of a lion’. Would it not be better to be the head man in farming, blacksmithing, coopering, stone-cutting, than a ninety-ninth man in banking, law, medicine, or merchandising? 1919 K. C. McIntosh Amer. Merchant Marine 13 ‘Better the head of a rat than the tail of a lion,’ cries the Dominican. But since our military occupation this feeling is changing. 1998 J. R. Chaponnière & M. Lautier in M. Storper et al. Latecomers in Global Econ. iii. ix. 229 In a country where the social cost of failure is relatively low, workers are usually keen..to set up their own workshop... As the Chinese proverb has it: ‘Better the head of a chicken than the tail of a cow.’ P6. Miscellaneous phrases. a. to make (also cut, etc.) shorter by a head and variants: to behead. Also to be shorter by a head: to have been beheaded. ΚΠ 1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VI f. clxvj^v Beyng taken..was made shorter by the hedde. 1571 W. Baldwin et al. Myrrour for Magistrates (rev. ed.) f. 147^v I made him to be tane, And without iudgement be shortened by the head. 1575 T. Newton Summarie Saracens & Turkes in tr. C. A. Curione Notable Hist. Saracens f. 135^v Taking his chiefe Capitaine in the chase, [he] cut him shorter by the head. 1605 S. Rowley When you see Me sig. H4 Lets follow close To haue Queene Katherne shorter by a head. 1624 A. Darcie tr. P. Du Moulin Heraclitus 30 Many in Princes Courts put off their caps to them, whom they would gladly see cut shorter by the head. 1665 J. Crowne Pandion & Amphigenia 142 He slaughtered all that stood within the reach of his weapon, decollating some, making them shorter by the head, and dissecting others. 1793 tr. N. Bisani Picturesque Tour Europe xxxii. 148 They..made signs to us, that if we were seen by any one, they, as well as we, would run the risk of being made shorter by the head. 1806 J. B. Gilchrist Brit. Indian Monitor I. 258 A resident in Turkey will do well to learn the Turkish speech before he dabbles in mere Arabic lore, lest an insurgent rabble make him shorter by the head. 1878 A. H. Engelbach Danes in Eng. vii. 115 An thou brave thy King on this wise, thou shalt go back to thy father the shorter by a head! 1918 H. R. Haggard Moon of Israel (1920) xiii. 204 Be sure that I will remember your disobedience, and make you shorter by a head. 1999 D. Clemens & B. Purcell tr. E. Voegelin Hitler & Germans v. 193 [He] declared that people like Fleischer deserved to be made shorter by a head. b. to worry (also trouble, bother, etc.) one's head: to concern oneself, to go to the trouble of thinking; to worry. Chiefly in negative contexts. Frequently with about, with, etc. ΚΠ 1566 J. Rastell Third Bk. beware of M. Iewel f. 95^v To him that..wil not trouble his head with the euerlastingnes of the Soule, and a worlde to come, no Argumentes against M. Iewel can be sufficient. 1692 J. Locke 3rd Let. for Toleration ix. 199 He that troubles not his Head at all about Religion. 1765 L. Sterne Life Tristram Shandy VII. xxi. 74 The gardener..troubled his head very little with the hows and whens of life. 1813 M. L. Weems Drunkard's Looking Glass (ed. 2) 5 He does not trouble his head about asking the Fool where he has been, whether at a Funeral or a Wedding..or a Quilting-match. 1869 M. Bramston Erick Thorburn III. vii. ii. 264 Don't worry your head with thinking of business matters now—you are not up to them. 1940 C. Headlam Diary 11 Oct. in S. Ball Parl. & Politics in Age Churchill & Attlee (1999) v. 223 I talked very frankly to him:..told him not to worry his head about Ramsden, Topping & Co. 1978 W. M. Spackman Armful of Warm Girl 108 No birthright Philadelphia Quaker ever bothered his head over their slave-class preoccupation with the safety of their unappetizing souls. 2002 M. Daisey 21 Dog Years xiii. 174 Don't worry your pretty little head. We're going to make it up on the high-margin items. c. to turn (also stand) (something) on its head: to put (something) into a state of disorder or confusion; to reverse or overturn (a system, situation, etc.). ΚΠ 1883 Lake Park Vindicator (Oak Park, Illinois) 25 May Pattison is ineligible.., and Butler has stood the machinery of Massachusetts on its head. 1896 E. Eggleston Beginners of Nation iii. iii. 338 For a woman to teach and to have revelations was to stand the world on its head. 1918 T. Veblen Higher Learning in Amer. ii. 78 Plato's classic scheme of folly, which would have the philosophers take over the management of affairs, has been turned on its head. 1975 Guardian 22 May 23/8 Just when England looked as though they might stroll the rest of the evening Wales stood the game on its head. 1992 Time 22 June 30/3 The procedure is a form of gene therapy, but it turns conventional molecular engineering on its head. 2009 Independent 14 Sept. 1/3 Giving addicts drugs such as heroin on a maintenance basis, rather than weaning them off them, turns existing policy on its head. d. to want (also demand, etc.) a person's head on a platter (also plate, etc.): to desire or demand the humiliation or punishment of a person for some (perceived) wrongdoing; esp. to desire or call for someone's resignation or dismissal, often as a scapegoat, after a political or professional error or scandal. Hence in similar phrases.With reference to the Biblical story of the daughter of Herodias, who requested the head of John the Baptist as her reward for dancing before her stepfather Herod Antipas (see quot. 1611). ΚΠ 1611 Bible (King James) Matt. xiv. 8 Giue me heere Iohn Baptists head in a charger [c1384 Wycliffite, E.V. dische; 1526 (Tyndale) platter; 1560 (Geneva) platter; 1582 (Rheims) dish; L. in disco, Gk. ἐπὶ πίνακι] . View more context for this quotation] 1885 Washington Post 12 May 1/7 He asks to be allowed to keep his seat until July 1, but the delegation..demand his head on a charger immediately. 1922 Our World Oct. 39 The Pan-Germanist group in Parliament..had been clamoring for Chancellor Schober's head on a platter. 1958 B. Wilder & I. A. L. Diamond Some like it Hot (film script) (O.E.D. Archive) 15 Jerry. What do you want—my head on a plate? 1986 E. E. Scharff Worldly Power viii. 128 The managing editor would not pull Williams out of Detroit, though there was no doubt that the industry wanted his head on a platter. 2011 D. W. Jacobson Katyn Order iv. 30 The station manager almost had my head on a platter when he found out. e. colloquial (originally British). to do something (standing) on one's head: to do something with consummate ease. Usually with can or could. Cf. could do something in one's sleep at sleep n. 2a.In early use with reference to serving out a prison sentence. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > easiness > find no difficulty in [verb (transitive)] > do easily to take in one's stride1832 to do something (standing) on one's head1872 to toss off1874 could do something in one's sleep1953 1872 Notes & Queries 18 May 404/1 Some incorrigible rogue or ruffian, who boasts his being able to ‘do it standing on his head’. 1877 Launceston (Tasmania) Examiner 6 Jan. He was now sentenced to seven days' solitary confinement, which he said he could do standing on his head. 1877 A. de Fonblanque Bad Luck III. vi. 120 About every other clearly convicted thief..when sentenced, put his tongue in his cheek, and declared he could do it on his head. 1896 G. B. Shaw in Sat. Rev. 24 Oct. 442/1 Of course, Mr Waring does the thing on his head, so to speak; but how can I compliment an actor who has done what he has done on stuff like that? 1922 A. A. Milne Red House Myst. xvi. 194 Right, old boy. Leave it to me. I can do this on my head. 1986 M. G. Eberhart Fighting Chance xv. 151 Well, there's one role that doesn't require many lines. You could do it on your head. 1996 D. Morehouse Psychic Warriors (1998) vi. 213 Don't worry too much about not being monitored—you've been around long enough to do this standing on your head. 2007 D. Blacklock False Advertising (2008) 273 I trained Helen for a couple of days last week and she could do the job standing on her head. f. colloquial (originally U.S.). to need (to have) one's head examined (also checked, read) and variants: used to suggest that one's actions, opinions, etc., are irrational, wrong, or foolish. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > mental health > mental illness > be or become mad [verb (intransitive)] dwelec900 wedec900 awedeeOE starea1275 braidc1275 ravea1325 to be out of mindc1325 woodc1374 to lose one's mindc1380 madc1384 forgetc1385 to go out of one's minda1398 to wede (out) of, but wita1400 foolc1400 to go (also fall, run) mada1450 forcene1490 ragec1515 waltc1540 maddle?c1550 to go (also run, set) a-madding (or on madding)1565 pass of wita1616 to have a gad-bee in one's brain1682 madden1704 to go (also be) off at the nail1721 distract1768 craze1818 to get a rat1890 to need (to have) one's head examined (also checked, read)1896 (to have) bats in the belfryc1901 to have straws in one's hair1923 to take the bats1927 to go haywire1929 to go mental1930 to go troppo1941 to come apart1954 1896 Marion (Ohio) Daily Star 22 Jan. 5/4 When a young man becomes either too lazy or too rude to lift his hat to a lady he needs his head examined to see if it isn't internally injured. 1899 Boston Globe 6 June 11/2 (advt.) A working man who pays over $3 for a house lot in Weymouth..is wrong, and should have his head examined. 1907 Daily News (Perth, Austral.) 13 Sept. 1/8 Sheridan..meant much the same thing as the man who says, ‘You ought to have your head read,’ but being Sheridan he expressed it better. 1966 J. Bingham Double Agent ii. 25 If you think these chaps know nuclear secrets..you want your head examined. 1974 R. Jeffery & J. Keeble Mine i. 3 Sometimes I think I ought to have my head checked. What was I thinking to come up and bother you. 2005 B. Keating & S. Keating Blood Sisters (2006) xvi. 305 ‘You need your head examined!’ He turned away and poured himself some tea. g. (a) coarse slang (originally U.S.). to have one's head up one's arse (also ass) and variants: to behave in an ignorant, inattentive, or self-absorbed manner. ΚΠ 1946 Amer. Speech 21 33/2 Head up your ass, stupid, absent-minded. 1967 J. Heller We bombed in New Haven (1969) ii. 64 With my feet on the glass, And my head up my ass, I just got bomb, bomb, bombing along. 1979 Melody Maker 24 Feb. 20/3 Using a Bee Gees producer may not be too high, but we wanted someone who didn't have their head up their arse. 1998 R. L. Fleming She's All That (film script, revised) (O.E.D. Archive) 9 Then could I please talk to somebody who doesn't have his head up his ass? Yes, I'll hold. 2014 Sunday Telegr. (Nexis) 9 Feb. 22 John and I have to go to a lot of boring parties where there are lots of people with their heads up their arses, so a few glasses of wine make it more tolerable. (b) coarse slang (originally U.S.). to get (also pull, etc.) one's head out of one's arse (or ass): to stop behaving in an ignorant, inattentive, or self-absorbed manner; frequently in imperative. ΚΠ 1946 Amer. Speech 21 34/2 Pull your head out, pay attention to what you are doing.] 1949 V. Van Praag Day without End xiii. 184 If they'd get a few line soldiers back there, maybe they'd learn to get their heads out of their asses. 1988 S. Sewell Hate iii. ii. 70 Oh, get your head out of your arse, Michael. Don't you think she knew what was going on? 1990 H. G. Bissinger Friday Night Lights xiv. 267 Hustle off the field! Get your heads out of your ass! 2010 H. Jacobson Finkler Question ii. 67 ‘You tell me. What would Wittgenstein advise?’ ‘That you get your head out of your arse.’ 2014 Northern Territory News (Austral.) (Nexis) 17 Dec. 13 Australians have got to pull their heads out of their ass and look around. h. to put one's head on the block: see block n. Additions. to bash one's head against a brick wall: see brick wall n.¹ Phrases 1. to have eyes in the back of one's head: see eye n.¹ Phrases 4p. to need (something) like a hole in the head: see need v.² Phrases 2. to have a price on one's head: see price n. 10. not right in the head: see right adj. 8b. to have one's head screwed on right: see screw v. Phrases 2. Compounds C1. Uses relating to branch I. a. General attributive. (a) Of, for, or relating to the head as a part of the body (see sense 1). See also headband n. 1, headcloth n. 1, etc. head attire n. [compare slightly earlier head-tire n.] ΚΠ 1568 Bible (Bishops') Dan. iii. 21 These men were bounde in their coates, hosen, head attire, with their other garmentes. 1716 J. Blanch Speculum Commercii 26 The Fashion of high Head Attire, peaked up like Horns, and long train'd Gowns for Women. 1999 Western Daily Press (Nexis) 27 July 7 Even at Ascot one visitor snubbed the traditional floral head attire in favour of a Stetson. head covering n. ΚΠ ?1569 H. Gough tr. B. Georgijević Ofspring House of Ottomanno sig. F.i They..haue red heade coueringes, or of some other colour, made of cloth. 1836 E. W. Lane Acct. Manners & Customs Mod. Egyptians II. xv. 292 I have sometimes seen mourning women..having their faces.., and head-coverings and bosoms, besmeared with mud. 2002 D. B. Edwards Before Taliban viii. 303 [He] removes his head covering after Jabar has whispered in his ear that this friends will think he is a ‘villager’ if they see him wearing a turban. head fillet n. [see fillet n.¹ 1a] ΚΠ 1572 J. Higgins Huloets Dict. (rev. ed.) Head bande, or head fillet, vitta. 1870 J. Bonwick Daily Life & Origins Tasmanians 26 Both sexes often wore a head fillet of cord. 1982 Jrnl. Biblical Lit. 101 329 At least two score illustrations..show ‘Syrian’ figures wearing headbands and head fillets. head hair n. ΚΠ OE Antwerp-London Gloss. (2011) 96 Capilli, heafodhær. a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. v. lxvi. 290 If a man is withoute hed her. 1596 L. Hutton Blacke Dogge of Newgate sig. C3 My heart did faint, my head hayre vpright stands. 1793 Bee 13 Nov. 55 Human head hair grows every day longer and longer. 1868 Belgravia 4 208 You will seldom find that the facial hirsutism of a man comes up to the perfect colour of his head-hair. 1999 Guardian 27 July ii. 10/4 Alopecia totalis..causes total loss of head hair. head injury n. ΚΠ 1839 Amer. Jrnl. Med. Sci. 25 217 There was but one order in the military hospitals..—to shave the whole head within an hour of admission in all cases of head injuries. 1928 Lancet 20 Oct. 816/2 Leriche considered that the hypotension in head injuries resulted from the formation of a porencephalic cyst on the brain surface. 2011 Daily Tel. 18 Nov. 11/2 They found a 41-year-old woman suffering from a head injury and airlifted her to North Devon District Hospital. headknot n. [compare topknot n.] ΚΠ 1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. iii. 98/1 Ear Knots, Forehead Knots, Head Knots, and Crown Knots falling backwards. 1717 M. Prior Alma ii. 332 Her scarf pale pink, her head-knot cherry. 1848 Puppet-show 13 May 68/1 Omnibus horses, decked out in all the glory of new reins and gigantic floral head-knots on the first of May. 2003 Internat. Herald Tribune (Nexis) 4 Oct. 8 The scarf of a Muslim woman..or the headknot of a Sikh cannot be concealed. head massage n. ΚΠ 1883 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 16 June 1198/2 Dr. Jensen spoke favourably of head-massage in fresh cases of ‘katatonie’. 1977 R. B. Tisserand Art of Aromatherapy viii. 131 We begin with head massage, in which no oil is used... Head massage can also be given as a preliminary to a back massage. 2007 Atlantic Monthly Sept. 135/1 At the San Marcos Holistic Centre, you can sign up for an Indian head massage. head-top n. ΚΠ 1545 G. Joye Expos. Daniel (xii.) f. 231 It is God that woundeth the head of his enimies & smyteth of the hearie head toppe of them that walke in synnes. 1843 Godey's Lady's Bk. May 231/2 His long black hair slightly mottled by age, was parted from the centre of his head top, and thrown over his shoulders. 1929 R. Hughes High Wind in Jamaica iii. 72 His sparse hair was pomaded so that it lay in a few dark ribbons across his baldish head-top. 2001 A. Wheatle East of Acre Lane 138 My hat ain't leaving my head-top, rasta. head-trapping n. ΚΠ 1814 C. A. Elton tr. Tryphiodorus in Specimens of Classic Poets III. 383 Round the cheeks and snowy neck he drew The curbing reins of purple-blushing hue; Head-trappings hung, that carved in ivory shine. 1933 Folk-lore 44 95 Some of the mules had white cord head-trappings with a border of blue beads on the outer edge. 2006 R. Yeomans Art & Archit. Islamic Cairo vi. 172/2 A woollen head-trapping for a horse showing a composite design of a cup between two lozenge-shaped napkins. head trauma n. ΚΠ 1888 Q. Jrnl. Inebriety Oct. 455 Under head trauma that affect the brain..may be included contusions, compressions, incisions, punctures, concussions, [etc.]. 1984 Jrnl. Substance Abuse Treatm. 2 i. 10/1 A high proportion of chronic abusers suffer one or more instances of head trauma, either while intoxicated or as one of the vicissitudes of a drug-centered lifestyle. 2007 P. Green Pete Duel ii. 40 Often a head trauma will cause epilepsy. head wing n. ΚΠ 1610 J. Healey tr. J. L. Vives in tr. St. Augustine Citie of God vii. xiv. 273 [Mercury] had head-wings [L. pinnulae] also behind each of his eares. 1778 ‘H. Bowman’ Trav. viii. 361 Some of the Bonhommican ladies..still retained their own country manners; having..got small artificial head-wings. 1858 H. Adams & A. Adams Genera of Recent Mollusca I. 66 As they [sc. Gasteropods] grow,..the head-wings are absorbed. 2011 Our Kind of Stuff (Nexis) 3 Aug. Cap cycles through his classic costume (with pirate boots and little head wings). head wound n. [compare Middle Dutch hooftwonde (Dutch hoofdwonde), Old Saxon hōvitwunda (Middle Low German hȫvetwunde)] ΚΠ eOE tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (Tanner) v. vi. 404 Ða heht he læce to him & him bebead, þæt he þa tolesdan geðiodnesse minre heafudwunde gesette & awriðe. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 3796 Nennius..ne mihte finden bote of his hæfued wunde þe Julius smat mid honde. 1545 G. Joye Expos. Daniel 103^v Then contendeth this beaste to heale his awne deadly head wounde. 1658 W. Johnson tr. F. Würtz Surgeons Guid ii. viii. 70 When a Head-wound is healed, and riseth after the healing, and swelleth, and is very painful, then lance the Wound. 1754 H. Mason Extracts Old Treat. Surg. 5 In his Examples of Cures of Head Wounds, he writes [etc.]. 1886 C. Heath Dict. Pract. Surg. I. 628 There has been an increase during later campaigns in the number of head wounds, which may be accounted for by the method of modern fighting. 1940 Lancet 12 Oct. 445/1 These cases included burns,..early head wounds and penetrating abdominals. 2002 M. Holroyd Wks. on Paper 41 His near-death from a combination of dysentery, malaria, septic sores and a serious head wound. head wrap n. ΚΠ 1844 Blackwood's Lady's Mag. & Gaz. Dec. 304 There can be nothing more elegant and comfortable for a head wrap on leaving the theatre or ball-room. 1905 Daily Chron. 15 May 3/3 A hood of this kind..will obviate any necessity for the wearing of those head-wraps. 2004 What's happening in Dar es Salaam Apr. 45 Rehema proudly displays an embroidered..blouse and trousers topped by a purple head wrap. head wrapping n. ΚΠ 1868 A. Wallace Desert & Holy Land vii. 135 Both they and the Bedouins..are particularly careful to cover their heads, and the different kinds of head wrappings..have a strange appearance. 1887 H. R. Haggard She xvii. 198 I looked up at Ayesha, whose head-wrapping had slipped back. 1998 Washington Times (Nexis) 3 Apr. a6 Many women in the crowd wore the brightly colored dress and head wrappings common in West Africa. (b) (i) Of, for, or relating to the head as the seat of the mind, reason, or intellect (see sense 2), as head decision, head logic, head notion, etc. Cf. heart n., int., and adv. Compounds 1b. ΚΠ 1650 T. Mayhow Let. 7 Sept. in H. Whitfield Light Appearing (1651) 12 Head knowledge and lip prayers, without heart holinesse. 1671 T. Gale Theophilie vi. 143 The election of Christ for himself imports not only Head-logick, but Heart-logick also. 1768 W. C. Remarks upon Mr. Whitefield's Let. 42 You may despise correct Writing as a Species of Head Learning. 1780 F. Okely tr. H. Engelbrecht Divine Visions I. 61 The ratiocinative, or Head-Faith, is of no Use at all, Faith must be in the Heart. 1801 W. Huntington Bank of Faith Ded. 22 Filled with head notions from commentators rather than the grace of God in their hearts. 1856 C. Messent Autobiogr. Sunday School Teacher xiii. 116 Head logic was of more interest than heart worth. 1900 Lutheran Witness 21 Aug. 44/1 They regard the old Lutherans..as having only a dead kind of head religion, while they insist that a man must have heart religion. 1974 N.Y. Mag. 18 Feb. 46/1 I made a head decision. This was the time. I didn't really have any deep desire to get married, but I thought I should. 2008 K. R. Snodgrass Stories with Intent 90 For us faith is a head matter, whereas love is a heart matter. (ii) Jazz. Designating a version or arrangement of a piece of music which is memorized rather than written down, and which thus gives scope for improvisation. Esp. in head arrangement. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > type of music > jazz > [noun] > improvisation or arrangement screwball1936 head arrangement1944 1944 Billboard 12 Aug. 30/2 Because they use head arrangements the Dollodians are able to inject into their musical product a nice slice of interpretation. 1949 L. Feather Inside Be-bop iii. 21 He'd help to set up ideas for head arrangements. 1956 M. W. Stearns Story of Jazz (1957) xvii. 214 The Basic band developed the use of the ‘head riff’ (the improvised unison phrase, tossed back and forth by brass and reed sections) to the level of fine art. 2004 J. Sallis City Equal to my Desire 24 We worked up a head version of a slow, ballady blues, then put some time in on jamming ‘Take the A Train’ and ‘Lulu's Back in Town’. 2011 Herald-Palladium (St. Joseph, Mich.) (Nexis) 29 Dec. [He] has..earned a reputation for creating new head arrangements..for many of Goodman's classics. b. Objective. head-breaker n. ΚΠ ?1518 Cocke Lorelles Bote sig. C.j Dyssymulynge beggers hede brekers. 1698 tr. L. Hennepin New Discov. in Amer. lxxvii. 293 They knock'd him down with their Clubs call'd Head-breakers, which are made of a very hard Wood. 1864 Duffy's Hibernian Mag. Feb. 113 He..shone as host, doctor, peace-maker, head-breaker, [etc.]. 1998 R. Stone Damascus Gate ii. xxix. 210 What about this squad of head-breakers you told me about? head-breaking adj. and n. ΚΠ 1614 S. King in J. Taylor Nipping of Abuses sig. A The Poets old, (with much head breaking paine) Did learne of others to compose a verse. 1685 tr. F. M. van Helmont Paradoxal Disc. ii. App. 169 Each Mother might teach her Children to Read, Write, and cast Accounts, and that very naturally, without trouble, head-breaking, or charges. 1843 A. Bethune Sc. Peasant's Fire-side 8 To use your utmost endeavours to promote head-breaking. 1985 Listener 18 Apr. 7/1 Their allegations of old-fashioned head-breaking in a New Generation prison came as no surprise to the ACLU. 1992 R. Brown Before & After i. v. 62 This was a harder question than I had realized... It was like some ultimate philosophical head-breaking first question about the order of the universe. head combing n. ΚΠ 1777 P. Thicknesse Year's Journey France & Spain I. xxxi. 261 Head combing seems to be a principal part of the day's business among the women in Spain. 1827 T. Hood Craniology in Whims & Oddities 2nd Ser. 80 By simple dint of Head-combing. 1912 Cent. Mag. Aug. 498/1 His ear-washings, head-combings, tooth-brushings, and clothes-mendings,..were such as to make Miss Loring wish that [etc.]. 2008 L. M. Knolhoff & D. W. Onstad in D. W. Onstad Insect Resistance Managem. vii. 132 Schools that are proactive in educating parents about head lice and regular head combing may lead to fewer incidents of head lice in children. head-purging adj. and n. ΚΠ 1591 E. Spenser Muiopotmos in Complaints sig. V2 Veyne-healing Veruen, and hed-purging Dill. 1710 W. Salmon Botanologia I. xiii. 20/2 All the Cephalick or Head-purging Pills in the World cannot purge the Head and Brain like to powerful Errhines, Gargarisms or Masticatories. 1998 E. M. Craik Hippocrates 235 The aim in both treatises is to alter the patient's physique... Both authors recommend head purging. head-smashing n. and adj. ΚΠ 1840 London Mag., Charivari, & Courrier des Dames Mar. 87/2 M'Kay—ever to be found like a spaniel at his side, although, in a ‘head-smashing’ business, more of an encumbrance than an aid. 1883 S. Robinson tr. Firdusi in Persian Poetry Eng. Readers 53 When Kākavi heard my voice, And saw the wounds of my head-smashing club. 1905 M. Nicholson House of 1000 Candles ii. 24 I was as hot an advocate as he of head-smashing as a means of restoring Ireland's lost prestige. 2009 R. Sacchetto Zombie Handbk. 104 Zombies..may even develop a resistance to head-smashing. head tearing n. ΚΠ 1647 N. Ward Simple Cobler Aggawam 57 Importable head-tearings and heart-searchings. 2008 A. James Catch Falling Star ix. 81 Thane was ready to do some head tearing as well. C2. General attributive uses relating to branches II. and III. a. Designating something which is located at the front or top, or in the leading part, of something.In quot. a1387: designating an initial letter. ΘΚΠ society > communication > writing > written character > [adjective] > letter according to position capitala1382 heada1387 final1530 initial1622 principial1625 subscript1683 mediala1749 superscript1793 adscript1812 epenthetic1831 epenthesized1880 non-final1896 the world > space > relative position > high position > [adjective] > of or relating to the top > situated at the top head1556 surmounting1661 crowning1816 the world > space > relative position > front > [adjective] furtherc1000 foremostc1275 formerc1384 farther1398 fornec1440 fore?a1513 forme1523 anterior1611 first1647 head1691 vanward1820 leading1825 forwardmost1834 a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1872) IV. 299 Þe heed lettres [L. capitales litterae] of þe vers speleþ þis menynge. 1556 J. Heywood Spider & Flie sig. Hhiv^v Spiders, in head parts of windows: the heads be. 1691 J. Ashby Acct. Engagem. at Sea 2 Vice-Admiral Vandeputt having lost his Main Top-Mast, (which led our head Division,) put all his Division out of the Line. 1796 Instr. & Regulations Cavalry 202 The head division of each..regiment. 1799 J. Robertson Gen. View Agric. Perth 107 This fence..because it ran across the head of every farm..was called..the head-dyke. 1893 W. T. Wawn S. Sea Islanders 226 The vessel paid off under the weight of her head canvas. 1902 Mod. Amer. Tanning I. 74 The liquors used in the head row of vats stood at the desired barkometer degree of 16. 2011 B. Sutherland Mod. Warfare, Intelligence & Deterrence ix. 117 The inner envelope holds helium in the head section of the blimp and an ethane fuel gas in the three tail sections. b. Chiefly Nautical. Designating a wind or current which comes from in front and impedes forward progress. See also headwind n. 2a.Earliest in head sea n. at Compounds 4. ΘΚΠ the world > space > direction > specific directions > [adjective] > having forward direction > coming from ahead headc1595 the world > the earth > water > flow or flowing > current > [adjective] > flowing in specific direction westering1747 outsetting1763 western1814 head1829 south-easterly1883 c1595 Capt. Wyatt in G. F. Warner Voy. R. Dudley to W. Indies (1899) 52 The settinge of head seas in soe darke a night within soe straight and daingerous a passage. 1799 J. Sansom Let. 2 May in Port Folio (1812) Feb. 121 By ten o'clock the air thickened, and a head gale springing up, sent us all sick to bed. 1829 G. Head Forest Scenes N. Amer. 43 The wind was fair, but we were opposed by a violent head current, which caused a short chopping sea. 1849 Edinb. Christian Mag. July 80/1 The morning was gusty. We were breasting a head-breeze. 1879 H. H. Romilly Jrnl. in Lett. Western Pacific & Mashonaland (1893) iii. 21 We reached [Kandavu] late at night, being cold and wet, having been beating against a strong head trade wind for fifteen hours. 1906 M. S. C. Ross Around Mediterranean iv. 41 We left Tunis..in a strong head-gale of wind. 1999 Independent Rowing News 13 Nov. 34/1 There were flags flapping proudly in the head-breeze. c. Of or relating to the head tube of a bicycle or tricycle. Cf. sense 24c. See also headpiece n. 8, headset n. 1. ΚΠ 1893 Wheel & Cycling Trade Rev. 13 Jan. 22/3 They have a new method of adjusting the crank bearings and also the head bearings. 1953 Pop. Mech. Apr. 199/2 If the bearing shows appreciable wear it should be replaced. Complete head-repair sets are available for this purpose. 1959 Sears, Roebuck Catal. Spring 1017/1 Universal Head Bearing Set... Fits all bicycles. 2005 G. Andrews Mountain Bike Maintenance 134/1 If you find that the bottom bracket is too low or the head angle is too slack, run slightly less sag in the rear shock. C3. General attributive, designating a person or thing in a position of command, superiority, pre-eminence, etc.; chief, leading, principal, most important (see branch IV.).Attributive use of head in this sense may sometimes be interpreted as adjectival; cf. headest adj. a. (a) Applied to people.Some of the more established compounds of this type are treated separately. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [adjective] > most important mosteOE foremostc1000 headOE headlyOE nexta1200 umest1513 primary1565 headest1577 ruling1590 forward1591 capital1597 of the first magnitude1643 palmary1646 top1647 prepondering1651 headmost1661 home1662 life-and-death1804 palmarian1815 bada1825 key1832 première1844 the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > pre-eminence > [adjective] firsteOE headOE highOE greatc1350 upperestc1374 chief1377 singular1377 principala1382 royalc1425 cardinal1440 pre-eminenta1460 praisea1475 main1480 maina1525 primary1565 captain1566 arch1574 mistressa1586 capital1597 topless1609 primea1616 metropolitan1635 transeminent1660 whole1675 uppermost1680 primus inter pares1688 topping1694 Sudder1787 par excellence1839 banner1840 primatial1892 OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 2nd Ser. (Cambr. Gg.3.28) xxvii. 246 Abiathar, ðæra iudeiscra heafodbiscop. OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 2nd Ser. (Cambr. Gg.3.28) xxxvi. 305 Þa twelf apostolas..synd ða heafodwyrhtan þyssere getimbrunge. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 299 Aaron wass hæfedd preost. c1450 (?c1400) tr. Honorius Augustodunensis Elucidarium (1909) 29 (MED) Þe hede preestis of þe chirche schulde chastise suche. 1489 W. Caxton tr. C. de Pisan Bk. Fayttes of Armes ii. i. sig. F6 The worthy conquerour prynce and hed capytayne of the grete oost of the romayns Scypyon the Affrycan. 1532 L. Cox Art or Crafte Rhetoryke sig. D.viii Milo had a..iourney to the city of Lauine..to poynte who shuld be hed preest there. 1533 J. More tr. D. de Góis Legacye Prester Iohn f. 22^v To theym she gaue here letters of commendacyon dyrected to the hed ruler of that prouynce. 1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. xj The lord Stuard nor the head officers could not cause them to abstaine. 1598 W. Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost iv. i. 43 Which is the head lady? View more context for this quotation 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Soubchantre, an vnder-chaunter..inferiour to the head Chaunter. 1691 A. Wood Athenæ Oxonienses I. 163 [He] was sent..into the north parts of England to stir up the first rebellion there, whereof Charles Nevile Earl of Westmorland was a head captain. 1710 Ld. Shaftesbury Soliloquy 159 How the inferiour Imps appear; when the Head-Goblin is securely laid. 1764 ‘G. Psalmanazar’ Memoirs 75 This mark of distinction did..entitle me to be head monitor and marshal of that whole school. 1803 G. Colman John Bull i. i. 16 Dan. I be head ostler, only we never had no horses nor customers. 1892 ‘R. Boldrewood' Nevermore II. 132 I knocked over the head warder at Ballarat. 1977 N.Y. Times 11 Dec. v. 9 There currently are 55 female head pros at clubs in the United States. 1981 R. M. Bramson Coping with Difficult People 35 Terry is the thirtyish head manager of a dynamic advertising agency. 2000 Independent on Sunday 2 Jan. (Review Suppl.) 27/1 An outstanding Bloody Mary recipe created by Jacqui Thomas, formerly head barwoman at Dust. (b) head chef n. ΚΠ 1877 Sat. Rev. 15 Sept. 327/1 The head chef may be absent on leave..but his aides-de-camp place their best services at your disposal. 1922 Harper's Bazar Nov. 122/3 Three head chefs and eight assistants labored to delicious purpose over steaming vats, kettles, pans and grills. 2006 Independent on Sunday 3 Apr. 45/3 Blaise Vasseur, the head chef at Kent gastropub the George and Dragon. head chorister n. ΚΠ 1828 G. F. Lyon Jrnl. Resid. & Tour Mexico I. i. 31 The Alcalde..took me to the top of the church, of which he is the head chorister. 1874 C. A. Jones Tales on Parables iv. 88 ‘Come to church, Robert,’ said young Harry Lyte, the head chorister of S. Michael's and All Angels. 2009 Cathedral Music May 7/1 I rose, eventually, to the dizzy heights of solo boy and head chorister. head clerk n. ΚΠ 1514 in T. Percy Regulations & Establishm. Houshold Fifth Earl of Northumberland (1768) 51 Every Heede Clark of the Keching v marks. 1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. iv. 155 She followeth him into his cabine of leachery, where if any action be done, shee receiueth from the Head-Clarke her approbation thereupon. 1822 Ld. Byron Vision of Judgm. lxxxix. 32 He..scribbles as if head clerk to the Fates. 1900 L. B. Browne Words that Burn xvi. 123 He..gave a few orders to the head clerk and the bookkeeper, and prepared to leave. 2007 T. R. Metcalf Imperial Connections vi. 194 The chief engineer's department..possessed one English head clerk at Rs. 275 per month. head coach n. ΚΠ 1893 Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Sentinel 6 May 7/2 The university could not have taken a wiser step..than it did in appointing Mr. Stewart as head coach for the coming season. 1935 N.Y. Herald-Tribune 3 Dec. 23/7 He was ‘fired’ as head coach at Texas A. and M. College at the tag end of the 1933 schedule. 2011 New Yorker 25 Apr. 24/1 Lieberman is the head coach of a minor-league basketball team called the Texas Legends. head cook n. ΚΠ 1603 P. Holland tr. Plutarch Morals 425 When the head cooke or clerke of the kitchin gave up his account unto him and other his companions in government, of their ordinary charges for certeine daies; he misliked nothing in his bill but the great quantitie of oyle that was spent. 1790 Edinb. Mag. Jan. 66/1 Her great grandfather having, it is said, been head-cook to the first emperor of Gumala. 1857 Househ. Words 17 Jan. 54/1 A peasant once told me..that of all professions in life he should prefer that of head-cook in the house of a seigneur. 1951 Billboard 14 July 107/2 Billie Timberlake..has accepted a position as head cook at a resort hotel in Noel, Missouri. 2002 H. Kunzru Impressionist (2003) 143 She..is already back, washed and ready for her chota hazri, before the head cook has even made an appearance in the kitchen. head gardener n. ΚΠ 1700 tr. F. P. Dalairac Polish Manuscripts: Secret Hist. John Sobieski III v. 203 The Title..of Bachy, which the Turks give to the Chief Persons of every Profession; as to the Head-Gardner, the Head-Cook, [etc.]. 1805 J. Carr Northern Summer 341 In one of the Prince's journies to the Crimea, Mr. Gould attended him, being at that time his head gardener. 1998 A. Sealy Everest Hotel (1999) 241 The head gardener comes to the arch and coughs. head librarian n. ΚΠ 1723 Freeholder's Jrnl. 4 May 450/1 Out of the above mention'd Sum, 60 l. per Ann. is to be settled on the Head Librarian of the University. 1862 A. Trollope N. Amer. I. 360 The librarianesses looked very pretty and learned..; the head librarian was enthusiastic. 1996 F. McCourt Angela's Ashes (1997) xiv. 355 Out or I'll call the head librarian and she'll have the guards on you. head nurse n. ΚΠ 1704 tr. A. Sepp Acct. Voy. Spain to Paraquaria iv, in A. Churchill & J. Churchill Coll. Voy. IV. 656/2 The Missionary is..obliged to be both Physician and Apothecary..; nay what is worse, he must be head Nurse. 1859 F. Nightingale Notes on Nursing vi. 36 The entente cordiale..between the doctor and his head nurse. 2008 N.Y. Times Mag. 27 July 66/1 The hospital's head nurse instructed that a protective net be fastened to the bed frame. head prefect n. ΚΠ 1847 Times 4 Aug. 6/3 I was called out of the play-ground..and told to go to the room of Mr. Speakman, the head-prefect. 1906 J. Blyth Lawful Issue iii. vi. 246 It fell to my portion as head prefect to read prayers at the Schoolhouse. 2011 Independent 28 Apr. (Viewspaper section) 7/2 Bully-boy head prefects..telling us to pull our socks up. b. (a) Applied to things. ΚΠ OE Laws of Æðelred II (Corpus Cambr. 201) viii. v. §1. 264 Heafodmynstres griðbryce æt botwurðan þingan bete man be cyninges munde. lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) anno 1086 Swylce eac on ðam ilcan timan forbarn fullneah ælc heafodport on eallon Englelande. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 8469 Ȝerrsalæm wass hæfedd burrh Off issraæless riche. ?a1300 St. Eustace (Digby) l. 234 in C. Horstmann Altengl. Legenden (1881) 2nd Ser. 216 He axede..wy hy weren so I-fare Ouer þat heued felde. c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig. A.xi) (1887) l. 4773 Sebriȝt & þe king of kent..At londone of seint poul an heued chirche gonne arere. a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) vii. l. 811 The brighte Sonne stant above..for it is the hed Planete. Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 232 Heed Cyte, Metropolis. a1500 Form of Confession (Nero A.iii) in W. Maskell Monumenta Ritualia Ecclesiae Anglicanae (1882) III. 301 I haue not kepyd the statuts of oure order: specyally the hede vowes of religion. 1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VII f. lviii^v London..the hed citie of hys realme. 1658 W. Johnson tr. F. Würtz Surgeons Guid i. vi. 22 Having cleared the two head points..I will touch also other abuses. 1752 J. Louthian Form of Process (ed. 2) 82 At the Market Cross of the Head-burgh of the Shire, Stewarty, or other Jurisdiction. 1836 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. July 38/2 Impeach me just as bitterly as you please; they will reckon it for certain that you hide—the head charge of the impeachment. 1883 in Papers & Testimony C. T. O'Ferrall vs. J. Paul (U.S. House of Representatives, 48th Congr., 1st Sess.) (1884) Misc. Doc. No. 16. 62 The head grievance that he seemed to take exception to was that capitation-tax tickets had been given to others to distribute instead of him. 1924 K. Wicksell Let. in Econ. Jrnl. (1981) 91 200 I could shorten the paper very much..or even compress it into a single paragraph containing only the head argument. 1998 R. D. Lewis Road from Wigan Pier ii. 58 We learnt later that Lapinjärvi was in fact the head village (Kirkonkylä) for the area. †(b) spec. Designating the cardinal virtues or the capital sins (see cardinal adj. 1, capital sin n. 1). Chiefly in head sin, head virtue. Cf. headly adj. Obsolete. [In head sin probably ultimately after post-classical Latin capitale peccatum or vitium capitale (see capital sin n.); compare Old Frisian hāvedsende , Middle Dutch hōvetsonde (Dutch hoofdzonde ), Middle Low German hȫvetsünde , Old High German houbitsunta (Middle High German houbetsünde , early modern German hauptsünde ), Old Icelandic hǫfuðsynd , Old Swedish hovuþsynd (Swedish huvudsynd ), Old Danish houæt synd (Danish hovedsynd ), all in sense ‘deadly sin’ (in modern use also ‘serious or notable sin’ more generally). With head virtue compare Middle Dutch hōvetdoget cardinal virtue (Dutch hoofddeugd, now also ‘(a person's) main virtue’), Middle High German houbettugent (a person's) main virtue (German Haupttugend, in early modern German also in sense ‘cardinal virtue’).] ΘΚΠ society > faith > aspects of faith > spirituality > sin > kinds of sin > [noun] > mortal head sinOE capital vicec1522 capital sin1550 scapea1592 cardinal sin1603 society > faith > aspects of faith > spirituality > sin > kinds of sin > [adjective] > mortal headlyOE headOE deadly?c1225 mortala1475 lethal1583 unvenial?1589 society > faith > aspects of faith > piety > [adjective] > cardinal virtues heada1400 society > morality > virtue > [noun] > a virtue > specific groups of > cardinal cardinal1340 head virtuea1400 cardinalc1450 OE Ælfric Homily: De Duodecim Abusivis (Corpus Cambr. 178) in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 296 Nu syndon eahte heafodleahtras [a1225 Lamb. heofod sunnan] þa us onwinnað swiðe. OE Ælfric Homily: De Duodecim Abusivis (Corpus Cambr. 178) in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 297 Nu syndon eahta heafodmægna [a1225 Lamb. heafod mihtan] þe magon oferswiðan þas foresædan deoflu þurh Drihtnes fultum. OE tr. Chrodegang of Metz Regula Canonicorum (Corpus Cambr. 191) l. 273 Gif hwilc broðor an preosthirede heafodgylt [L criminalem culpam] gefremme, ne beo him nan first læten, þæt he..sylfwylles dædbote do. OE tr. Abbo of St. Germain Sermo in Cena Domini (Corpus Cambr. 190) in D. Bethurum Homilies of Wulfstan (1957) 372 Forþi ðonne ne sceal on eow belyfan ænig heafodsyn [L. criminale vitium]. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 10213 Grediȝnesse iss hæfedd plihht. ?a1300 in F. J. Furnivall Minor Poems Vernon MS (1901) ii. 767 (MED) Þe seuene heued sunne Þat we beþ ofte wiþinne. J. Gaytryge Lay Folks' Catech. (York Min.) (1901) l. 448 The seuen heued synnes or dedely synnes. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 10010 Four vertus principals, þe quilk man clepes cardinals; All oþer vertus o þam has hald, For-þi er þai hede vertus tald. 1494 W. Hilton Scala Perfeccionis (de Worde) ii. xi. sig. kv Of pryde or enuye, of couetyse or lechery or of ony other hede synne. 1595 A. Fletcher Certaine Similies 154 Pride, gluttonie, abundance of worldly wealth, vainly and wickedly vsed, idlenes from all good works, and no stretching foorth of hands, vnto the poore, and needie, were the very capitall, and head sinnes. 1616 W. Gouge Πανοπλια του Θεου 204 Faith is a capitall grace... Wee ought to bee the more carefull of this head vertue, because [etc.]. 1654 T. Gataker Disc. Apol. 67 His Popish reckoning of the seven Hed-sins. 1677 J. Brown Christ the Way vi. 115 These lusts are the lusts of sin, or of that Head-sin, which hath a law, or the force and impulse of a law, in the soul. C4. head affection n. [see affection n.¹ 7] now rare a disease or illness affecting the head. ΚΠ 1818 Edinb. Med. & Surg. Jrnl. 14 328 In this state she continued a fortnight, with every appearance of a head affection of the most dangerous character. 1862 J. B. Harrison Lett. Dis. Children iii. 47 In relation to head affections. 1950 Gleaner (Kingston) 1 June 16/7 (advt.) For treatment of:—Coughs, Colds, Influenza, Heart or Head Affections,..Colics etc. † head angle n. Geometry Obsolete rare either of two opposite (opposite adj. 1a) angles. ΚΠ 1570 H. Billingsley tr. Euclid Elements Geom. i. f. 23^v If two right lines cut the one the other: the hed angles [L. anguli, Gk. γωνίας] shal be equal the one to the other. head-axe n. †(a) Whaling an axe used for butchering the head of a whale (obsolete); (b) an axe having a head consisting of a sharp metal blade combined with a backward-pointing spike, used by some headhunting tribes in the Philippines (now historical). ΚΠ 1818 T. Lynn Improved Syst. Telegr. Communication (ed. 2) sig. 2A4^v Ironmonger... Head-axe and helve. 1874 C. M. Scammon Marine Mammals N. Amer. 232 The rest of the cutting gear..which consists of toggles, spades..head-axes, etc. 1901 Jrnl. Amer. Folk-lore 14 205 The young Igorrote..goes forth, taking his head-axe with him. Within a radius of about three miles of his native village he is in honor bound to behead nobody. 2004 E. M. Coffman Regulars 66 One did not have to venture very far from Baguio to see warriors with their head-axes and spears along the trail. headbay n. a stretch of water immediately above a lock or dam; cf. tail-bay n. (b) at tail n.¹ Compounds 2. ΚΠ 1837 D. H. Mahan Elem. Course Civil Engin. 201 The head-bay is enclosed between two parallel walls, which form a part of the side walls of the lock. 1914 Engin. News 12 Nov. 961/2 The power bays are simple vertical cells divided by a floor..which separates the headbay from the tailbay or draft-tube section. 1999 J. E. Hite Model Study Marmet Lock Filling & Emptying Syst. ii. 12 Skimming weirs located in both the headbay and tailbay maintained essentially constant upper and lower pools during filling and emptying operations. head betony n. North American (now rare) either of two plants used medicinally, the common Eurasian betony, Stachys officinalis, and a North American lousewort, Pedicularis canadensis; = wood betony n. at wood n.¹ Compounds 2c(b). ΚΠ 1785 Mem. Amer. Acad. Sci. 1 460 Head Betony. The middle segment of the lower lip of the blossom is toothed. Blossoms purple. 1824 J. Monroe Amer. Botanist & Family Physician 46 Head-Betony. The plant is corroborant and errhine. The roots are emetic and cathartic. 1921 Amer. Botanist 28 65 ‘Head Betony’ is a variation of the name which might indicate that the lousiness was not always confined to cattle though it probably refers to the heads of flowers. 1972 Phytologia 22 375 Head-Betony—Flower without upper lip but with a long lower lip, the style and stamens long protruding and nearly erect. head bone n. [compare Old Icelandic hǫfuðbein] the skull; any of the individual bones of the skull. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > structural parts > bone or bones > skull > [noun] head boneeOE head paneOE panOE brainpanOE skull?c1225 harn-pan1340 brain skulla1400 calvairc1420 pot of the head?a1425 pan-bone1545 cranew1555 pannicle1590 pericranium1590 cranion1611 poll1721 braincase1726 brain-box1789 pericrane1804 cobbra1832 cranium1842 neurocranium1907 eOE Bald's Leechbk. (Royal) (1865) i. liii. 126 Monnes heafodban bærn to ahsan. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 735 He smot Numbert..þat his hæfd-bon [c1300 Otho heued-bon] to-brec. c1440 (?a1400) Sir Perceval (1930) l. 1190 (MED) He..Made þe Sarazenes hede-bones Hoppe als dose hayle-stones Abowtte one þe gres. 1638 A. Read Man. Anat. Body of Man (new ed.) 522 Those which are seated betweene the head bones, and rumpe bone, are either anterior, laterall, or posterior. 1790 J. Hassell Tour Isle of Wight II. xiv. 3 Seating themselves on the head-bone of a dead horse, they guide themselves down the steepest declivities. 1887 Pop. Sci. Monthly Oct. 761 The head-bone or skull of a wolf, when burned thoroughly and finely pounded, would heal racking pain in the joints. 1926 D. H. Lawrence David vii. 58 Surely the Lord was in that round stone, that digged the pit in Goliath's head-bone! 2008 T. Gore et al. Horse Owner's Vet. Handbk. (ed. 3) 279 A traumatic injury to the head may cause a fracture of the head bones in more than one location. head boom n. Nautical a boom at the head of a ship; a jib boom or flying jib boom. ΚΠ 1831 In Common Pleas 66 The vessel turned round, it came right under the head boom. 1890 Sunday Inter Ocean (Chicago) 20 Apr. 22/1 The rig of the Newark will be that of a bark without head booms. 1988 Mich. Hist. Rev. 14 51 The Queen Charlotte inexorably bore down on the Detroit, helplessly ramming her head booms squarely into Detroit's tangled mizzen rigging. † head-bound adj. Obsolete having one's head bound; esp. wearing a turban. ΚΠ a1625 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Knight of Malta i. iii, in Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Kkkkk/2 Head-bound Infidels. 1733 Capt. Downes All Vows Kept ii. ii. 19 An holy War Against the Turk, or head-bound Saracen. 1888 R. Kipling Drums of Fore & Aft in Wee Willie Winkie 83 ‘'Tisn't so much the bloomin' fighting,’ gasped a headbound trooper of Hussars. head bowler n. Cricket (now disused) a bowler who bowls tactically, as by varying deliveries with a view to deceiving the batter into making a mistake, rather than by straightforward repetition of a particular style of delivery; cf. to bowl with one's head at bowl v.¹ 4b. ΚΠ 1856 Bell's Life in London 8 June 7/1 To run out, and to a clever ‘head’ bowler like Mr M'Cormick. 1870 New Sporting Mag. New Ser. 60 35 I must..see another little square man..before I believe that a better head bowler ever lived than Lillywhite. 1934 Observer 26 Aug. 19/5 The head bowler has died out. Most of those who change their pace and pitch..do not work on a plan. † head bowling n. Cricket Obsolete bowling characterized by the use of tactics, rather than simple repetition of a particular style of delivery. ΚΠ 1860 Sporting Life 29 Feb. 4/3 Clarke was the talented exponent of that peculiar style of effective head bowling that will always have followers, as long as the noble game of cricket continues a leading pastime. 1901 Sat. Rev. 31 Aug. 266/1 Head-bowling requires great keenness of observation and some power of consecutive thought. 1925 Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 30 Nov. He is an excellent first wicket man in association with a forcing bat against head bowling. head boy n. (a) the boy designated to hold the senior position among the pupils in a school, or (in early use) one occupying a position of pre-eminence on grounds of ability, etc.; a male school captain; cf. head girl n. (b) (more generally) a boy (in various senses) occupying a position of authority or seniority. ΘΚΠ society > education > learning > learner > one attending school > [noun] > head boy or girl captain1706 head boy1713 head girl1801 1713 R. H. Common Dialogues amongst School-boys iii. 18 The Head Boy [L. primus] of every class. 1738 Expos. Common Prayer 22 Nov. A numerous Appearance of the Reverend Clergy, and other Gentlemen, to whom was spoken an Oration..by the head Boy of the School. 1841 Mrs. Clemons Manners & Customs India ix. 87 After calling some time my horse-keeper and head boy made their appearance. 1905 Westm. Gaz. 4 Dec. 3/1 Over each gang [of miners] is appointed a Chinese ‘head boy’. 1991 Independent 5 Jan. 46/4 Stephen played rugby and cricket and was head boy at school. 2008 J. O. Coffey & B. Wood 100 Years 99 Enoka was..the head boy and first XV captain at Christchurch Technical College. † head-brand n. Obsolete a large piece of wood placed in a fire in order to keep it going at night. ΚΠ c1350 Nominale (Cambr. Ee.4.20) in Trans. Philol. Soc. (1906) 15* Astre chenet et aumare, Herthe hed-bronde and louere. a1425 Medulla Gram. (Stonyhurst) f. 56 Repofocilium, an hadbronde or a Skrene. c1450 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 607/33 Repofocilium, an hedbronde. head breakage n. [compare Old English hēafodbryce , early Middle English heafodbrice breaking of the skull, broken head ( < head n.¹ + bruche n.¹)] †(a) (in the usage of Thomas Carlyle) the causing of injury to a person's head; an instance of this (obsolete); (b) the breaking of the head of something.In quot. 1827 with reference to the contravention of grammatical rules (see to break Priscian's head at Priscian n. 1). ΚΠ 1827 T. Carlyle tr. J. P. F. Richter in German Romance III. 218 The well-known head-breakages of Priscian [Ger. Donatsschnitzern] on the part of the Magnates in Pest and Poland. 1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. II. i. v. 43 How often has the broached barrel proved not to be for joy and heart-effusion, but for duel and head-breakage! 1843 T. Carlyle Past & Present ii. xvii. 114 Cain's slaying Abel by swift head-breakage. 1905 Daily Railway Age 21 June 1089/1 It is head breakage that scraps most of our couplers. 2002 U.S. Patent 6,354,963 7 The head [of the golf club] can be kept thick while maintaining a high moment of inertia. This prevents head breakage due to impact and the like. head-brush n. now historical and rare a hairbrush. ΚΠ 1596 T. Nashe Haue with you to Saffron-Walden sig. O3^v His case of head-brushes and beard-brushes. 1632 Edinb. Test. LVI. f. 23, in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at Hede, Heid Tuentie sevin heid brushes. 1850 Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Daily Sentinel & Gaz. 8 Oct. One of the hairs left in the head brush of Miss Lind at New York, has been sold for eleven thousand five hundred and seventy-seven dollars. 1993 P. Ackroyd House of Dr. Dee (1994) iii. 108 He asked the barber the price..of head-brushes and of beard-brushes. head cap n. (a) a cap for the head; (b) a marking resembling this on the head of an animal; (c) Bookbinding (usually as one word) that part of a book's binding which covers the headband. ΚΠ 1764 A. Masson Coll. Eng. Prose & Verse (ed. 4) xiv. 32 They were dressed in white satin waistcoats, brown lutestring petticoats, and fine laced head-caps. 1845 A. C. Bullitt Rambles in Mammoth Cave 29 In the knapsack..[was] one head cap, made of wove or knit bark,..of the shape of the plainest night cap. 1881 O. Finsch Rep. Birds Tonga in C. W. Thomson & J. Murray Rep. Sci. Results Voy. Challenger II. 57 Front and vertex delicate purplish-lilac, forming a pale and..circumscript head-cap [on a bird]. 1946 E. Diehl Bookbinding ii. xv. 217 The leather forming the headcaps should just cover the headband. 1963 J. A. Hostetler Amish Society ii. vi. 136 One of the most highly symbolic of all garments among the women is the Kapp or head cap worn by every woman and even by infants. 1988 J. Greenfield Care of Fine Bks. i. 34 This plain, eleventh-century binding was..held in an outer case by the turn-ins which were folded around the lining and headcap cores. 2000 Times 25 Apr. i. 15/1 It [sc. a monkey] has a silvery-white upper body, an orange-yellow belly, a black tail and a grey head cap. head capsule n. Zoology the hard case forming the head of an arthropod, esp. an insect larva. ΚΠ 1884 Amer. Naturalist 18 1235 This conical head-part..being retrusible into the firm head-capsule..was supposed to be the coalescing mouth-parts. 1947 A. D. Imms Outl. Entomol. (ed. 3) ii. 10 The exterior of the head is formed of several sclerites which are amalgamated to form a hard compact case or head capsule. 2004 Jrnl. Wildlife Managem. 68 685/2 We based our determination on sclerotized chitin parts that were not affected by digestion (e.g., chelicers, mandible, legs, wings, head capsules). head-carry v. transitive to carry (a load) on one's head; = head-load vb. ΘΚΠ society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance by carrying > transport or convey by carrying [verb (transitive)] > convey by carrying (of person) > on the head head-load1945 head-carry1948 1948 Christian Sci. Monitor 27 Nov. 11/2 In Liberia, it takes a native 13 days to head-carry products from the interior to the sea. 1957 R. Campbell Portugal 84 Trundling, head-carrying, or pedalling their various contraptions. 2002 R. L. Paarlberg Governance & Food Security in Age of Globalization v. 36/2 African women learn from an early age how to head-carry heavy loads..over remarkable distances. head-carrying adj. that carries loads on the head. ΚΠ 1919 K. Jordan Against Winds ix. 54 The hip undulations and the statuelike poise of the upper part of the body inherited from headcarrying, savage women, centuries back. 1997 Urban Hist. 24 329 Food and drink hawkers, newspaper vendors and head-carrying women sellers walked the streets offering mobile shopping to passing customers. head cell n. [after German Kopfzelle (1861 or earlier, with reference to plant hairs)] Botany a rounded terminal cell at the end of a stalked structure (as a trichome, or the manubrium in the antheridium of a stonewort); cf. capitulum n. 3c and sense 15g. ΚΠ 1884 F. O. Bower & D. H. Scott tr. H. A. de Bary Compar. Anat. Phanerogams & Ferns i. 63 Elongated hairs bearing on a usually three-celled stalk a large oval or pear-shaped head-cell [Ger. Kopfzelle], not glandular. 1919 J. N. Martin Bot. for Agric. Students xiii. 334 The terminal cell [of a manubrium], known as head cell, divides into a number of cells and each of these produces a pair of long filaments. 1968 Bot. Gaz. 129 96/2 They [sc. glandular trichomes] consist of a single row of cells, differentiated into a rounded or elongate head cell and one or more stalk cells. 2000 Plant Physiol. 124 655/2 Small, capitate glandular trichomes, with a single secretory head cell. head centre n. now historical the most senior officer in any of various Irish republican organizations (esp. the Fenian Brotherhood or the Irish Republican Brotherhood); see also centre n.¹ 16. ΚΠ 1863 Times 19 Oct. 9/5 The ‘Head Centre’, or Grand Master, is one Colonel John O'Mahoney, of New York. 1915 P. A. Sheehan Graves at Kilmorna xi. 74 The document..appointed Captain James Halpin Head Centre for that district with plenary powers. 2008 Hist. Ireland 16 44/1 The lectures were chaired by Tipperary emigrant William Burke, head centre of the Tara circle of the Fenian Brotherhood. † head chair n. Obsolete a chair with a high back constructed so as to provide a rest or support for the head. ΚΠ 1889 Cent. Dict. Head-chair, a chair with a high back, made to support the head in a convenient position. 1923 Harmsworth's Househ. Encycl. III. 2063/3 Head Chair, this is a high-backed chair fitted with a rest for the head, generally in the form of extensions of the wings. head cheese n. [probably originally after Dutch hoofdkaas (late 18th cent. or earlier); compare French fromage de tête (15th cent. in Middle French in fromage de teste de sanglier, lit. ‘boar's head cheese’)] North American a terrine made with meat from the head of an animal (usually a pig); brawn. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > meat dishes > [noun] > pork dishes souse1391 cockagricec1400 shieldc1400 head cheese1831 hogshead cheese1839 pig cheer1873 porchetta1929 carnitas1949 bak kut teh1969 sisig1987 samgyeopsal1993 1831 Lady's Bk. Sept. 137 She found..the table set out with all the dainties of Dutch cookery, crullers, rulleges, head-cheese and preserves. 1891 H. Frederic Copperhead (1894) 255 Reducing what remained of the [pig's] head into small bits, to be seasoned..and then fill other pans as head-cheese. 1942 C. Morley Thorofare (1943) xli. 159 Yes, Ma'am, over here we call it headcheese, but I remember my old gramp called it brawn. 1990 T. Ruprecht Toronto's Many Faces 354 Two Ukrainian delis that sell..head cheese..are Astra Meat Market..and Durie Meat Products. † head-chute n. Nautical Obsolete a tube used to convey refuse from a ship's bows down to the water. ΚΠ 1882 in C. F. Goodrich Rep. Brit. Naval & Mil. Operations Egypt (1885) v. 43 A puncture made by a shot striking the head chute and bringing up against the water-way of the mess deck. 1889 Cent. Dict. Head-chute, a canvas tube or pipe leading from a ship's head down to the water's edge, for the purpose of conveying refuse matter overboard. head clause n. Grammar the principal clause of a sentence or statement. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > syntax or word order > syntactic unit or constituent > [noun] > clause > other specific types of clause clausulec1449 protasis1588 illative1604 apodosisa1638 incident proposition1725 subordinate clause1809 subclause1823 adjective clause1834 subject clause1840 nominative absolute1843 that-clause1845 head clause1915 contact-clause1927 content clause1927 wh-clause1957 1915 Mod. Lang. Rev. 10 364 In the earliest examples type A is the most frequently represented, ‘nie sô’ standing as the head-clause whether as a principal sentence or in indirect speech. 1928 H. Poutsma Gram. Late Mod. Eng.: Pt. 1 (ed. 2) I. i. 38 A subordinate statement with modal may often stands with a head-clause containing possible. 2001 Russ. Linguistics 25 186 In Old Church Slavic, as in Modern Russian, the agent of the gerund must be identical to the subject of the head clause. head coal n. Mining the uppermost portion of a thick seam of coal, esp. when left unworked for the present. ΚΠ 1830 Edinb. Encycl. XIV. 355/2 The head coals are brought regularly down in large tabular masses, of such thickness as suits best with the free partings. 1883 W. S. Gresley Gloss. Terms Coal Mining Head-coal (S[cotland]), the upper portion of a thick seam of coal which is worked in two or more lifts. 2002 R. Armstead & S. L. Gardner Black Days, Black Dust (2003) xiv. 118 As he moved in, the head coal fell down over the loading machine. A chunk of coal snapped out of the top and hit the loader on the head. head cold n. a common cold, esp. when affecting mainly the nose and eyes. ΚΠ 1848 Family Economist 1 18/2 During every season, certain people have ‘head colds’, coughs, and ‘feverish colds’. 1926 People's Home Jrnl. Feb. 27/1 (advt.) Also wonderful for clearing up head colds and snuffles, ‘Vaseline Jelly’ is safe for babies. 1977 P. Bowles Let. 3 Dec. in In Touch (1994) 480 The air is mausoleum-temperature, and everybody is afflicted with either head colds or bronchitis. 2007 Mighty Toddler (S. Afr. ed.) xii. 312 Complications from head colds, such as ear or chest infections, are more common in toddlers. head collar n. a horse's headstall (headstall n.¹ 1); a similar harness for the head of a dog or other animal. ΚΠ 1769 J. W. Baker Short Descr. Instruments of Husb. (ed. 3) 45 Dutch Head Collars or Halters, for Stables, with double Leather Reins. 1895 E. Wood Cavalry Waterloo Campaign v. 119 Horses are said to be linked when the collar chains or head-ropes are passed through the links of the head-collars of the horses on either side. 1988 Orange County (Calif.) Reg. (Nexis) 9 Dec. b2 Instead of a choke chain, Myles uses a head collar, which goes on the [dog's] head like a horse's halter. 2010 A. Dugdale Vet. Anaesthesia xxx. 262/1 The padding is to protect superficial nerves near bony prominences from the metal rings in the head collar. head cone n. Zoology rare a conical appendage, present in two or three pairs, surrounding the mouth of some pteropod molluscs. ΚΠ 1848 T. R. Jones in Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. IV. 176/1 The mouth of the Clio is a vertical fissure, that is easily displayed by slightly folding back the head-cones. 2000 Biol. Bull. 198 302 Single pair of posterior head cones. head constable n. a senior or chief constable (in later use as a specific rank in certain police forces, notably in India and Pakistan where it is approximately equivalent to a police sergeant elsewhere). ΚΠ 1562 Coll. Substaunce Certaine Necessary Statutes in Proclam. Observ. Certein Statutes sig. I.iii^v The sayde Churchwardens shal haue aucthoritie..to cal the said Baylife and head Constable before the Iustices of peace or two of them. 1798 J. Black Let. 8 Sept. in True Briton (1799) 29 Oct. He is Head Constable at Paramatta, and is much respected. 1839 Freeman's Jrnl. (Dublin) 24 July This reserve force is to consist of two chief constables, four head constables, and two hundred constables and sub-constables. 1868 Ann. Rep. Admin. Bengal Presidency i. 29 There are..two road posts in the Chittagong District, at which 2 head constables and 8 constables are employed. 1923 Scotsman 23 Mar. 4/5 Others who were presented [to the Prince of Wales] included Mr F. H. Caldwall, Head Constable of Liverpool; Mr G. Everitt, Assistant Head Constable of the city; [etc.]. 1994 Friday Times (Lahore) 18 Aug. 8/5 The constable was stronger than the head constable and she threw her boss to the floor. head cover n. (a) chiefly Military cover or protection for the head; (as a count noun) something serving to cover or protect the head; (b) a cover for the head of a golf club. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > armour > helmet > [noun] helmc725 hoodc1275 crestc1325 iron hatc1330 testerc1386 helmet1470 cap1530 hood-skull1537 headpiecea1555 caska1586 mazer1605 casque1696 head cover1839 1839 R. Fitzroy Narr. Surv. Voy. H.M.S. Adventure & Beagle II. viii. 147 In hasty, unforeseen skirmishes, they engage in as light order as the more northern Indians, without head-cover or mantle. 1860 Punch 18 Feb. 72/2 The Anglo-Saxon shields were oval and convex... But though they looked like dishcovers, their chief use was as head-covers. 1890 F. D. Lugard Diary 26 Mar. (1959) I. iv. 160 Along the top [of the Stockade] a log for head cover, and line below it for firing. 1909 J. D. Gatewood Naval Hygiene vi. 599 The majority of a crew seem to wear head-cover during most of their time awake. 1923 R. Kipling Irish Guards in Great War I. 24 The Battalion..next day quietly improved trenches and head-cover. 1934 Landmark Jan. 58 Another useful device to clip on to any old golf-bag is a leather head cover for one club. 1961 N. Lorch Edge of Sword iv. ii. 151 The trenches were not sufficiently deep; they had no head cover. 1998 Daily Post (Liverpool) 25 Apr. (Wales ed.) 3/3 (advt.) The Golf Store... MacGregor package. 9 irons, 3 woods, putter, bag & headcovers £299.00. 2000 Piecework Nov. 50/1 An embroidered length of cloth that may be worn as a shawl or head cover. † head-cowl n. Zoology Obsolete rare one of two coverings on the head of some pteropod molluscs. ΚΠ 1848 T. R. Jones in Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. IV. 174/2 The head-cowls are shown partially folded back, so as to display the conical appendages (head-cones) which the cowls enclose and protect. † head-cracker n. Whaling Obsolete = head spade n. ΚΠ 1889 Cent. Dict. Head-spade, a long-handled instrument..belonging to the cutting-gear used by whalers... Also called head-cracker. head crash n. Computing a failure of a hard disk drive in which the read-write head comes into contact with the surface of the platter (platter n.¹ 4), causing permanent damage and loss of data.Head crashes are often caused by a sudden and severe movement of the drive while it is in use, such as when a laptop computer is dropped. ΚΠ 1965 Brit. Patent 989,692 4/2 The spring bias and diaphragm natural resiliency act against the air pressure on the diaphragm to prevent the condition known as ‘head crash’ or ‘head-disc contact’. 1984 PC 18 Sept. 149/3 To prevent head crashes, hard drive manufacturers seal the disk (and drive works) inside air-tight cans or cartridges. 2010 N.Z. Herald (Nexis) 25 Nov. It's..more robust than the other MacBooks—no danger of bangs producing hard drive head crashes. head cringle n. Nautical a cringle (cringle n. 1a) at the upper corner of a sail. ΚΠ 1813 A. C. Twent Zeemans Woordenboek 84/2 Nok-leuver,..head cringle. 1841 R. H. Dana Seaman's Friend i. vi. 39 Fasten the head and reef earings to their cringles, reeving the end of the reef-earings through the head-cringle. 1973 K. Hankinson Rigging Small Sailboats v. 39 Several methods are used to attach the halyards to the head cringle of the sails. head dip n. an act of dipping the head; (Surfing) a manoeuvre in which a crouching surfer dips his or her head into the face of a wave while riding it. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > washing > washing oneself or body > [noun] > an act of wash1839 washdown1849 head dip1886 wash-up1887 society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > water sports except racing > surfing > [noun] > actions of surfer kick-out1801 ride1883 side-slip1913 surf1917 slide1935 pull-out1957 quasimodo1960 head dip1962 nose-riding1962 rolling1962 spinner1962 stalling1962 toes over1962 cutback1963 Eskimo roll1964 re-entry1968 right1968 rollercoaster1968 barrel roll1971 hold-down1982 railing1983 cross-stepping1990 cross-step1994 turtle roll2001 1886 Weekly Wisconsin (Milwaukee) 9 Jan. 2/3 A rousing head-dip at the pump-trough was all they required in the morning to make them clean and rosy. 1962 D. Muirhead Surfing in Hawaii 82 Most hot-doggers..want to do head dips, nose walking, toes over's, [etc.]. 1977 W. J. Smith Behavior of Communicating (1980) xiv. 449 (caption) The hostess..terminates the distance salutation with a head dip, shutting her eyes. 2008 Orange County (Calif.) Register (Nexis) 23 Aug. Doyle was..shown doing a ‘head dip’. That is where you sort of bend over and stick your head into the wave with your hands clenched behind your back. head-doctor n. colloquial a doctor dealing with mental health; a psychiatrist. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > healing > psychiatry > [noun] > psychiatrist mad-doctor1697 head-doctor1850 mind-curer1856 psychiater1857 alienist1864 psychopath1864 psychiatrist1869 mind-curist1889 trick-cyclist1897 soul doctor1922 loony-doctor1925 witch doctor1930 psych1946 headshrinker1950 wig-picker1961 shrink1966 shrinker1967 1850 C. Kingsley Alton Locke II. xii. 180 D'ye ken a medicamentum that'll pit brains into workmen—? Non tribus Anticyris! Tons o' hellebore—acres o' strait-waistcoats—a hall police-force o' head-doctors, winna do it. 1956 ‘E. McBain’ Cop Hater (1958) xxi. 177 ‘What's the matter with this guy?’ ‘Nothing that a head doctor couldn't cure,’ Byrnes said. 1999 C. Creedon Passion Play xvii. 136 I sorta didn't know wat was real, or wat was a dream. It was Yvette convinced me to see a head-doctor. head drop n. [after Japanese kubisagari ( < kubi neck, head + sagari, nominalized stem of sagaru to go down, drop)] Medicine †(a) a disorder (not identified) characterized by drooping of the head, occurring in parts of Japan, esp. north-eastern Honshu and eastern Shikoku (obsolete); (b) (more generally) drooping of the head towards the chest, esp. as a result of dysfunction of the neck muscles; an instance of this. ΚΠ 1887 K. Nakano in Sei-i-Kwai Med. Jrnl. 6 206 Head-drop is the name by which the disease is called among the native people and its history is not known. 1890 J. S. Billings National Med. Dict. I. 624/1 Head-drop, name of a form of disease endemic in certain valleys in Japan, and characterized by..a feeling of weight of the head. 1894 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 4 Aug. 17/2 Marked fibrillary contraction in the wasting muscles... No head drop. 1949 H. W. C. Vines Green's Man. Pathol. (ed. 17) x. 216 Diphtheria toxin..also contains a neurotoxin which causes degeneration of nerve fibres resulting in peripheral neuritis and paralyses of muscles, especially..muscles of the neck, causing head-drop. 2005 Adv. Neurol. 95 85/1 In some children [with myoclonic epilepsy], there is an atonic component associated with a head drop. head earing n. Nautical an earing (earing n.³) attached to a head cringle. ΚΠ 1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Rabans de pointure, the head-earings, or reef earings of a sail. 1841 R. H. Dana Seaman's Friend i. vi. 40 Have the earings bent and secured.., and the bights of the head-earings hitched to the buntlines. 2001 R. Drumm Barque of Saviors vi. 68 The clew rings, head earings, and other hardware to which the lines are bent are attached as they are on traditional square sails. head fake n. North American Sport a feinting manoeuvre performed with the head in order to deceive an opponent; also in extended use. ΚΠ 1936 Athletic Jrnl. Nov. 5/2 An end must always try to outsmart the opposing tackle,..trying by head fakes to mislead the tackle in the use of his hands. 1941 R. H. Barbour & La M. Sarra How to play Better Basketball iii. 29 A head fake..will often provide an uninterrupted course to the basket. 2001 K. Walker & M. Schone Son of Grifter xix. 171 Mom and Ken tried to throw the D.C. Superior Court a final headfake on the morning of July 12. 2009 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 26 Mar. b14/4 Players use head fakes, ball fakes and elbows to try to get their defender off balance. head-fake v. North American Sport intransitive and transitive to (attempt to) deceive with a head fake; also in extended use. ΚΠ 1939 R. H. Barbour & La M. Sarra How to play Six-man Football 83 Center drives across, head-fakes as though going into defensive Half back's zone, and cuts right. 1975 Forbes 1 July 87/3 Taylor is uncertain about the meaning of this. Maybe another bank's traders are ‘head faking’—trying to throw the competition off base. 1990 Star-Ledger (Newark, New Jersey) 12 Jan. 92/2 When Short doesn't have a shot, he usually creates one by simply pump-faking and head-faking his man. 2001 Sporting News 26 Nov. 10/2 A smaller guy likes to try to get his body in front of you... I may shake and head-fake to get him to cheat one way. head faking n. North American Sport the action of performing a head fake; also in extended use. ΚΠ 1936 B. Gullion Basketball Offensive Fund. Analyzed 39 Head faking is especially effective with this pass. 1966 Salt Lake Tribune 14 Mar. 21/1 Months remain for CBS, NBC and ABC to accomplish the usual bluffing, head-faking and side-stepping (they call it ‘strategic counter-programming’). 2004 Lowell (Mass.) Sun (Nexis) 10 Mar. Last time we tried a lot of head faking with him, but tonight we went right at him. head feast n. now historical (among certain headhunting tribes) a feast featuring ceremonial or ritual use of the head or heads of enemies. ΚΠ 1857 Chambers's Jrnl. 26 Sept. 203/1 The grand entertainment is delayed till an abundant harvest should enable them to celebrate the head-feast in a manner suited to the dignity of the occasion. 1882 H. de Windt On Equator 82 These ‘Head Feasts’ are general among the aboriginal tribes throughout the island of Borneo. 1996 J. Hoskins Headhunting & Social Imagination S.E. Asia 22 In the invocation recited at the head feast, taking heads is seen as gathering the fruit of this tree in the afterworld. head-felt adj. felt in or proceeding from the brain or intellect; chiefly contrasted with heartfelt. ΚΠ 1834 M. Edgeworth 20 July in F. A. B. Edgeworth Mem. Maria Edgeworth (1867) III. 142 It is a heart-felt as well as a head-felt satisfaction to me that you do not think I have lowered what my father took such pains to raise for me. 1880 T. W. Allies Life's Decision 137 Heart-felt and head-felt difficulties. 1965 Jrnl. Legal Educ. 17 182 This may not produce any change in basic attitudes, nothing heartfelt or headfelt, but surely it is better than nothing. 2004 BackStage (Nexis) 10 Sept. It was the night's most heartfelt and head-felt rendition. headfire n. a fire, or the front of a fire, spreading or moving in the direction of a prevailing wind, typically with great intensity and speed. ΚΠ 1877 E. Baldwin Hist. La Salle County 147 The head fire in dry grass and a high wind is fearful, and pretty sure to have its own way unless there is some defensible point from which to meet it. 1968 J. McPhee Pine Barrens 108 A forest fire moves in a V, like the wake of a ship. The point of the V is called the head fire. 2002 Nature Conservancy Fall 32/1 Then, riding a sweetly timed northeast wind, the headfire lurches away from Avon Park Cut-Off Road, whooshing with the velocity of a bellowing locomotive. head-fish n. †(a) an edible marine fish (not identified) found in Asian waters (obsolete rare); (b) (originally U.S.) an ocean sunfish (family Molidae), which has the appearance of consisting chiefly of a large head without a tail. [In sense (b) perhaps after scientific Latin Cephalus, former genus name of the sunfishes ( G. Shaw Gen. Zool. (1804) V. 437; < ancient Greek κεϕαλή head: see cephalo- comb. form), unless this is itself after English.] ΚΠ 1811 J. Pinkerton Gen. Coll. Voy. & Trav. IX. xiii. 632 The head-fish is the most plentiful [fish in the seas around Siam]... Its form is nearly like that of a whiting, but much larger. 1812 Med. Repository 3rd Hexade 3 195 (heading) The cephalus, or head-fish, inhabits the waters of New-York. 1847 Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc. 1843–7 4 11 A fish found upon Squam Beach N.J. called by the fishermen the Head-fish. 1931 Copeia No. 3. 135 It has been the privilege of each of us to see a specimen of the little known sunfish or head-fish, Masturus lanceolatus. 2004 D. R. Khanna & P. R. Yadav Biol. Fishes xvi. 308 The Round-tailed Sun-fish (Mola) has a deep, circular and somewhat compressed body looking as though the tail end had been amputated.., a feature to which the popular name of ‘Head-fish’ refers. head flannel n. now historical and rare a piece of flannel used as a protective wrapping for the head of a baby. ΚΠ 1834 ‘P. Reedpen’ Our Town II. 173 I must get her to buy me a piece of flannel, my head-flannels are all worn out. 1861 I. M. Beeton Bk. Househ. Managem. xli. 1021 The infant..must not be exposed to strong light, or too much air; and in carrying it about the passages, stairs, &c., the nurse should always have its head-flannel on. 1913 L. A. Harker Ffolliots of Redmarley vii. 87 She opened the head flannel and displayed a small, dark head and a red, puckered countenance. 1920 A. K. Smith Cutting Out for Student Teachers 199 A Head Flannel may be as simple or as elaborate as the worker desires. 1993 E. Ross Love & Toil v. 138 Finally came a ‘monthly’ gown, flowing to well below the baby's feet and often pinned, and a ‘head flannel’. † head flaw n. [ < head n.¹ + flaw n.²; compare earlier headwind n. 2] chiefly U.S. regional (New England) Obsolete a sudden gust of wind blowing from directly in front; (figurative) an adverse turn of events, a setback. ΚΠ 1803 M. L. Weems Let. in Ford's M. L. Weems: Wks. & Ways (1929) II. 280 A head flaw..has taken me all aback again. 1834 S. Smith Sel. Lett. Major Jack Downing xxxvi. 90 I've had a good many head-flaws and worriments in my life there. 1842 H. W. Longfellow Let. 20 July (1967) II. 435 Finding his sails flapping in this head flaw, the old Viking puts about. 1908 G. S. Wasson Home from Sea iv. 132 You ain't need git rattled over no such little head-flaw as that, Clarry! 1909 Portsmouth (New Hampsh.) Herald 6 July 1/4 A head flaw of wind lost Ducker the first place when two lengths from the finish. head fold n. Embryology a fold under the cephalic end of the blastoderm in an early amniote embryo, from which the anterior part of the body develops. ΘΚΠ the world > life > biology > biological processes > procreation or reproduction > embryo or fetus > embryo parts > [noun] > membrane and layers of cells germinal layer1836 cell layer1843 mucous layer1846 germ layer1855 mesoblast1857 blastoderm1859 head fold1873 mesoderm1873 epiblast1875 hypoblast1875 splanchnopleure1875 mesenchyme1881 acroblast1884 mesothelium1886 epimere1890 mesectoderm1894 mesendoderm1894 cœloblast1895 placode1907 shield1913 mesentoderm1921 meristoderm1945 bilayer1962 1873 Q. Jrnl. Microsc. Sci. 13 275 The cells, again, are very small at the head fold, but are very much larger in front of this. 1951 G. R. de Beer Vertebr. Zool. (ed. 2) xiii. 176 Eventually this area vasculosa spreads over most of the blastoderm up to the germ-wall, except for a region immediately in front of the head-fold which is known as the proamnion. 2005 R. Bellairs & M. Osmond Atlas Chick Devel. (ed. 2) xii. 111/2 With the formation of the head fold and head it becomes shifted. head-foot n. [ < head n.¹ + foot n., after head-footed adj.] Zoology (in molluscs) the soft structure lying below or anterior to the visceral mass, consisting of the head merging into the protrusible foot (in a gastropod) or into the tentacles (in a cephalopod). ΚΠ 1929 Encycl. Brit. V. 150/1 On the posterior side of this head-foot (cephalo-pedal mass) is a muscular tube, the funnel. 1993 E. N. K. Clarkson Invertebr. Palaeontol. & Evol. (ed. 3) viii. 215/2 The head-foot, i.e. the protrusible part of the body, can be withdrawn inside the shell by retractor muscles. head-footed adj. [ < head n.¹ + footed adj., after scientific Latin Cephalopoda cephalopoda n.; compare cephalopod n. and cephalopodous adj.] Zoology having a ring of tentacles attached to the head, as is characteristic of cephalopod molluscs. ΚΠ 1826 A. Eaton Zool. Text-bk. 111 I include the whole grand division, Mollusca, in one class; though Cuvier subdivides it into the classes, Cephalopodia, head-footed—Pteropodia, wing-footed [etc.] 1851 T. Wright & G. F. Richardson Introd. Geol. (new ed.) viii. 248 [The head] is surrounded by a circle of fleshy processes, or feet, from whence the name of the class, ‘head-footed’, is derived. 1920 T. D. A. Cockerell Zoölogy xxxiv. 250 The Cephalopoda or head-footed mollusks include the octopus, squid, nautilus, and the extinct ammonites. 2012 J. F. Morrissey & J. L. Sumich Introd. Biol. Marine Life (ed. 10) 94 Squids, like other cephalopods, are called the head-footed mollusks because the head bears a crown of appendages that is homologous to the foot in other mollusks. head fountain n. [compare earlier head well n.] now rare (chiefly U.S. in later use) = fountainhead n. (in either sense). ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > causation > source or origin > [noun] welleOE mothereOE ordeOE wellspringeOE fathereOE headeOE oreOE wellspringOE rootc1175 morea1200 beginningc1200 head wella1325 sourcec1374 principlea1382 risinga1382 springinga1382 fountain14.. springerc1410 nativity?a1425 racinea1425 spring1435 headspring?a1439 seminaryc1440 originationc1443 spring wellc1450 sourdre1477 primordialc1487 naissance1490 wellhead?1492 offspringa1500 conduit-head1517 damc1540 springhead1547 principium1550 mint1555 principal1555 centre1557 head fountain1563 parentage1581 rise1589 spawna1591 fount1594 parent1597 taproot1601 origin1604 fountainhead1606 radix1607 springa1616 abundary1622 rist1622 primitive1628 primary1632 land-spring1642 extraction1655 upstart1669 progenerator1692 fontala1711 well-eye1826 first birth1838 ancestry1880 Quelle1893 the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > system > [noun] > head or source headeOE wellspringOE springOE uptaking1241 head wella1325 wellheadc1330 sourcec1386 headspringa1398 headstreama1398 risinga1398 surge1523 springhead?a1560 head fountain1563 water head1567 fountainhead1585 headwater1612 fill1622 water source1651 urn1726 vomica1838 sponge-swamp1901 1563 J. Foxe Actes & Monuments 546/2 Holy Prophetes, Patriarkes, Apostles, and other good faithfull people in olde tyme, in all tribulation and anguyshe resorted vnto the head fountayne, whiche is of grace infinite. 1600 R. Surflet tr. C. Estienne & J. Liébault Maison Rustique i. iv. 11 If it happen that the head fountaine be somewhat too farre from the farme, you may force the water to come thither. 1688 J. Norris Theory & Regulation Love i. iii. 24 The Heart is..the Head-fountain of Life. 1776 in W. W. Hening Statutes at Large: Coll. Laws Virginia (1821) IX. 263 All that part of the said district lying to the northward of the county of Augusta, to the westward of the meridian of the head fountain of Potowmack, [etc.]. 1829 T. Dwight Sketches Scenery & Manners U.S. 35 A prayer..which he chanted in a few solemn words over the head fountain of those waters which pour down the mountain's side. 1852 Freemasons' Q. Mag. & Rev. 30 June 170 Canton..is the seat of an administration which has only in rare instances recourse to the head fountain of authority. 1911 Dental Summary 31 23 The deepest inspiration for work comes only to the one who can occasionally drink from the head fountain of knowledge. 1950 J. R. Smith Tree Crops (new ed.) xxv. 369 Two legislative blows at the very base of civilization—muddying the waters in the head fountain of knowledge and neglecting to save soil. head frame n. (a) a framework at the top or head of something; spec. one at the top of a mine shaft or pit containing winding gear; (b) (in a sawmill) a frame of a carriage on which logs sit and are held (rare); (c) a framework for holding a person's head immobile. ΚΠ 1797 W. Pain Pain's Brit. Palladio 12 The dimensions supposed to be 6 feet.., the circular head-frame to be veneered with wainscot. 1853 Rec. School of Mines I. 340 Each shaft being intended for a single rope or ‘band’, is surmounted by a head-frame carrying one broad pulley of cast iron. 1878 Sci. Amer. 11 May 291/1 The head frame..is supported by track wheels secured to axles. 1897 Patents for Inventions: Abridgm. Specif. Class 51, Furnaces & Kilns 295/1 Relates to convertible bedsteads and tables. The head frame i, hinged at k.., may fold down..to form a table top. 1902 S. H. Monell Syst. Instr. X-ray Methods ix. 64 To hold the head with absolute fixation while making two radiographs of the eye Davidson devised a head-frame which serves the purpose. 1950 Pop. Mech. Sept. 240/2 One old jungle gold prospector rigged a crude head frame of saplings over a deep excavation and dropped a bucket from a pulley. 1996 E. Watanabe in R. H. Taylor et al. Computer-integrated Surg. xx. 326/2 Because no head frame is necessary during preoperative CT scanning, the patient is spared unnecessary pain. 2010 Review (Rio Tinto) Sept. 19/2 Also under construction were the 31 storey headframe and ore conveyor for Shaft 2. head game n. (a) a game, sport, etc., that exercises the mental faculties; cf. mind game n. 1; (b) originally North American (chiefly in plural) an instance of psychological manipulation, esp. used to gain an advantage over someone else; cf. mind game n. 2. ΚΠ 1906 Sat. Rev. 9 June 720/1 Chess has one advantage over all head games. 1970 Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin) 11 Feb. (Green section) 1/1 Skeptics say Violet [sc. a clairvoyant] is only playing head games and should stick to working with his hands. 2000 L. C. Higgs Bookends (2005) xxi. 281 Golf was a head game, but it was a muscle game, too, and he was pathetically out of shape. 2003 N.Y. Mag. 10 Feb. 121/3 I am a chill kinda guy into maxin' and relaxin'... Not looking for drama, B.S., or head games. head gasket n. the gasket which fits between the cylinder head and the cylinder block in an internal combustion engine. ΚΠ 1908 Cycle & Automobile Trade Jrnl. 1 July 130/2 One piston ring... One head gasket. 1964 Pop. Sci. May 172 ‘Sure is water in the oil,’ announced Stan. ‘I'd guess the head gasket's blown.’ 2011 Herald-Times (Bloomington, Indiana) 5 Mar. c1/2 Longing for speed, he flushed out the radiator..with some drain unclogger and checked for head gasket leaks. headgate n. (a) a gate for controlling the entry of water into a sluice, channel, etc.; spec. a gate or pair of gates at the upstream end of a canal lock; (b) a gate at the end of a cage, pen, or chute, used as an aid to handling livestock, which allows the head to pass through but restrains the shoulders. ΚΠ 1772 J. Smeaton Let. 12 Dec. in Lett. Morres & Smeaton (1773) 30 I put the Cloughs answerable to the Head Gates, upon Tunnels through the walls. 1839 C. M. Kirkland New Home xxix. 192 The tired fire-fighters raced..to the dam, where they found the water pouring through a hole near the head-gate. 1913 J. B. Bishop Panama Gateway v. ii. 3 The entrances [of the penstocks] are closed by cast-iron head-gates and bar-iron trash-racks. 1926 Jrnl. Amer. Vet. Med. Assoc. 48 208 After we have completed the testing of a chute full of cattle.., we check back on each animal to see if we have tested same before the head gate is opened. 1954 Cornell Extension Bull. No. 901. 8/1 A well-built chute with a head gate is one of the ‘must’ pieces of equipment on a beef-cattle farm. 1993 Dairy Guide (Winnipeg, Manitoba) Apr. 10/1 In the center of barn is an 8'-wide manger with locking head gates. 2003 D. Cadbury Seven Wonders Industr. World (2004) vii. 292 A new canal was dug on flatter land with no headgate to hold the river back when in flood. head girl n. [probably after head boy n.] (a) the girl designated to hold the senior position among the pupils in a school, or (in early use) one occupying a position of pre-eminence on grounds of ability, etc.; a female school captain; (b) (more generally) any girl or woman in a position of authority or seniority. ΘΚΠ society > education > learning > learner > one attending school > [noun] > head boy or girl captain1706 head boy1713 head girl1801 1801 S. Trimmer Oecon. Charity I. App. 231 For the head girl of the whole School is..provided a Medal, made of card. a1833 F. B. Hoole in Juvenile Forget-me-not (1834) 191 Many laughed to see her walking between the head girl and another. 1884 W. Collins I say No (1886) i. v. 21 I have been forbidden to recite—I, the head girl of the school. 1941 Brit. Jrnl. Psychol. Jan. 194 The ‘head-girls’ [in a factory] wear an overall different in colour. 1964 M. Drabble Garrick Year xii. 179 I was a prefect, but I wasn't head girl. 2000 Fairlady (Cape Town) 21 June 18/2 Prof Sneddon attended Durban Girls' College, where she became head girl. head-hanging n. and adj. (a) n. the action of hanging one's head, esp. in shame or despondency; (more generally) the expression of such emotions; (b) adj. (of a person) that hangs his or her head, esp. in shame or despondency; (more generally) that expresses, or is expressive of, these emotions in any way. ΚΠ 1888 World (N.Y.) 16 Dec. 22/3 What puzzled me more..was the continuous head-hanging of the patients. 1890 J. Todhunter Sicilian Idyll i. 19 Went they not so?..With such head-hanging sighs? Their arms crost thus? Some woman was the cause. 1995 Star-Ledger (Newark, New Jersey) 22 Oct. v. 5/4 ‘There was no head-hanging at halftime,’ said junior linebacker Brian Sheridan. 2002 Amer. Art 16 51/1 The three-tiered frieze..shows at top and bottom a dirgelike procession of head-hanging men and beasts. head height n. †(a) headroom; = headway n. 4 (obsolete); (b) the height reached by a person's head. ΘΚΠ the world > space > [noun] > unobstructed space > for passing or being clear of something > overhead head heighta1652 headway1735 headroom1762 head space1856 a1652 I. Jones Most Notable Antiq. called Stone-Heng (1655) 59 There could not, possibly, be a convenient head-height remaining for a passage underneath. 1913 Boys' Life Nov. 24/1 Back swept the ball.., back to Kendall at head-height. 1948 L. Haberly Pursuit of Horizon vii. 69 Their inner walls were of upright logs, set close together in the ground and cut off at head-height. 2006 Daily Tel. 27 Apr. 11/1 The horizontal inversion bar..is most usually fitted across a door frame, just above head height. † head-hid adj. poetic Obsolete rare (of a river) that has a hidden source; cf. sense 38a. ΚΠ 1625 T. May tr. J. Barclay in K. Long tr. J. Barclay Argenis i. xii. 33 A Land where head-hid [L. incertus patriae] Nile his streames diuides. head-high adj. as high as a person's head; at head height. ΚΠ 1826 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Apr. 391/1 The ancient moss, with its heather head-high, and wide steep hags..is now drained, and limed, and ploughed. 1955 Times 9 July 4/5 Goddard..slashed at Tyson and Evans dropped a fast head-high catch. 2003 K. Slater & J. Borte Pipe Dreams (2004) iv. 77 The waves were head-high and perfect. head-hung adj. that hangs one's head, esp. in shame or despondency; characterized by hanging the head in this way. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > suffering > dejection > [adjective] ungladc888 wearyc888 drearyc1000 dreary-moodOE heavyc1000 unmerryOE droopy?c1225 mournc1275 sada1300 languishinga1325 amayedc1330 matec1330 unlightc1330 unblissful1340 lowa1382 mishappyc1390 dullc1393 elengely1393 droopinga1400 heavy-hearteda1400 joylessa1400 sytefula1400 mornifc1400 tristy?c1400 lightless?1406 heartlessa1413 tristc1420 amatec1425 languoring?c1425 mirthlessc1430 heavisome1435 darkc1440 gloomingc1440 comfortlessc1460 amateda1470 chermatc1475 tristfula1492 lustless?1507 dolorous1513 ruthful1513 downcast1521 deject1528 heartsicka1529 lumpisha1535 coolc1540 dowlyc1540 glum1547 discouraged1548 uncheerfulc1555 dumpish1560 out of heart1565 sadded1566 amoped1573 tristive1578 desolated1580 dejected1581 à la mort1586 delightless1589 afflicted1590 gladless1590 groanful1590 gloomya1593 muddy1592 sitheful1592 cloudy1594 leaden-hearted1596 disconsolated1598 clum1599 life-weary1599 spiritless1600 dusky1602 chop-fallen1604 flat1604 disanimated1605 jaw-fallen1605 moped1606 chap-fallen1608 decheerful1608 uncheerful1612 lacklustrea1616 pulled1616 dumpya1618 depressed1621 head-hung1632 grum1640 downa1644 dispirited1647 down-at-mouth1649 down in (rarely of) the mouth1649 unhearted1650 sunlessa1658 sadful1658 unlightened1659 chagrin1665 saddened1665 damp1667 moping1674 desponding1688 tristitious1694 unenjoying1697 unraised1697 unheartya1699 unked1698 despondent1699 dismal1705 unjoyful1709 unrejoiced1714 dreara1717 disheartened1720 mumpish1721 unrejoicing1726 downhearted1742 out of spirits1745 chagrineda1754 low-spirited1753 sombrea1767 black-blooded1771 glumpy1780 oorie1787 sombrous1789 morose1791 Novemberish1793 glumpish1800 mopeful1800 die-away1802 blue-devilish1804 blue-devilled1807 malagrugrous1818 down in the hip1826 yonderly1828 sunshineless1831 downfaced1832 broody1851 in a (or the) trough1856 blue-devilly1871 drooped1873 glummy1884 pippy1886 humpy1889 pipped1914 lousy1933 pissed1943 crappy1956 doomy1961 bummed1970 1632 J. Shirley Changes iv. 52 You must not be so headhung. 1913 E. Dejeans House of Thane xxv. 307 Her shining eyes were fixed on him... Then she drooped, head-hung and still. 2007 T. Bugansky Anywhere but Here 111 He walks with a head-hung shuffle, back bent and distant eyes drooping. head job n. slang (originally U.S.) an act of fellatio; = blow job n. at blow- comb. form 2; cf. hand-job n. at hand n. Compounds 6. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > oral sex > [noun] > fellatio > act of gamahuche1865 cocksuck1940 suck1941 blow job1961 head job1963 gobble1965 gam1971 headfuck1974 1963 ‘D. W. Cory’ & J. P. Le Roy Homosexual & his Society 264 Head job, blow job. 1974 D. Jenkins Dead Solid Perfect iii. 162 The kind of whore lady who..took a man to a back booth and gave him a head job for $10. 2007 Age (Melbourne) (Nexis) 8 Nov. 17 If they're ‘lucky’, they'll score vaginal sex. Less so, and they'll get a ‘hand job’ or a ‘head job’. head kidney n. [after German Kopfniere (1867 or earlier)] Embryology and Zoology = pronephros n. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > animal body > general parts > substance or secretion and excretion > [noun] > anterior division of primitive kidney head kidney1876 pronephros1877 1876 Jrnl. Anat. & Physiol. 10 25 This glandular portion is often called either the head-kidney or the primitive kidney. 1916 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2 232 All [Amblystoma] embryos from which both head kidneys had been excised died within eight to twelve days. 2011 G. de Iuliis & D. Pulerà Dissection Vertebr. (ed. 2) iv. 85/2 This will expose a small, dark, lobulated mass, the head kidney, lying immediately dorsal to the liver. head knee n. Nautical each of a number of pieces of bent timber fixed to a cutwater in order to steady it; cf. knee of the head at knee n. 7a. ΚΠ 1759 J. Lindsay Voy. Coast Afr. i. 4 He..damag'd several of her head-knees, and timbers. 1838 Chrons. of Sea 22 Sept. 346/2 A tremendous sea struck her on the starboard bow, carrying away the bowsprit, gammoning, head-knees, bulwarks, &c. 1886 Encycl. Brit. XXI. 594/2 They [sc. lashings] are passed..over a long saddle-shaped piece of wood..and through the holes in the head knees. 2002 D. A. Agius In Wake of Dhow v. 111 I was shown how the headknee is sewn to the stem of the bow. head knife n. [with sense (a) compare earlier heading knife n.] (a) a knife with a semicircular blade set transversely to the handle, used chiefly in leather-working; †(b) Whaling a knife used in cutting off the head of a whale (obsolete); (c) a knife or machete having a blade with a backward-pointing spike, used by some headhunting tribes in Samoa and the Philippines; cf. head-axe n. (b) (now rare). ΚΠ 1679 W. Jones Work for Cooper 20 He's much fitter to..mind his Ax and Saw,..the Crisle and the Head-knife,..the Tap and the Bung-bore, than to open intricate and abstruse places. 1792 D. Steel New & Compl. Tables Net Duties Payable 102 Tools used by sadlers, harness-makers, and bridle-makers, namely, Cattle-Strainers, Side-Strainers,..and Head-Knives. a1884 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Suppl. 451 Head knife,..for cutting off the head of the whale. 1899 Morning Post 24 Apr. 7/6 On the seat beside him is placed one of the murderous-looking head knives peculiar to Samoa. 1912 C. de Witt Willcox Head Hunters N. Luzon vi. 51 Besides the spear and head knife, the Ilongots..use the bow and arrow. 1985 Pop. Sci. Dec. 126/2 (advt.) Largest selection available of genuine leathers, tools, kits, supplies. Includes Tandy's new professional head knife. 2001 C. H. Wendel Encycl. Antique Tools & Machinery 106 The head knife was one of the most important tools for the harness and saddle-maker. head lease n. Law a lease granted directly by the freeholder, as distinct from a sublease. ΚΠ 1799 Index to Statutes at Surrender, in Statutes at Large, Ireland VIII The head lease may be surrendered and renewed, without surrender of under-leases. 1882 Law Rep.: Queen's Bench Div. 8 329 The contract of a sub-tenant to perform the covenants of the head-lease. 2008 Sunday Business Post (Ireland) (Nexis) 6 Sept. O'Briens holds the head leases on most of the 85 stores around the country, and then subleases out the locations to its individual franchisees. headledge n. Shipbuilding any of the sections of the frame of an opening in the deck which run across the width of the ship. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > parts of vessels > other parts of body of vessel > [noun] > opening in deck > support or framework for headledge1649 gutter-ledge1769 1649 Shipbuilding Contract (modernized text) in Mariner's Mirror (1955) 41 50 To have coamings, head-ledges with a grating hatchway before and abaft the mast. 1717 W. Sutherland Britain's Glory: Ship-building Unvail'd 82 To have..such Hatches or Gratings raised with Comings and Head-ledges, to keep the Water from between Decks. 1869 E. J. Reed Shipbuilding xv. 275 Half round iron is riveted to the upper edges of the plate coamings and headledges. 1993 J. Trefethen Wooden Boat Renovation 259 Fore-and-aft coamings that are extensions of the cabin trunk are called monkey boards, and the transverse sections are called headledges. head lessee n. Law the holder of a head lease. ΚΠ 1795 M. Concanen & A. Morgan Hist. & Antiq. Parish St. Saviour's, Southwark 277 Samuel Farmer, Esquire, and the head lessee of Southwark Park. 1845 B. Disraeli Sybil II. iii. iv. 55 There are no landlords, head-lessees, main-masters, or butties in Wodgate. 1994 Financial Post (Canada) (Nexis) 18 Jan. 18 In 1988 Woolworth, the head lessee, decided not to renew. head linen n. [compare earlier head-line n.¹] linen worn as a covering for the head. ΚΠ 1662 Will W. Coule in Rec. & Files Q. Courts Essex County, Mass. (1913) III. 61 Hand kerchers neckclothes & head linnen y^t is made for her. 1866 Gentleman's Mag. Feb. 173 The episcopal office was distinguished by the infula or head linen worn by the early Christian prelates. 1993 S. Fletcher Flight of Dragon Kyn (1997) vi. 43 It wore a matron's headlinen, but tilted all askew. headload n. [compare earlier backload n.] a load carried on the head. ΘΚΠ society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance by carrying > [noun] > by a person > a load back-burden?c1225 load?c1225 carriagea1398 birth1497 freight1618 porterage1666 headload1795 backload1823 1795 D. Lysons Environs London III. 81 Fruit for the table is carried in head-loads by women. 1831 O. Moore Staff Officer (1833) I. 110 His wife,..in addition to a heavy head-load, will often be seen carrying an infant in her arms, and another on her back. 1927 W. H. Todd Tiger, Tiger! 20 Carrying headloads of sand. 1998 A. Sealy Everest Hotel (1999) 9 The women..file down the track balancing headloads of firewood on pads wound from cloth. head-load v. transitive to carry (a load) on one's head; = head-carry vb. ΘΚΠ society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance by carrying > transport or convey by carrying [verb (transitive)] > convey by carrying (of person) > on the head head-load1945 head-carry1948 1945 Chicago Defender 7 Apr. 10/4 For centuries all trade goods brought to the coast [of Liberia] from the interior..had to be head-loaded in. 1959 Times 9 Nov. (Ghana Suppl.) p. iv/1 Much of the cocoa starts its journey to the coast by being head-loaded along the bush tracks. 2011 Daily Monitor (Kampala) (Nexis) 10 Jan. Head-loading agricultural produce over long distances is a very well documented phenomenon. head lobe n. Zoology an appendage on the head of an animal, esp. the embryo or larva of some invertebrates. ΚΠ 1845 J. Alder & A. Hancock Monogr. Brit. Nudibranchiate Mollusca 52 Head-lobes indistinct, forming a semicircular veil, produced at the sides. 1851 S. P. Woodward Man. Mollusca i. 99 The..eggs of the fresh-water limneïds..are not hatched until the young have passed the larval condition, and their ciliated head-lobes..are superseded by the creeping disk, or foot. 1897 T. J. Parker & W. A. Haswell Text-bk. Zool. I. 230 When it meets with the Snail, the embryo [of the liver-fluke] bores into it by means of the head-lobe. 1939 Pop. Sci. Feb. 153 (caption) The fire beetle, also of the American tropics, is actually a flash-light fly. Its head lobes flash a bright green fire! 2009 L. Nagy & M. Grbić in T. D. Schowalter Insect Ecol. (ed. 2) 317/2 The head lobes, the most anterior trunk segments, and the posterior terminus are patterned first. † head-locking n. Obstetrics Obsolete rare entanglement of twin fetuses by their heads and necks during delivery; = headlock n.² 1. ΘΚΠ the world > life > source or principle of life > birth > confinement > [noun] > childbirth or delivery > complications of childbirth or pregnancy amblosis1706 breech case1774 breech1781 still-birth1785 breech presentation1811 footling1829 turning1842 prematurity1847 head-locking1870 breech position1876 headlock1876 breech delivery1882 breech labour1885 miss1897 postmaturity1902 abruptio placentae1905 preemie1927 breech baby1969 prematuration1977 1870 R. Barnes Obstetr. Operations xxix. 464 Head-locking of twins. 1923 Jrnl. Obstetr. & Gynæcol. Brit. Empire 30 680 Case of dystocia due to head-locking of twins. head-lugged adj. rare dragged by the head.Now probably only in allusion to Shakespeare's use. ΚΠ 1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear xvi. 41 A gracious aged man Whose reuerence euen the head-lugd beare would lick. View more context for this quotation 1945 M. B. S. Strode-Jackson Tansy Taniard vi. 62 If you have so much food to waste, I care not if you cram it down the gorge of a head-lugged snarling as silly as yourself! 2011 Indian Express (Nexis) 9 Jan. What's the point of continuing in government if Gilani is going to allow himself to be dragged around like a head-lugged bear? head-maker n. a person who makes heads (in various senses). ΚΠ 1545 R. Ascham Toxophilus ii. f. 20 I woulde wyshe that the head makers of Englande shoulde make their sheafe arrowe heades more harder poynted. 1634 G. Markham Art of Archerie xi. 110 The head-makers..Inuented new files and other instruments wherewith they brought heads for pricking to such perfection. 1826 Monthly Mag. Aug. 151 Bowman..is another head-maker, of great industry and much cleverness—but ignorant of drawing. 2000 Roanoke (Va.) Times (Nexis) 23 Mar. (Extra section) 1 It took Cassidy six months of experimenting..to make solid heads. Later on, Tremblay told her that his head-makers are trained in the art for exactly six months. † head mass penny n. Obsolete a payment or offering made to the church for some particular service, esp. for having a mass said; cf. head penny n. 2, mass-penny n. ΘΚΠ society > faith > worship > benefice > other financial matters > [noun] > individual payment head mass penny1402 head penny1548 society > faith > worship > benefice > other financial matters > [noun] > payment made for specific purpose > for saying mass mass-penny1389 head mass penny1402 mass-money1897 1402 in Collectanea Topographica & Genealogica (1835) II. 44 (MED) Omnes minutas oblaciones in purificationibus, in baptismalibus ac sepulturis mortuorum pervenientes de hedemespenys. a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. xiii. 137 To gyf all in my cofer, To-morne at next to offer Hyr hed-maspenny. 1521 in F. Collins Wills & Admin. Knaresborough Court Rolls (1902) I. 13 For nyght wakes and hedemasse pennys viij d. 1543 Will of Thomas Lorymer in C. Cross York Clergy Wills (1984) I. 53 And they ii churche wardens for to offer one hede masse penny. head matter n. Whaling (now historical) a mixture of oil and other material (esp. spermaceti) obtained from the head of the sperm whale and certain other toothed whales. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > other animal raw materials > [noun] > material from sperm whale spermaceti1471 parmacety1545 head matter1747 slobgollion1851 head1874 twitter1891 1747 W. Douglass Summary State Brit. Settlements N.-Amer. I. 57 Any part of its Oil, but more abundantly the Head-Matter as the Whalers term it; if it stand at Rest and in the Sun will shoot into Adipous Fleaks. 1822 D. Porter Jrnl. Cruise to Pacific Ocean I. vii. 184 The ship bringing the greatest quantity of oil and head-matter, provided it exceeds thirty tons, is entitled to six hundred pounds. 1904 Sci. Amer. Suppl. 3 Sept. 23968/3 It is customary to cook the head matter of black-fish in fresh water. 2007 E. J. Dolin Leviathan vii. 111 The spermaceti and oil taken from the whale's head, commonly referred to as head matter, was delivered to the candleworks. head metal n. Founding the metal in the head of a casting; cf. sense 44c, deadhead n.¹ 2a. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > metal in specific state or form > [noun] > cast metal > other parts of casting skin1786 head metal1854 hot spot1908 society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > metal in specific state or form > [noun] > cast metal > in other specific form spray1831 T-bar1889 punt1895 head metal1902 1854 Encycl. Brit. VI. 185/1 The models and moulds of the breeching and head-metal are formed upon the same principles as that of the body of the cannon. 1902 J. G. Horner Pattern Making (ed. 3) xi. 80 These lighter matters are allowed to float into a ring of ‘head metal’ of the same diameter as the cylinder. 2011 Resources, Conservation & Recycling 55 768/2 Output of waste head metal in hot rolling process is as follows. † head moss n. Obsolete rare (in a peatbog) moss which has yet to decompose into peat. ΚΠ 1850 W. Rothwell Rep. Agric. County of Lancaster 32 The raw or head moss, is that part or parts of the moss from which no peat has been got, and requires more time and patience to bring it into a proper state for cropping, owing to its spongy nature. headmount n. (a) a virtual reality display worn over the head; (b) a strap, band, hat, etc., to which a head-mounted device can be attached. ΚΠ 1963 Mag. Fantasy & Sci. Fiction June 68/2 They stood up and began to shift into space suits, in order to reconnoiter the area... On came the suits—lugs bolted tight, limbs sealed in compartments, mechanical fingers tested, polarized headmounts fastened, oxygen tanks saddled, nitrogen content adjusted, thermostats set. 1976 Jrnl. Wildlife Managem. 40 189 The head mount as a means of attaching telemetry equipment appears to have some potential. 1992 H. Rheingold Virtual Reality x. 235 The other purpose of head mounts, and the special wide-angle optical systems that are used in these displays, is to present a wide field of view. 2003 Psychol. Sci. 14 109 Participants closed their eyes and removed the blindfold and the headmount was placed on their heads. After opening their eyes, they were encouraged to look around the virtual environment. 2012 Engadget HD (Nexis) 5 Nov. Sony will sell you a head-mount for the un-cased camera. head-mounted adj. designating a device, esp. a camera or torch, that may be worn on the head, esp. so as to leave the hands free. ΚΠ 1960 Visual Search Techniques: Proc. Symp. 7–8 Apr. 1959 (U.S. Nat. Acad. Sci. – Res. Council) 136 The Head Mounted Camera—A Second Attempt at TV Eye-Marking. 1993 Computer Weekly 4 Nov. 51/1 The user wears a lightweight head-mounted display incorporating a headtracker and stereo earphones, and can see, in full three-dimensional colour, everything that would be visible from a spectator's seat. 2010 Coarse Fisherman Apr. 51/1 These fully adjustable head-mounted torches literally bring brilliant white-light clarity to the dead of night. head net n. a net worn over or placed around the head, esp. for protection against mosquitoes and other insects. ΚΠ 1839 T. Mitchell in Aristophanes Frogs 255 Girdles of all sorts,—leather, hemp, and wool—Veil, head-net, puff-box with its proper tool. 1873 N.Y. Times 4 Aug. 1/1 I saw men digging at a road-track, each with his pocket head-net and thick gloves, and even then they could hardly get on with their work. 1968 C. Helmericks Down Wild River North i. vi. 102 We scratched perpetually at mosquito bites, although we disdained to use the stuffy headnets. 2003 Boys' Life Sept. 21 Out came the neoprene gloves, insect repellent and mesh-covered head nets. head netting n. †(a) Nautical netting attached to the head of a ship, usually in order to prevent people from slipping overboard (obsolete); (b) netting worn over or placed around the head for protection against mosquitoes and other insects (cf. head net n.). ΚΠ 1794 D. Steel Elements & Pract. Rigging & Seamanship I. 170 Head-netting is fastened to the horses in the head and upper rails, to save the men from slipping overboard. 1807 P. B. V. Broke in J. G. Brighton Admiral Sir P. B. V. Broke (1866) i. 64 The spray of the sea froze in icicles wherever it rested, particularly about the chains and head nettings. 1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. 375 Head-netting, an ornamental netting used in merchant ships instead of the fayed planking to the head-rails. 1904 W. H. Workman & F. B. Workman Through Town & Jungle p. xii The blanket..makes an effective protection against mosquitoes... If, like us, he prefers to use a light head netting for this purpose, [etc.]. 2003 Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois) (Nexis) 22 June b1 Consider..whether there is an alternative way to deter the insects, such as clothing or head netting. head noise n. Medicine a noise perceived as occurring within the head (often as a form of tinnitus); noise of this nature. ΚΠ 1871 Baltimore Med. & Surg. Jrnl. & Bull. 2 531 The patient left for home, delighted with the great success of the operation, unaccompanied by the fearful head noises and giddiness which had driven him nearly to despair. 1910 Practitioner Feb. 243 Sometimes the head-noises may be rendered more tolerable even if the hearing cannot be improved. 1933 Amer. Jrnl. Surg. 22 327/2 Pressure over the left common carotid caused abolition of the head noise, the pulsation and the bruit. 2002 Yoga Jrnl. Mar. 36/1 Soldiers, firemen, construction workers, and rock musicians often complain of head noise. head noun n. Grammar the noun which other words in a noun phrase qualify; a noun which is a head (sense 33b). ΘΚΠ the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > a part of speech > noun > [noun] > other specific types of noun increaser1612 regulara1637 energizer1751 agent noun1782 nomen actionis1820 segolate1831 class noun1849 patrial1854 nomen agentis1859 metaplast1864 agent word1879 post-genitive1922 conversion-noun1928 noun adjective1930 head noun1933 relatum1933 actant1967 class name1994 1933 L. Bloomfield Lang. xv. 254 In languages which have a category of ‘definite’ noun-modifiers (such as, in English the, this, that, my, John's, etc...), the definite pronoun identifies the individual in the same fashion as a definite modifier identifies its head noun. 1988 A. Radford Transformational Gram. i. 38 Japanese is a language which..positions Possessive Phrases, Adjectives, and Relative Clauses before the head Nouns they modify. 2010 R. A. Akerkar & P. S. Sajja Knowledge-based Syst. xii. 342 In the sentence ‘I like the book that you wrote’, ‘book’ is the head noun because the adjective clause modifies it. † head page n. Printing Obsolete a page on which the beginning of a book, chapter, etc., is printed. ΚΠ 1755 J. Smith Printer's Gram. v. 137 The use of Flowers is not confined to Ornaments over Head pages only. 1838 C. H. Timperley Printers' Man. 114 Head page, the beginning of a subject. 1842 T. F. Dibdin Bibliomania (new ed.) 527 The Dr. (not understanding printers' marks) wrote on a head page ‘take out horizontal line at p. so and so’—the compositor inserted these words as a displayed line in the head-page whereon they were written. † head pulls n. [ < head n.¹ + the plural of pull n.²] Obsolete (apparently) a name for the swan, crane, and bustard, as being pre-eminent or largest among the birds whose flesh is served as food. ΚΠ 1555 in Corp. London Jrnl. 16 (London Metropolitan Archives COL/CC/01/01/016) f. 334^v That theare be no Swanne, Crane, nor bustarde, w^ch are wonte to be called hed polles shalbe spente at any feastes kepte in anye of the halles of any Companyes. head pump n. Nautical (a) a small pump at the front of a ship for drawing up seawater (now historical); (b) a pump for pumping out waste from an on-board lavatory; cf. sense 22c(a). ΚΠ 1759 Public Advertiser 18 Dec. Head Pumps, new and old Shiver, and Elm Planks. 1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast xiv. 33 The crew rig the head-pump, and wash down the decks. 1919 J. Hergesheimer Java Head (1922) 1. 12 ‘Six bells in the morning watch,’ he announced... ‘Head pump rigged and deck swabbed down?’ 1967 B. D. Clark Houseboat Wastes 23 If the waste is pumped to..an auxiliary lift station used in place of individual high head pumps, a low head pump should be used. 1992 P. O'Brian Truelove v. 125 That dismal hour..when elm-tree pumps and head-pumps flood the already sodden forecastle. 1997 J. Roberts & S. Roberts Why didn't I think of That? 36/1 Raise the piston in the head pump to its highest position so that the path from the toilet bowl to the discharge hose is open. head-reach v. [ < head n.¹ + reach n.¹ (compare reach n.¹ 14b); compare later reach v.¹ 16] Nautical (a) intransitive (of a ship, esp. a sailing vessel) to move quickly ahead, as while tacking; to gain on (also upon) another vessel by this means; (b) transitive to move ahead of (another vessel) in this way. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > action or motion of vessel > [verb (transitive)] > outsail another vessel > shoot ahead of head-reach1796 society > travel > travel by water > action or motion of vessel > [verb (intransitive)] > make progress > move swiftly > increase speed to shoot ahead1669 head-reach1832 1796 G. Quayle Jrnl. in Mariner's Mirror (1968) 54 302 He hauled his Wind & head reached us much & in the afternoon we saw no more of him. 1832 Day (Glasgow) 25 Jan. 82/2 I complained of head-ache and nausea, he informed me the boat herself was head reaching, and I had no cause to complain. 1892 Outing Apr. 57/1 Soon she had head-reached them all, Shadow included, and showed to the front of the fleet. 1938 ‘C. S. Forester’ Ship of Line 276 I want to hear instantly if they alter course, or if they headreach upon us. 1986 N. A. M. Rodger Wooden World (1988) vi. 236 The Penguin..found herself chased by two French thirty-six-gun frigates, which head-reached on her and ranged up on either side. head register n. chiefly Music = head voice n.; cf. chest register n. at chest n.¹ Compounds 4. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > singing > singing voice > [noun] > register voce di petto1742 voce di testa1742 head voice1806 head register1845 chest register1847 voce di gola1876 chest-voice1879 1845 G. J. Webb in J. E. Murdoch & W. Russell Orthophony App. 313 The tones of the ‘medium register’, are best acquired by directing the air a little above the upper front teeth:—in those of the ‘head register’, the air is directed vertically. 1909 H. Klein Phono-vocal Method 37 The blending of the medium and head registers will be practised upon the same plan. 1966 H. L. Shorto in C. E. Bazell In Memory of J. R. Firth 407 Henderson found that in Cambodian a sequence of head-register consonant and chest-register vowel..was the mark of a secondary pattern. 2006 E. Howard Sing! viii. 65 The vocal folds for the louder chest register tones require more focusing strength..than the same notes in the head register. head rent n. Law (chiefly in Ireland) rent payable to a freeholder. ΚΠ 1643 Ordinance of Parl. 26 Aug. (single sheet) Such persons as shall take the same Houses, shall discharge the head Rents due to be payd for such houses. 1794 W. Hales Observ. Tithes 4 The legislature established this equitable provision as a head-rent, payable next after the crown or quit-rent. 1839 T. Reynolds Life T. Reynolds I. ii. 99 This estate is leasehold for the term of 999 years from May, 1746, and is subject to an annual head-rent of 303l. 10s. 1922 J. Joyce Ulysses 702 Rental of £64, headrent included. 1996 Irish Times 23 Oct. 22/5 A portion of the ground floor..and eight car-parking spaces are let..on terms similar to the head rent. head resistance n. Shipbuilding and Aeronautics the resistance which arises from the impact of the forward surfaces of a moving ship, plane, etc., with the water or air through which it moves; cf. drift n. 2e(a). ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > water > flow or flowing > wave > [noun] > retarding force head resistance1800 wave resistance1889 1800 J. Charnock Hist. Marine Archit. I. viii. 115 Where the head resistance of the fluid is once overcome, the collateral friction being very trifling, it follows, that the longer the vessel the greater quantity of impelling power can be used. 1891 Railroad & Engin. Jrnl. 65 465/1 The head or hull resistance will probably be found to be the chief element which will limit the possible speed of flying machines. 1909 Westm. Gaz. 1 July 4/1 Allowing a coefficient of ·3 for the pointed ends, the total head-resistance would be reduced to 3,324 lb. 2001 C. Sinnott RAF & Aircraft Design v. 115 Eight guns would give a lot of head resistance. head restraint n. something designed to restrict movement of the head; esp. an attachment to the seat of a vehicle to prevent the head from jerking back suddenly in the event of a collision or sudden stop. ΘΚΠ society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [noun] > head restraint headrest1833 head restraint1947 1947 Jrnl. Aviation Med. Dec. 563/2 It is believed that this or a similar head restraint is very desirable if subjects are to be exposed to 18 to 21 g. 1964 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 6 June 1491/3 The head-restraint [on the stretcher] incorporates an elasticated chin support which prevents the jaw from sagging. 1966 Las Vegas (New Mexico) Daily Optic 27 Sept. 1/1 New features incorporated in the auto safety bill include head restraints and padded seatbacks. 2000 Adv. Driving (Inst. Adv. Motorists) Summer 33/3 All six seats have proper three-point inertia reel seatbelts and head restraints. 2009 N.Z. Herald (Nexis) 23 Apr. Saltwater crocodiles Scar..and Goldie..were airborne on their way to a new life..when they broke their head restraints. head-ridge n. [compare earlier headrig n.] chiefly Scottish (now rare) = headland n. 1. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > farm > farmland > land suitable for cultivation > [noun] > broken land > arable or ploughed land > headland headOE headlandOE lea-riga1170 Land's endc1394 headrig1475 hade?1523 land-end1555 furlong1649 hade-way1649 head-ridge1659 sideland1763 headmark1820 turn-row1885 1659 in R. Renwick Extracts Rec. Royal Burgh of Lanark (1893) 172 That they na wayes wynd upoun the braidsyd..bot make ane heidrige within themsellfes. 1724 Treat. Fallowing 22 Take a Head-ridge of your strongest Clay or best Ground, plow it once or twice as deep as possible. 1859 Trans. Highland & Agric. Soc. Scotl. July 1857 – Mar. 1859 311 Having found diseased roots in head-ridges, along which the manure had been carted, or much trodden by the horses. 1949 E. R. R. Green Lagan Valley vi. 128 The corners of fields and wide head-ridges were left untilled, while lack of drainage prevented the farmer from tilling valley bottoms. head rush n. slang a feeling of intense and sudden euphoria, esp. as the result of taking drugs; (also) a sudden dizzy feeling, esp. after standing up quickly; cf. rush n.² 2b. ΚΠ 1977 Biloxi (Mississippi) Sun Herald 26 June c6/2 Individuals seeking the head rush and ‘high’ began buying ‘Amys’ over-the counter in large quantities. 1986 Los Angeles Times (Nexis) 12 Aug. iii. 7/4 After 13 days in bed, you stand up and get a head rush. 1994 S. L. Burks Managing your Migraine x. 162 In my premedication days, the first sign was usually a headrush..but I rarely experience that now. 1997 E. Hand Glimmering i. v. 115 Is not going to make you high or anything like that, you'll be disappointed if you're expecting some kind of teenage head-rush. 2005 Chicago Tribune (Midwest ed.) 13 Feb. viii. 9/2 Get a real head rush with a snowmobile tour. head sea n. Nautical a sea in which forward progress is hindered by waves or currents coming from directly in front. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > water > flow or flowing > state of sea > direction of sea > [noun] > counter head seac1595 counter-sea1599 c1595Head seas [see Compounds 2b]. 1627 J. Smith Sea Gram. ix. 41 If your course be right against it, you shall meet it right a head, so we call it a head Sea. 1726 N. Uring Hist. Voy. & Trav. 94 In about two Hours, by carrying a Press Sail, and having a Head Sea, we had the Misfortune to spring our Main Top-Mast. 1915 R. Kipling Fringes of Fleet 67 Dawn sees them pitch-poling insanely between head-seas. 2006 R. Marshall Rough Weather Seamanship iv. 104/2 I was helping to deliver a 52-foot cruising ketch when we ran into a stiff head sea. head shell n. (a) the carapace of a turtle, crustacean, etc.; (b) (in a gramophone, record deck, etc.) a protective mount on the pickup arm into which the cartridge may be inserted; cf. sense 16f(a). ΚΠ 1712 H. Curzon Universal Libr. I. 444 Several other Head-shells, Skulls, Hearts, Pizzles, and Eggs of Sea-Tortoises. 1795 Mrs. Frazer Pract. of Cookery (ed. 2) iii. iii. 240 Take the head shell, with the two long horns, and place it at the head of the body of the lobster. 1892 J. M. Wright Sea-side & Way-side No. 4. xvi. 119 Large or small they [sc. the trilobites] all had the head-shell and used it..not only for protection but as a mud-plough. 1947 Audio Engin. Nov. 38 The new RMC cartridge arm with plug-in head shell enables you to plug in any pick-up cartridge. 1993 What Hi-Fi? Oct. 149 The headshell can be removed but is not of standard fitting. 2007 H. Fearnley-Whittingstall & N. Fisher River Cottage Fish Bk. i. 90 You need to open up the crab by pulling the undercarriage (or ‘body shell’) away from the hard-topped carapace (or ‘head shell’). head shield n. [after German Kopfschild (1830 in the passage translated in quot. 1830)] Zoology a plate or cover on the head of an animal, as a part of the exoskeleton of an arthropod, or each of the scales on a reptile's head. ΚΠ 1830 tr. F. Eschscholtz in O. von Kotzebue New Voy. Discov. II. 331 The greater part have not the head divided from the head-shield [Ger. Kopfschild] by a line, and the breast is lengthened in front into a spine. 1893 H. N. Hutchinson Extinct Monsters 31 The eyes [of Pterygotus] are placed on the margin of the head-shield. 1907 L. Stejneger Herpetol. Japan 194 (caption) Head shields of scincid lizards. 1952 W. J. Miller Introd. Hist. Geol. (ed. 6) xviii. 239 The creature [sc. a trilobite] possessed a distinct head-shield with compound eyes. 2004 Nature 6 May 40/1 This specimen is preserved halfway through the act of moulting..squeezing out through an ecdysial opening at the front of the head shield of the old exoskeleton. head shop n. colloquial (originally U.S.) a shop selling items associated with recreational drug use.In quot. 1966: the name of such a shop. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > trading place > place where retail transactions made > [noun] > shop > shops selling other specific goods > narcotics or drug paraphernalia head shop1966 rock house1984 crack house1985 1966 East Village Other 15 Apr. 9/3 Soon I'll open The Head Shop, where beautiful things, many by local painters and makers, will be sold. 1967 Winnipeg Free Press 19 Aug. 9/4 The Experiment—Winnipeg's first and only ‘head shop’ and one of the few outlets of its kind in Canada. 2001 H. Marks Bk. Dope Stories ii. 160 Although my suitcase contained enough..paraphernalia to open up a head shop, I knew there was no dope in there. 2009 Honolulu Advertiser 14 Feb. (Business section) b6/2 While other businesses in the cradle of hippie culture are folding, head shops dealing in roach clips, rolling papers and hand-blown glass water pipes have proliferated on Haight Street. head sill n. (a) a sill (sill n.¹ 3c) at the upstream end of a lock, weir, etc. (now rare); †(b) the upper horizontal section of the frame of a door or window (obsolete); (c) either of the timbers running transversely across the ends of a saw pit, on which one end of the piece to be sawn may be rested (now historical and rare). ΚΠ 1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Surueyeng xl. f. l^v They be called grounde mylnes, bycause the ouersyde of the heed sylle lyeth euyn leuell with the ouersyde of the grounde, in the bottom of the water. 1651 in Suffolk Deeds (Suffolk County, Mass.) (1880) I. 191 [They] doe Couenant to & with the sajd Peeter Oliuer to make vp the head sill of the wharfe appertayninge to the sajd ground. 1679 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. viii. 148 The Window Frames are so framed, that the Tennants of the Head-sell, Ground-sell, and Transum, run through the outer Jaums about four Inches. 1779 G. Boswell Treat. on watering Meadows x. 82 The head sill is at least a foot thick, and let down a foot under the bed of the river. 1856 C. Holtzapffel Turning & Mech. Manip. II. xxvii. 703 The sawpit..has..transverse pieces at each end, called head sills, upon which the one end of the timber rests, whilst the other end is supported on a transome. 1894 Builder 18 Aug. 120/1 All dressings throughout, window headsills, mullions and transomes, door-ways,..&c, are being executed in red terra-cotta. 1912 E. H. Frothingham Second-growth Hardwoods in Connecticut ii. 16 Oak timbers are widely used in car construction for head sills, bumpers, and box-car frames, and the like. 1935 Water & Water Engin. 37 511/2 Some increase of the depth of the navigable channel could be secured, but it was not to be anticipated that the artificially created cross section bounded by the head sills would remain permanently clear. 1961 P. d'A. Jones & E. N. Simons Story of Saw 27/2 Two strong timbers ran the whole length (side-strakes), with cross-pieces at either end (head-sills). head silver n. now historical = head money n. 1; cf. head penny n. 1. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > impost, due, or tax > tax > types of tax > [noun] > poll tax head pennyc1175 head silver1252 cense1458 chevage1461 poll money1468 head moneyc1515 polling-penny?1556 capitation?1608 poll-silver1610 census1613 headagea1631 poll1669 poll tax1692 capitation tax1695 1252 in W. H. Hart & P. A. Lyons Cartularium Monasterii de Rameseia (1884) I. 357 (MED) Ad visum franciplegii, pro hevedsilver, unum denarium. 1388 Inquisition Misc. (P.R.O.: C 145/238/1A) De certa consuetudine vocata hedsyluer. 1467–8 Rolls of Parl.: Edward IV (Electronic ed.) Parl. June 1467 §8. m. 7 Hidage, beaupleder, frithsilver, hede sylver. 1660 G. Swinnock Men are Gods in Beauty of Magistracy 227 Pompey first converted the capitation or head silver to the City of Rome. 1740 Student's Law Dict. Common fine, denotes a certain Fine which the Resiants within the Liberty of some Lords pay to the Lord of the same, and is called in divers Places Head-Silver or Head-Pence. 1874 J. Cave-Browne Hist. Brasted 10 Another and far more rare relic of feudalism remains in this manor, under the name of ‘head-silver’. 1994 C. A. Wilson New Lease on Life vii. 186 Tenants paid..an annual sixpence for head silver. head skin n. Whaling the thick tough skin covering the head of a whale. ΚΠ 1874 C. M. Scammon Marine Mammals N. Amer. i. viii. 75 This [whale's nostril], with the ‘case’, is protected by a thick, tough, elastic substance called the ‘head-skin’, which is proof against the harpoon. 1903 C. H. Stevenson Utilization Skins Aquatic Animals 191 The oil-yielding portions of the humpback are the body blubber; head skin; lips, which are small; tongue; entrail fat, [etc.] 1980 W. N. Bonner Whales 84 We suppose that, as the whale descends, its spermaceti is cooled by vaso-dilation of the head skin. head spade n. Whaling (now historical) a bladed tool used to cut the bone which joins the whale's head to its body. ΚΠ 1874 C. M. Scammon Marine Mammals N. Amer. App. 310/1 The ‘head-spade’ is thicker and heavier than the ordinary cutting-spade, and is used in cutting the skull-bone. 1983 Austral. Jrnl. Hist. Archaeol. 1 48/1 These ‘blanket pieces’..were usually cut with boat spades of several types, such as head spades, cutting (or blubber) spades and bone spades. head-spinning adj. dizzying, bewildering; cf. spin v. 8b. ΚΠ 1910 Arizona Republican 21 Apr. 7/2 Reed holds the records as the first jockey to successfully ride the head spinning horse Ranchero. 1921 H. Fish Great Way xxxv. 372 Wanda not forgetting to leave over her shoulder a climactically head-spinning smile for Mr. Clark, who stood gazing dazedly after this miracle-woman. 1976 Pop. Mech. Nov. 81/2 Like the Corkscrew, it slams passengers through head-spinning, spiraling loops over a 2190-foot course. 1997 J. H. Jackson World Trading Syst. (ed. 2) i. 1 The pace of international economic activity and the developing interdependence of national economies is head spinning. 2010 Yachting Monthly Apr. 57/2 So mightily toxic was it, that bottom-painting was an eyewatering, head-spinning experience bordering often on the psychedelic. head-splitting adj. (a) (of a sound) painfully loud; = ear-splitting adj. at ear n.¹ Compounds 2; (b) perplexing, bewildering. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > loudness > [adjective] > deafening deafeninga1616 deafinga1625 obtunding1645 stunning1667 ear-splitting1761 splitting1821 head-splitting1824 shattering1842 ear-sore1859 1824 W. Cobbett French Gram. xxiii. sig. Q11^v Neither [phrase] is so good as that from which the French language flees as from head-splitting dissonance. 1903 W. J. Locke Where Love Is (1904) i. 3 Discussing the functions of art and other such head-splitting matters. 1990 N.Y. Times Mag. 19 Aug. 23 A studio sports anchor's job is potentially head-splitting. 1998 M. Harrison High Society 20 My ears were still ringing from the head-splitting sounds that had swept me away. head station n. Australian and New Zealand the homestead and main buildings of a station (station n. 8). ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > farm > farmstead > [noun] towneOE steading1472 farm-steading1533 onstead1551 farmtown1609 homestead1610 farmstead1753 homesteading1812 werf1818 plaas1834 head station1835 1835 J. Lhotsky Journey from Sydney to Austral. Alps 97 This time of year is the conclusion of sheep-shearing, where the persons employed in it..were returning home, or to the head-stations. 1936 A. Russell Gone Nomad iii. 14 I had left the head station at sunrise and ridden all day. 2003 Sydney Morning Herald (Nexis) 1 Nov. 8 Taylor and Co..held a run that stretched from the Taylors Arm east to Warrell Creek, where its head station was located. head-stool n. [with sense (a) compare Old Icelandic hǫfuðstóll] †(a) a town or city serving as the seat of government for a country; a capital town or city; cf. stool n. 1a (obsolete); (b) a support for the head in the form of a small stool, used in some cultures instead of a pillow when sleeping or resting (chiefly historical). ΚΠ eOE tr. Orosius Hist. (BL Add.) (1980) iii. ix. 68 He..Thebana fæsten abræc, & mid ealle towearp, þætte ær wæs ealra Creca heafodstol. eOE tr. Orosius Hist. (BL Add.) (1980) iii. xi. 78 Crecas..wiðsocon þæt hie leng Læcedemonium hieran nolde, þær heora heafodstol wæs. 1813 Catal. Nat. Hist. in Mus. Dublin Soc. 129 Head-stool [from the Sandwich Islands] made of iron-wood. 1839 Chambers's Edinb. Jrnl. 13 Apr. 91/2 This is a head-stool, or hollowed piece of wood raised upon legs like a stool, which was used [in ancient Egypt] as a pillow for resting the head upon during the hours of sleep. 1908 F. Arnold Text-bk. School & Class Managem. I. ii. viii. 199 Mats may have a fancy border or design. Head-stools and cushions receive artistic additions. 1963 W. A. C. H. Dobson Mencius: New Transl. ii. 52 Mencius lay, leaning on a head-stool dozing, and took no notice. † head-strain n. Obsolete = headstall n.¹ 1. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > horse-gear > [noun] > halter or bridle > parts of headstallc1330 trench1480 stalk1497 musrol1551 head-strain?1561 water-chain?1561 throat band1585 cavesson1598 mullen1598 nose bit?a1600 front-stall1601 ampyx1607 chain1607 fillet1607 cheek-band1611 cheekpiece1611 noseband1611 throat thong1611 headpiece1678 throatlatch1693 headband1704 trenchefil1730 bridoon1744 banquet1753 head1756 cheek1795 throat strap1803 frontlet1805 throat-lash1805 cheekstrap1834 brow-band1844 nosepiece1865 shank1879 ?1561 T. Blundeville Newe Bk. Arte of Ryding i. iv. sig. A.viii In puttyng the headstrain on, you must vse your horse so gently, as he maye not onlye be content to weare it, but also to be quietly lead therby. 1658 J. Burbury tr. G. Gualdo Priorato Hist. Christina Queen of Swedland 371 With Furniture of Velvet..twisted with Silver, with buckles, bridles, and head-strains of the same metall. 1729 R. Bradley Gentleman & Farmer's Guide iv. 302 When a Colt has been bought to some Share of Discipline by the Musroll or Head-strain,..we may venture to put a Bridle in his Mouth. 1829 J. Lawrence Horse Varieties & Uses xv. 88 Blundeville..presents his readers with the figures of fifty different bits and a head strain. headstream n. = headwater n. 3; also figurative. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > system > [noun] > head or source headeOE wellspringOE springOE uptaking1241 head wella1325 wellheadc1330 sourcec1386 headspringa1398 headstreama1398 risinga1398 surge1523 springhead?a1560 head fountain1563 water head1567 fountainhead1585 headwater1612 fill1622 water source1651 urn1726 vomica1838 sponge-swamp1901 a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xviii. ix. 1126 If þe heed of þat streme is ystopped many heed stremes brekeþ oute [L. uno meatu clauso multi erumpebant]. 1613 R. Kilbye Serm. 1 These parcels of holy Scripture naturally divide and branch themselues into these foure head-streams. 1817 S. R. Brown Western Gazetteer 8 Navigation..can be pursued up the Coose to one of its head streams. 1956 D. L. Linton Sheffield p. xxiv Turning southwards round the headstreams of the Don our boundary passes above the long Woodhead tunnel. 2007 Independent 18 June 25/3 The Amazon's principal headstreams, the Marañón and the Ucayali, rise in the Peruvian Andes. † head-suit n. Obsolete (historical in later use) a kind of close-fitting cap or coif for the head. ΚΠ a1600 ( Rec. Bluemantle Pursuivant (BL Add.) in Archaeologia (1835) 26 279 His hedde Sute and Pillowes were of the quenes owen Ordonnance. 1694 A. Boyer Compl. French-master ii. 138/1 A head-suit, une coiffure. 1701 in H. Rose & L. Shaw Geneal. Deduction Family Rose of Kilravock (1848) 390 ¾ ells camrick for a head-suit. 1752 Eunuch iv. 69 I..slipt off my gown, and head suit, and called up my landlord to shave me. 1861 R. Chambers Domest. Ann. Scotl. III. 240 At the marriage of a daughter of Smythe of Methven to Sir Thomas Moncrieff of that Ilk..there was a head suit and ruffles of cut work at nearly six pounds ten shillings. 1909 Sc. Hist. Rev. 6 145 The headsuit was composed of various materials. head terret n. [see terret n. d] = head-ring n. 1. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > general equipment > [noun] > tether > ring or loop terret1724 head-ring1795 head terret1795 mink1801 1795 W. Felton Treat. Carriages II. 164 The Territs are what screws in the saddle or housin for the reins to run through... A short terret is often fixed at the top of a bridle, called a head terret, for the leading reins to go through. 1892 Freeman's Jrnl. (Dublin) 24 Dec. 5/8 The harness is mounted with..head territs for bridles. 1903 C. G. Harper Stage-coach & Mail II. xiii. 308 ‘What do you know about throat-lashings and head-terrets?’ contemptuously asked Harry Simpson, ex-coachman of the Devonport ‘Quicksilver’. 1946 G. White in B. S. Vesey-FitzGerald Bk. of Horse ii. 450 Pass the near lead rein through the inside head terret (or the bearing-rein terret) of the off wheeler, and then back through the middle pad terret of the near wheeler. 1969 T. Ryder On Box Seat v. 66 If one of the leaders has a habit of swishing his tail over the rein this may be overcome by passing his rein through a head-terret on the wheeler's bridle. 1980 V. Ellis & R. Ellis Donkey Driving 94 When putting to the leaders rein comes back threading through the head terret of the wheeler, and through the top part of the terret on the pad back to the hand. head-tie n. something tied round the head for adornment or to confine the hair; esp. (among Caribbean women and those of west and southern African origin) a broad strip of colourful fabric traditionally worn tied around the head. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > headgear > [noun] > head- or hair-band > types of frontalc1320 mitrea1382 counter-filletc1430 frontlet1478 mitra1638 head-tie1669 sévigné1826 sweat-rag1843 sphendone1850 agal1853 sweat-band1891 Alice band1944 1669 Psittacorum Regio 149 If you ask any of them now what Hair have you? what Ribbands? what Head-tyes? or the like; they answer all, 'tis A-la-mode. 1854 A. Hinderer Jrnl. May in Church Missionary Juvenile Instructor (1855) 4 9 We gave..a nice cap to the son, and a velvet head-tie, with a fine bead fringe, to the head wife. 1889 M. E. Wilkins Far-away Melody (1893) 94 I jest clapped on this head-tie an' this little cape over my shoulders, an' I'm chilled clean through. 1944 Trinidad Guardian 20 Feb. 2 In Trinidad, there still exist some of these gaily coloured costumes and head-ties or ‘foulards’. 1987 M. Collins Angel iii. 30 Ma Ettie loosened her headtie. 2001 A. Wheatle East of Acre Lane 87 She was wearing a head-tie that covered her eyebrows. head tile n. (a) Building a roof tile of half the usual length, used at the eaves; = sense 50; (b) U.S. slang a hat (cf. tile n.¹ 3); now rare. ΚΠ 1616 R. Cocks Diary 21 Mar. (1883) I. 121 We receved 1000 tiles of all sortes to tile the new porche, with 2 head tiles. 1880 Daily Inter Ocean (Chicago) 24 Jan. 4/6 [He] was observed searching anxiously among the head tiles for a covering to his scanty locks. 1916 Puck (N.Y.) 19 Aug. 12/1 Oscar's famous head-tile. 1996 W. Bucher Dict. Building Preserv. 228/2 Head tile, a half-length tile used at the eaves. Also known as head. head timber n. Shipbuilding (now historical) each of the upright pieces of timber which support the frame of the headrails. ΚΠ 1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine at Breast-hooks The connexion and solidity of the ship in this place willl be reinforced in proportion to the strength and extent of the breast-hooks, so that they may cover a greater number of the head-timbers. 1850 J. Greenwood Sailor's Sea-bk. 124 Head-timbers, the pieces that cross the rails of the head vertically. They are bolted through their heels to the cutting-down of the knee, and unite the whole together. 1933 C. G. Davis Built-up Ship Model 103 Our little brig had the head-timbers but no crossbeams. 2001 D. Poyer Fire on Waters (2007) xv. 192 It [sc. a wave] broke green and then white in the head timbers and then blew apart and exploded aft. † head-tin n. Mining Obsolete the purest tin ore obtained during a process of mechanical concentration; cf. sense 52 and heading n. 15. ΚΠ 1673 J. Ray Coll. Eng. Words 122 The head tin passes to the wreck, where they work it with a wooden rake in Vessels. 1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. (at cited word) When the [tin] ore has been pounded and twice washed, that part of it which lies uppermost or makes the surface of the mass in the tub, is called the Head-tin. 1858–9 J. Weale Rudim. Dict. Terms Archit. (ed. 2) 221/2 Head-tin, a preparation of tin-ore towards the fitting it for working into metal. head tone n. a tone obtained when singing in the head voice (head voice n.); a note sung in this voice; = headnote n. 2. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > [noun] > note or tone > head or chest note head tone1829 headnote1845 chest-note1854 1829 Baldwin's London Weekly 7 Feb. 3/3 The compass of the voice is no less grand than its power—besides two octaves in the pure chest voice, the head tones are beautifully full and rich. 1848 Boston Daily Atlas 20 Jan. He begins with a good baritone, which is gradually merged into a weak head tone. 1914 Biblical World 44 139 It takes the most strenuous coaching to get a pure head-tone and real singing out of such lads. 1993 Time Internat. 18 Jan. 44/3 The arduous, uncomfortable range called the ‘break’, or passaggio where the voice switches from chest tones to head tones. 2010 Cathedral Music Nov. 22/2 Sometimes the younger ones [sc. choristers] will copy this too, resulting in more of a head tone, much desired in days gone by but less popular now. head torch n. a small torch attached to a helmet, or worn strapped to the forehead. ΚΠ 1933 Fur-Fish-Game June 8/2 [They] were sent back to our camp to bring me some food, a hunting jacket, and my electric head-torch. 2002 J. Simpson Beckoning Silence (2003) xvi. 263 My head-torch beam picked out the dark shadow of the Stollenloch door set into the rock. 2006 Independent 10 May 36/5 Hundreds of well-wishers who had gathered at the mine erupted in cheers as the men emerged, their head torches still glowing. head tributary n. a tributary forming one of the headwaters of a river. ΚΠ 1835 G. Dutton Let. 26 Oct. in Message President U.S. to Congr. 186 The time required for the increased discharges from the head tributaries to produce their final effect upon the lower sections of the river. 1925 N. E. Odell in E. F. Norton et al. Fight for Everest: 1924 iii. 292 A far-flung head tributary of the Dzakar Chu. 1998 Gloucester Citizen (Nexis) 18 July 22 The growing numbers of salmon reaching the head tributaries of the Severn in summer to spawn. head tube n. (on a bicycle or tricycle) the hollow tube enclosing the steering column. ΚΠ 1895 N.Y. Times 1 Oct. 6/6 See that you have a buffer of woolen cloth about the frame where it hangs or it will rub off the enamel of your head tube. 1991 Bicycle Guide Sept. 49/3 The group decided to weld a reinforcing gusset at the head tube and add a steering dampener to make the bike handle a little better. 2010 Triathlete's World Jan. 59/2 The head tube is rather high and so people who like to get into a low aero position may struggle to do so. head valve n. Mechanics a valve at the upper end or inlet of a pump, pipe, etc. ΚΠ 1836 6th Rep. Comm. Managem. Post-office Dept. App. 167 (table) in Parl. Papers XXVIII. 145 [Engine, fire]... Foot valves and head valves. 1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. II. 1087/1 Head valve (Steam-engine.), the delivering valve. The upper air-pump valve. 1905 Trans. Manch. Geol. Soc. 28 460 Bergmanns arranges a second head valve over the one situated in the cylinder, the space between the two having a regularising effect on the work of the pump. 2004 D. Summitt Tales Cold War Submariner xvi. 231 The head valve on the snorkeling mast was shutting and opening quite frequently as waves came in on over the snorkel's head and then fell away. head veil n. a veil covering (part of) the head; (sometimes) spec. a veil worn over the hair as opposed to the face, such as the hijab or the veil worn by some orders of Christian nuns. ΚΠ 1836 E. W. Lane Acct. Manners & Customs Mod. Egyptians II. xv. 291 Behind the bier walk the female mourners..with their hair dishevelled, though generally concealed by the head-veil. 1896 L. Eckenstein Woman under Monasticism 115 The dark head-veil is given up for white and coloured head-dresses. 1926 D. H. Lawrence David i. 9 Tissue from Egypt, head-veils from Pharaoh's house! 2004 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 1 Feb. i. 11/1 The storm..has inflated the woman's robe and head veil, pulling them away like a sail. head vein n. [after post-classical Latin vena cephalica (c1230–50 or earlier); compare Old English hēafodǣder cephalic vein ( < head n.¹ + eddre n.)] Anatomy (a) the principal vein of the arm; = cephalic vein at cephalic adj. 1a; now historical; (b) any of the veins draining the head. ΚΠ a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. vii. v. 349 He schal blede in þe hede veyne [L. cephalica]. c1420 in C. Innes Liber S. Marie de Calchou (1846) II. 450 Þe hede vayn of þe samyn arme..þ^t lies nest abowin þe hart wayn..in þe bouat of þe arme. a1500 in Archiv für Geschichte der Medizin (1912) 5 74 (MED) Blede on the veyne, that is called cephalica, that is to seye the hedde veyne. 1600 S. Rowlands (title) The letting of humours blood in the head-vaine. 1785 P. Tayler Ready Doctor 45 If the Head be troubled with a Megrim..Bleed in the Head Vein. 1884 Amer. Jrnl. Insanity 40 345 Some passive fullness of the head veins may be noticed. 1984 Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc. 74 56 These veins [of the arm] are the cephalic or head-vein; the median or cardiac vein; the basilic or hepatic vein; [etc.]. 2005 R. Bellairs & M. Osmond Atlas Chick Devel. (ed. 2) vi. 55/1 The anterior cardinal vessels..are formed by the fusion of a number of vascular spaces which include the left and right head veins. head waiter n. the chief or most senior waiter in an inn, restaurant, or other establishment.In quot. 1714: the most senior official in a custom house (see waiter n. 2c). ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > serving food > [noun] > server of food > in inn or restaurant > head waiter head waiter1714 maître d'hôtel1850 maître1899 1714 Tractatus Navigationis: Treaty Navigation & Commerce at Utrecht 57/2 Having left them in the Power of the said Head-Waiter [sc. the warehouse-keeper of the custom-house]. 1753 S. Richardson Hist. Sir Charles Grandison VI. xlii. 266. He professes to be an encourager of the people of the George in Northampton... I imagine the writer to be the head waiter of the house. 1823 L. Minor Jrnl. 29 Nov. in Atlantic Monthly (1870) Aug. 171/1 It is a singular spectacle to see a man, who has occupied such high and varied stations, bustling about a tavern at once as landlord, barkeeper, and head waiter. 1925 J. Dos Passos Manhattan Transfer ii. v. 218 Ellen was following the headwaiter's swallowtails along the edge of the dancefloor. 2005 Asian Woman Feb. 77/2 We were seen to by the head waiter approximately 5 minutes after being seated. headwall n. (a) chiefly Architecture and Civil Engineering a supporting, protecting, or retaining wall built at the front or top of a structure, area, etc.; (b) Physical Geography and Mountaineering a steep rock slope at the head of a valley; esp. a rock face or cliff at the back of a corrie. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > support > [noun] > that which supports > a retaining wall headwall1659 retaining wall1771 wing-wall1791 the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > cliff > [noun] > other cliffs by-cliff1596 undercliff1829 headwall1875 rock pitch1897 1659 T. Willsford Architectonice 8 Part of..[the] head wall..is brick. 1794 J. Sinclair Statist. Acct. Scotl. XII. 476 Next above the farm-steadings, are the Outfields,..separated from the hill or moor by a head-wall. 1875 Overland Monthly Jan. 69/1 Its eastern slopes are longer in shadow than the western, consequently the ice-wombs of the former are deeper and their head-walls are sheerer. 1891 Official Gaz. (U.S. Patent Office) 11 Aug. 726/2 A head-wall dividing a water-way into upper and lower levels [in a lock]. 1971 C. Bonington Annapurna South Face xv. 192 I climbed the initial icefield, then up the first rock groove... I was now below the final headwall of the Flat Iron. 1990 Mountain Nov. 23/3 Tuckerman's Ravine has climbable ice in November and December but fills with snow later on, much to the delight of the skiing enthusiast who attempts the famous headwall. 2004 T. Hald et al. in R. Robinson & B. Thagesen Road Engin. for Devel. x. 195 Most culverts have an upstream headwall and terminate downstream with an endwall. † head well n. Obsolete = fountainhead n. (in either sense); cf. headspring n. ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > causation > source or origin > [noun] welleOE mothereOE ordeOE wellspringeOE fathereOE headeOE oreOE wellspringOE rootc1175 morea1200 beginningc1200 head wella1325 sourcec1374 principlea1382 risinga1382 springinga1382 fountain14.. springerc1410 nativity?a1425 racinea1425 spring1435 headspring?a1439 seminaryc1440 originationc1443 spring wellc1450 sourdre1477 primordialc1487 naissance1490 wellhead?1492 offspringa1500 conduit-head1517 damc1540 springhead1547 principium1550 mint1555 principal1555 centre1557 head fountain1563 parentage1581 rise1589 spawna1591 fount1594 parent1597 taproot1601 origin1604 fountainhead1606 radix1607 springa1616 abundary1622 rist1622 primitive1628 primary1632 land-spring1642 extraction1655 upstart1669 progenerator1692 fontala1711 well-eye1826 first birth1838 ancestry1880 Quelle1893 the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > system > [noun] > head or source headeOE wellspringOE springOE uptaking1241 head wella1325 wellheadc1330 sourcec1386 headspringa1398 headstreama1398 risinga1398 surge1523 springhead?a1560 head fountain1563 water head1567 fountainhead1585 headwater1612 fill1622 water source1651 urn1726 vomica1838 sponge-swamp1901 a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 868 On heued-welle of flum iordan. c1425 in E. Edwards Liber Monasterii de Hyda (1866) 223 Along the moris for to thow comyst to Wystwalan to the ston; then est to the hed-welle [c1425 (OE) æwylle] at Wudutune. c1443 R. Pecock Reule of Crysten Religioun (1927) 233 Þis original riȝtwisnes..is as an heed welle out of whom flowen alle oþere moral vertues. 1685 D. Abercromby Disc. Wit xi. 149 Wit..is..the Headwel of Rebellion, Sedition, and Heresie. 1828 T. Wyse Let. 30 July in Hist. Sketch Catholic Assoc. Ireland (1829) II. p. clii The Association, the central point, the head well of all the public feeling in our body, might stand as it is. † head-wise adj. Obsolete wise in intellectual, as opposed to emotional or practical, matters. ΚΠ 1673 W. Penn Let. 4 Oct. in Wks. (1726) I. 162 Carnal, Headwise Opposers..skill'd in Science falsly so called. 1705 W. Yworth Compl. Distiller 155 To perform this, is not for the Head-wise Chymists, but for such indeed whom Experience hath made Heart-wise. 1839 Southern Lit. Messenger Feb. 98/1 Having been early imbued with the head-wise but heart-foolish Maxims of Rochefoucault. 1890 Internat. Dental Jrnl. 11 775 We are..invited..to pay less marked attention to theory; to give the attention to the practical which it should receive, and to make our dentists hand-wise rather than head-wise. 1911 E. H. Abbott Sick-a-bed Lady 209 You are clever in the affections. You are heart-wise as well as head-wise. head-wrong adj. (of a person) misguided, in error; paired with headlong, headstrong. ΚΠ 1863 C. C. Clarke Shakespeare-characters xvii. 415 The headlong and headwrong Richard II. 1895 ‘M. Maartens’ My Lady Nobody xxxvii. 302 ‘Head-strong and head-wrong’ was a favorite formula with Mopius, who, of course, considered himself to be neither. 1915 R. Francis Story Tower of London v. 151 The headstrong, head-wrong Stuarts. 1992 J. C. Humes Ben Franklin Factor xii. 97 (heading) To be headstrong is to be head-wrong. headyards n. [compare earlier headsail n.] Nautical (now chiefly historical) the yards (yard n.² 5) in the foremast; cf. after-yards n. at after- prefix 3. ΚΠ 1758 Exact Acct. Late Exped. 25 All with their head-yards, rigging, and a considerable quantity of stores on board. 1801 Naval Chron. 6 245 With an intent..to brace the head yards a-box. 1910 D. W. Bone Brassbounder (1911) iii. 43 ‘All hands off the deck!’ roared the Mate when the headyards were steadied. 2003 J. E. Fender Audacity iii. 32 Brace in the afteryards! Lay the headyards square! Derivatives ˈheadlike adj. ΚΠ 1565 J. Hall Expositiue Table 58 in tr. Lanfranc Most Excellent Woorke Chirurg. Capitata: that is cabbege letuce, of his headlike roundnes. 1819 London Med. Repository 11 29 Body soft, very long, flat, jointed, terminated in the fore-part with a head-like nodule. 1916 Forum July 114 The tall, white, thin headstones, with their carved headlike top knobs, looking exactly like ghosts in the gloomy light. 2003 D. Koontz Odd Thomas (2004) v. 42 Although it possessed no discernible facial features, a portion of its silhouette appeared headlike. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2013; most recently modified version published online June 2022). Headn.² Brit. /hɛd/, U.S. /hɛd/ Origin: From a proper name. Etymon: proper name Head. Etymology: < the name of Sir Henry Head (1861–1940), English neurologist.Head described the phenomenon of localized cutaneous hypersensitivity in 1893 ( Brain 16 1), and the reflex in 1889 ( Jrnl. Physiol. 10 1). Medicine. 1. attributive and in the genitive. Designating a band of cutaneous hypersensitivity in the distribution of a spinal nerve segment, occurring in association with inflammation or another disease process affecting an internal organ. Also: designating a diagnostic sign or test based on the presence of such a band. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > healing > diagnosis or prognosis > tests > [adjective] > specific tests drug testing1841 Head1893 Widal1896 tuberculin-tested1898 Schick1916 Kahn1922 T.T.1927 P–K1938 Papanicolaou1947 drugs testing1965 lymphocytotoxicity1965 patch-tested1990 the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > disordered sensation > [adjective] > hypersensitivity Head1893 hypersensitive1899 hypersensitized1914 hypersusceptible1914 atopic1923 1893 W. Thorburn in Brain 16 356 Contrasting Head's areas with those obtained by clinical anæsthesia, or with Sherrington's experimentally determined areas, we are at once struck by their sharp delimitation. 1908 Jrnl. Nerv. & Mental Dis. 35 577 Dr. McCarthy asked in what percentage of tuberculous cases Dr. Ludlum found the distinct Head sign. 1908 Jrnl. Nerv. & Mental Dis. 35 578 Head's lines cannot be elicited in chronic cases. 1921 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 29 Jan. 162/2 He says he has never been able to find any evidence of cutaneous hyperaesthesia in ‘Head's areas’. 2001 S. Mense et al. Muscle Pain v. 201 Muscle pain is often referred across the borders of spinal segments, and therefore differs from the Head zones of the skin. 2. Head's paradoxical reflex n. (also Head's reflex) the action of responding to artificial inflation of the lungs by breathing in abruptly, where the expected response would be the inhibition of inhalation. ΘΚΠ the world > life > biology > biological processes > action of nervous system > [adjective] > reflex action > types of Babinski1899 Head's paradoxical reflex1961 1961 K. W. Cross in Brain 84 533 I suggest the possibility that this gasping response in the newborn baby is in fact Head's Paradoxical Reflex. 1983 Arch. Dis. Childhood 58 394/1 Head's reflex can be provoked by intermittent positive pressure ventilation in very preterm babies. 2001 Seminars Neonatol. 6 219 Face mask/bag resuscitation is relatively ineffective, rarely producing adequate alveolar ventilation before lung expansion has occurred, probably depending on the Head's Paradoxical Reflex to stimulate inspiratory efforts. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022). headn.³ Brit. /hɛd/, U.S. /hɛd/ Origin: Formed within English, by clipping or shortening. Etymon: headlight n. Etymology: Shortened < headlight n. colloquial. = headlight n. 1. ΘΚΠ society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [noun] > headlight headlamp1851 headlight1899 head1959 1959 I. Jefferies Thirteen Days vi. 75 He..flashed his heads just as I got abreast. 1969 ‘A. Hall’ Striker Portfolio ix. 112 My undipped heads catching the Mercedes full across the screen. 2010 Irish Independent (Nexis) 7 Dec. (Farming section) A flash of the heads confirmed to any low riders that my lights were dipped. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022). headv. Brit. /hɛd/, U.S. /hɛd/ Forms: Old English heafdian, Middle English hadet (past participle), Middle English hefd, Middle English hefde, Middle English hefede, Middle English heued, Middle English heued (past tense), Middle English heueddede (past participle), Middle English heuede, Middle English hevede, Middle English–1500s heade, Middle English–1500s hed, Middle English–1500s hedde, Middle English–1500s hede, Middle English–1500s (1800s– English regional (northern)) heed, late Middle English hated (past participle, probably transmission error), 1500s– head, 1700s hyed (English regional (Lancashire)), 1800s– 'ead (regional and nonstandard), 1800s– heead (English regional (northern)); Scottish pre-1700 haid, pre-1700 hed, pre-1700 hede, pre-1700 hevyd, pre-1700 heyde, pre-1700 1700s– head, pre-1700 1700s– heid, 1800s 'head (in sense 1), 1800s hehd (north-eastern). N.E.D. (1898) also records a form late Middle English hefed. Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: head n.¹ Etymology: < head n.¹In Old English rare (only in sense 1); after (the more common) prefixed form behēafdian behead v. With sense 2 compare earlier poll v. 2a. With sense 7 compare headline v. 3. With branch III. compare earlier headed adj. 2. With sense 13 compare slightly earlier to come to a head at head n.¹ Phrases 4c and also headed adj. 4. With sense 19b compare earlier heading n. 7 and header n. 11. With sense 20 compare earlier ahead adv. 5 and ahead prep. I. To cut off the head of. 1. To cut off the head of; to decapitate, behead. a. transitive. With a person as object, esp. with reference to capital punishment. Later frequently collocated with hang. Now rare (archaic and historical in later use). ΘΚΠ society > authority > punishment > capital punishment > execute [verb (transitive)] > behead beheadc1000 headOE for-head13.. unheadc1480 firkc1540 decollate1599 decapitate1611 decoll1649 OE Old Eng. Martyrol. (Corpus Cambr. 196) 10 Dec. 262 And sona swa hig man heafdode, þa com þær fæger culfre of þam lichaman and fleah ymbe þone lychaman. a1325 (?c1300) Northern Passion (Cambr. Gg.1.1) l. 1853 Alle schol þei heuedid [v.rr. hedyd, heueddede] be. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 20990 Hefdid he was wit dint o suord. 1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) iv. 30 The king..gert draw him & hede & hing. 1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VI f. clx Hym..caused..to be hedded, and his head to be fixed on a poole. 1606 Bp. J. Hall Medit. & Vowes III. §66 Are we headed? so Iohn Baptist. a1616 W. Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) ii. i. 228 If you head, and hang all that offend that way. View more context for this quotation 1685 in W. Fraser Red Bk. Grandtully (1868) II. 269 Argyll is to die on Tuesday nixt, whither headed or hanged I cannot yet tell. 1736 F. Drake Eboracum i. v. 130 Thomas Bishop..hanged, headed and quartered. 1891 R. W. Dixon Hist. Church Eng. IV. xxiii. 127 Thomas..was drawn from the Tower to Tyburn: hanged, headed, and quartered: his head set on London Bridge. 1907 G. Eyre-Todd tr. J. Barbour Bruce iv. 54 When Seton was betrayed..King Edward..had him drawn, headed, and hanged. 2016 S. Blackhall in Lallans 88 101 Neist year, the King wis heidit, an Charles II wis proclaimed King in Embro. b. transitive. With an animal (esp. a fish) as object. ΚΠ a1450 Terms Assoc. in PMLA (1936) 51 604 (MED) A pyge heddyde. ?1478 Lydgate's Horse, Goose & Sheep (Caxton) (1822) 33 A pigge heded & syded. 1591 J. Harington tr. L. Ariosto Orlando Furioso vii. 49/2 Rogero readie was to draw his sword, To head the monster lying on the sand. 1602 R. Carew Surv. Cornwall i. f. 35 The Fishermen saue the most part of their fish... Some headed, gutted, iagged, and dried, as Rayes, and Thornbackes. 1755 Scots Mag. May 228/2 Carry the fish on shore in shallops as it is taken, head it, gut it, scale it, and salt it. 1800 Naval Chron. 3 284 They head and gut the fish. 1883 J. Ross in D. Herbert Fish & Fisheries viii. 108 The action of heading the fish..needs some practice. 1907 Coast May 321/1 These [sc. the choicer herring] are carefully headed and gutted and packed in barrels. 1996 C. J. Poole Catucto iv. 22 He removes the gut..and heads the fish in one quick motion. 2. transitive. To cut off the top or head of (a tree or plant); to prune (branches or shoots); to top, poll. Also with back, down, off. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > forestry or arboriculture > [verb (transitive)] > trees: prune or lop sneda800 shredc1000 crop?c1225 purgec1384 parea1398 shear1398 shridea1425 dodc1440 polla1449 twist1483 top1509 stow1513 lop1519 bough?1523 head?1523 poll-shred1530 prune1547 prime1565 twig1570 reform1574 disbranch1575 shroud1577 snathe1609 detruncate1623 amputate1638 abnodate1656 duba1661 to strip up1664 reprune1666 pollard1670 shrub1682 log1699 switch1811 limb1835 preen1847 to cut back1871 shrig1873 brash1950 summer prune1980 the world > food and drink > farming > forestry or arboriculture > [verb (transitive)] > trees: prune or lop > branches: prune or lop sneda800 shredc1000 crop?c1225 prune1572 shrig1601 head1989 ?1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Husbandry f. xlii^v Except thou heed thy trees & cutte of the toppes. 1652 W. Blith Eng. Improver Improved xxv. 171 [The Lime-tree] being headed and set in walks in roes, makes a very gallant shady walke. 1669 J. Blagrave Epitome Art of Husbandry 57 A shaken Tree, or a Hedge-root full of knots..will bear plenty of wood and boughs, and much more then if it were not headed. 1712 J. James tr. A.-J. Dézallier d'Argenville Theory & Pract. Gardening 145 The Willow..is headed every three or four Years. 1770 Ann. Reg. 1769 Useful Projects 120/1 Your fruit tree is planted and headed down. 1789 Trans. Soc. Arts (ed. 2) 1 111 I was obliged to head them [sc. Ash trees] the first year. 1831 Gardener's Mag. Dec. 712 Early in the spring..I headed off some very old apple trees. 1882 Garden 11 Mar. 169/3 Stocks intended for grafting are headed down in readiness for that operation. 1915 F. S. Harris & G. Stewart Princ. Agronomy iii. xxv. 326 Occasionally the farmer heads the plants—particularly dwarf strains—by hand or machinery. 1989 F. T. Yoshikawa & J. H. LaRue in J. H. LaRue & R. S. Johnson Peaches, Plums, & Nectarines viii. 43/1 Some of these branches..should be headed back to 2- to 4-inch stubs with one or two lateral buds. 2003 T. L. Robinson in D. C. Ferree & I. J. Warrington Apples xv. 369/2 The tree is developed by planting a large caliper and tall whip, heading the tree at 1.4 m and allowing four equal-diameter shoots to grow. II. To be at the head of; to lead. 3. transitive. Of a person: to be the head, chief, captain, or ruler of; to be in charge or in control of. Cf. to head up 4 at Phrasal verbs. ΘΚΠ society > authority > [verb (transitive)] > have authority over > as captain or head headc1390 captain1598 to head up1904 c1390 Pistel of Swete Susan (Vernon) l. 188 Hir herte holliche on him þat the heuene hedes [rhymes dedes, wedes, dredes; ?a1425 Huntington ledis; ?c1450 Morgan hydis]. 1648 Answer to Pamphlet entit'led Declar. Commons 12 Divers Papists, and Persons of Quality who headed the Rebels. 1670 J. Dryden Tyrannick Love ii. i. 15 They head those holy Factions which they hate. 1700 R. Blackmore Job 266 For he in Person will his People head. 1747 J. Wesley Jrnl. 20 Apr. (1912) III. 290 A mob came from York, hired and headed by some (miscalled) gentlemen. 1802 A. Ranken Hist. France II. 259 They commissioned..some superior vassal, to levy and head the troops of their barony. 1864 J. Bryce Holy Rom. Empire vi. 119 The reforming party in the Church, headed by Gerson. 1918 H. Croy How Motion Pictures are Made ii. 35 Charles Pathé, of Paris,..later came to head the world's premier film company. 2006 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 1 Nov. a10/2 Gen. John P. Abizaid, who heads the command, warned publicly in August about the risk of civil war in Iraq. 4. transitive. To go in front or at the head of; to go in advance of; to lead or direct the movement of. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > progressive motion > order of movement > going first or in front > go in front of [verb (transitive)] > go at front of moving body leadc1380 heada1522 spear-head1938 spear1951 a1522 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid (1959) vi. viii. l. 83 That strang lurdane [sc. Helen] than..The Troiane matronys hedis [L. ducebat] in a ryng. 1681 J. Dryden Spanish Fryar v. i. 70 Put on thy utmost speed to head the Troops Which every moment I expect t'arrive. 1711 E. Budgell Spectator No. 116. ⁋7 The old Dogs, which had hitherto lain behind, now headed the Pack. 1782 Scots. Mag. Dec. 663/1 Four more of their second line [of ships] headed by the Hero..hauled along the outside of the first line. 1819 W. Scott Bride of Lammermoor viii, in Tales of my Landlord* 3rd Ser. II. 181 Two running footmen, dressed in white.., headed the train. 1896 tr. S. P. Lambros & N. G. Polites Olympic Games I. 105 Those who headed the procession had arrived at Constitution Square whilst those who brought up the rear were still in Concordia Square. 1920 F. H. Spearman Mountain Divide vii. 102 Scuffy, who..had impudently taken the lead and was heading the pack, barked loudest and longest. 1988 P. S. Foner Hist. Labor Movement U.S. VIII. i. 12 Helen Keller..rode in the automobile heading the strikers' parade down Broadway. 2008 L. Carlito Matter of Pride (2009) 26 The master of the wardrobe, the master of the king's jewels, and the barber, headed the line of servants making their way down the corridor. 5. a. transitive. Without reference to physical location: to occupy the first, principal, or lead position in; to be at the top of (a list, agenda, etc.). ΚΠ 1802 Cobbett's Ann. Reg. 10 July 51 Had Mr. Windham stood,..notwithstanding Mr. Coke's vast county influence, Mr. Windham would have headed the poll. 1844 Hawkstone (1846) I. iii. 34 Mr. Lomax very liberally headed it [a subscription-list] with two pounds. 1885 Manch. Examiner 13 July 5/2 At the last general election Mr. L. headed the poll with 4,159 votes. 1920 M. Gyte Diary 20 June (1999) 265 Tom heard the result of the Farmers exam. Fred Brockley heads the list and gets two prizes. 1989 S. J. Seregny Russ. Teachers & Peasant Revol. vi. 140 The vexing issue of the union's ‘professional-political platform’ headed the agenda. 2003 Nature 9 Jan. 117/2 What music heads the playlist in your car or laboratory? b. transitive. To surpass or outdo (a competitor, a record, etc.); to be or move ahead of, have a lead over (literal and figurative). ΚΠ 1813 W. Thom Pedestrianism iii. 76 Wood again headed his opponent, but before he reached the two-mile post, Beal passed him, and..won the race. 1884 Manch. Examiner 8 Apr. 4/7 The Cambridge crew..took the lead from the first, were never headed, and won by upwards of three lengths. 1884 Manch. Examiner 11 June 5/2 [He] has headed all the records of mountaineering by a long stretch. 1929 Times 6 July 7 Just after the mile post, they headed their rivals by only a canvas. 1947 G. G. van Deusen Thurlow Weed viii. 114 Seward had headed his opponent, Bouck, by only a little over 5000 votes. 2011 Croydon Advertiser (Nexis) 13 May 64 High jumper Lauryin John-Greenwood headed her rivals by 5cm with her 1.35m clearance. 6. transitive. Cards. To win or aim to win (a trick) by playing a card of a higher value. ΚΠ 1830 Bell's Life in London 6 June 2/2 Playing at Loo, the leader plays a trump; a player following, not the last, has two trumps, one of which is the ace, the other superior or inferior to the trump led. Is he bound to play the ace, or can he play the second trump?.. He must head the trick. 1884 J. P. Hewby Decline & Fall Whist 38 The holder of the king has seldom anything to gain by heading the trick. 1902 H. Quilter What's What 550/1 Both players are obliged to ‘head the trick’, that is, to take it if possible. 1990 D. Parlett Oxf. Guide Card Games vi. 70 In some games, notably Ecarté, it is obligatory not only to follow suit but also to ‘head’ the trick if possible, that is, to play a higher card from that suit. 7. transitive. U.S. Of an act or performer: to have top billing in (a performance, show, etc.). Cf. headline v. 3. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > perform [verb (transitive)] > have top billing in head1902 1902 Hartford (Connecticut) Courant 13 Feb. 14/4 Lockhart's performing elephants head the show. 1946 Billboard 10 Aug. 47/2 Fred Stone heads a revival of Lightnin' at Cape Theater, Cape May, N.J. 1996 N.Y. Times 27 Dec. 38 The Dickies..head a show that begins at 9 P.M. and ends when it ends. III. To provide or fit with a head. †8. transitive. To depict the head of (an animal). Obsolete.This sense is doubtful as it is unclear whether Chaucer wrote hede it or hedit (see quot. c1430 at headed adj. 1a, which is from another MS of the same work). ΚΠ a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1881) ii. l. 1042 Yf a peyntour wolde peynte a pyk With asses feet and hede it as an ape. 9. a. transitive. To provide or fit (an object, as an arrow, nail, etc.) with a head. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > high position > set in a high position [verb (transitive)] > occupy or form the top of > furnish with a top crownc1430 crestc1440 encrown1486 head1530 top1581 increst1611 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 582/2 Heed your arowes with Strande heedes. 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics i, in tr. Virgil Wks. 60 Let him..whet the shining Share..Or sharpen Stakes, or head the Forks. View more context for this quotation 1725 H. Sloane Voy. Islands II. 270 The tails of them are used by the Almouchiqouis to head their Arrows. 1797 Monthly Mag. 3 300 Engines, to cut and head nails. 1825 Lady's Mag. Oct. 579/2 It is surely depressing to reflect how many human beings die, whose whole sum of knowledge consists in heading a pin, or making part of a button! 1856 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 17 ii. 363 The..fence..is..then headed or finished with 2 feet of grass sods. 1906 P. V. Mighels Crystal Sceptre xvii. 146 Four fellows..were heading the arrows already provided, and lashing hatchets and knives to handles. 1920 Amer. Gas Engin. Jrnl. 19 June 488/1 The heads when enameled were made into a heap for the boy who did the work of heading the pins. 2009 L. Korenko Kelleys Island 254 An old blacksmith..was known among his townsmen as the man who first made cut nails by cutting old iron into strips and then heading them with a hammer. b. transitive. To form or constitute the head or top part of. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > high position > set in a high position [verb (transitive)] > occupy or form the top of crownc1430 pinnaclea1525 surmount1610 cresta1616 top1615 head1638 coronate1707 cap1807 1638 I. Jones & W. Davenant Britannia Triumphans 15 His hook was such as heads the end of Pole. 1686 R. Plot Nat. Hist. Staffs. ix. 389 The Mangers were..so placed that the range of them headed the end of the barn. 1800 S. Turner Acct. Embassy Court Teshoo Lama vi. 119 The arrow..is headed by a flattened barb of pointed iron. 1860 Reliquary July 14 (note) The upper cusp of the trefoil, heading the canopy over the figures of the Virgin and of the Crucifixion..is pierced through. 1866 Monthly Packet Apr. 354 Carved oaken finials headed the divisions of the open sittings. 2007 D. FitzGerald & J. Peill Irish Furnit. 200/1 The satyr mask and occasionally the Green Man mask..appear as the central ornament on an apron or heading the top of legs. 10. transitive. To close up (a barrel, cask, or similar vessel) by fitting a head (head n.¹ 25); to enclose (something) in a barrel or cask by this means. Also: to fit a skin or membrane across (a drum). Cf. to head up 1 at Phrasal verbs. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > close or shut [verb (transitive)] > a receptacle > specifically a cask head1558 to head up1641 1558 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1913) X. 432 To the cowperis for thair laubouris in heding..the saidis barrellis. 1590 R. Harvey Plaine Percevall sig. D3 Like two drums, which are headed, the one with a sheeps skin, the other with a wolfes hide. 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Foncer, to head a peece of Caske. 1766 M. Postlethwayt tr. J. Savary & P. L. Savary Dict. Trade (ed. 3) at Fisheries The Coopers put the finishing hand to all, by heading the casks very tight. 1852 Acts Gen. Assembly Kentucky Nov. 1851 158 When packed and headed, the barrel shall be filled with strong salt pickle. 1867 S. Robinson Facts for Farmers I. iv. 429 If headed in barrels, apples will keep in a room where water would freeze. 1900 I. T. Headland tr. Chinese Mother Goose Rhymes 40 To head a drum they will take my skin, And they'll file my bones for a big hair-pin. 1919 Farmers' Bull. (U.S. Dept. Agric.) No. 1080. 26 The type of press used to head the barrel is a matter of considerable importance. 2006 L. Reed Specs (Student ed.) viii. 116/2 After packing, the barrels or drums must be properly headed and covered. 11. transitive. To give a specific heading, title, or headline to; (also) to appear as a heading. Usually with with or direct quotation as object complement. ΘΚΠ society > communication > writing > written text > layout > [verb (transitive)] > furnish with heading or subheading head1779 subhead1870 caption1901 society > communication > printing > printed matter > arrangement or appearance of printed matter > appearance of printed matter [verb (transitive)] > furnish with heading head1779 subhead1870 caption1901 1779 Jrnl. Congr. 1 Jan.–1 Feb. 11/2 An account, headed ‘sums advanced for the state of Virginia’. 1820 Republican 28 July 470 The writer of the following extract heads his letter. ‘A day ever to be remembered in history.’ 1855 W. J. Fitzpatrick Life, Times, & Contemp. Lord Cloncurry xiii. 339 Lord Cloncurry headed his letter with a Latin motto. 1891 R. Routledge Discov. & Inventions 19th Cent. (ed. 8) 600 (heading) The somewhat unfamiliar word which heads this article. 1902 A. W. Marchmont Miser Hoadley's Secret xxiv. 256 She resolved to head the letter with the words ‘In danger’. 1978 M. Schudson Discovering News 112 In a story headed ‘The Modern Newspaper’ on February 12, the Times covered a speech at the Press Club of Colgate University. 2007 S. Kanfer Stardust Lost ix. 120 A New York Times article was headed ‘Cubists and Futurists Are Making Insanity Pay.’ IV. To develop or come to a head, and related senses. 12. intransitive. Of a cabbage, broccoli, or other heading plant: to form a head (head n.¹ 15). Also in figurative. Also with out, up. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > part of plant > head or heart > [verb (intransitive)] > grow heart or head head?1440 pome1658 heart1789 tr. Palladius De re Rustica (Duke Humfrey) (1896) xi. l. 156 Now leek, ysowe in veer, transplaunted be That hit may hede [L. ut crescat in caput]. 1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry ii. f. 60^v Yf you wyl not haue it [sc. onion] seede but head, plucke of the blade still close by the ground. 1658 J. Evelyn tr. N. de Bonnefons French Gardiner 167 In France we have the ordinary headed Cabbage of severall sorts, and some that do not head at all. 1768 G. Washington Writings (1889) II. 242 All my early wheat..was headed and heading. 1845 Cultivator Aug. 252/2 Wheat headed out not more than knee high. 1864 J. R. Lowell Fireside Trav. 289 The crop of early muscle that heads out under the forcing-glass of the gymnasium. 1890 T. Greiner How to make Garden Pay 173 Gardeners always aim to have the plants [sc. cauliflowers] head up either in early summer or in late autumn. 1909 C. S. Osborn Andean Land I. v. 105 The cabbages headed perfectly, and in the Autumn month of March they were ready for the kraut barrel. 1925 Rep. Northwest Experi. Station Crookston (Univ. Minnesota) 19 Quality is an awnless, white-grained, hard wheat... It heads out a week or ten days before Marquis. 2005 S. Solomon Gardening when it Counts 315 If you start too late.., the plant [sc. Chinese cabbage] may put up a seedstalk before it heads. †13. intransitive. To reach a critical point or climax; to come to a head (see head n.¹ Phrases 4c(b)). Obsolete. rare. ΚΠ 1606 J. Marston Parasitaster ii. i. sig. D3^v I charge you check Your appetite and passions to our daughter, Before it head. 14. intransitive. Originally and chiefly U.S. Of a river or stream: to have its spring or source; to rise. Chiefly with phrase indicating the location of the source. Cf. head n.¹ 38a. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > action of river > flow (of river) [verb (intransitive)] > rise risea1400 heada1744 a1744 W. Byrd Hist. Dividing Line (1984) 240 We might find out whether James River and Appamattock River head there. 1762 J. Bartram in W. Darlington Memorials J. Bartram & H. Marshall (1849) 423 I believe Haw River..heads in the high hills on the south side of the bottom. 1811 H. M. Brackenridge Jrnl. 28 Apr. in Views Louisiana (1814) 220 The Kansas, a very large river..heads between the Platte and the Arkansas. 1881 Academy 21 May 366/1 The upper waters of the Cubango, the great artery which heads..in the highlands of Bihé..and dies of drought in the Ngami Lake. 1915 Internat. Mil. Digest Q. Dec. 354/2 The deployment of masses will be possible only in the high regions where the rivers head. 1988 P. Wayburn Adventuring in Alaska (rev. ed.) i. 43 North of Merrill Pass in the Alaska Range, Another River heads in an unnamed lake. 2001 J. Yuskavitch Fishing Oregon 185 The Williamson river heads from springs in the Winema National Forest. †15. intransitive. To have an upward inclination or slope. Contrasted with dip. Obsolete. rare. ΚΠ 1802 J. Playfair Illustr. Huttonian Theory 409 The secondary strata..are not horizontal, but rise or head towards the west, dipping towards the east. V. To point or move in a specified direction. 16. †a. transitive (in passive). To be positioned so as to face the front or end part of something. Also intransitive. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > space > direction > direct [verb (transitive)] > face a direction front1523 prospect1555 face1567 behold1593 head1610 frontage1914 1610 W. Folkingham Feudigraphia ii. ii. 49 Confrontage Actiue may enter the Plot with these or the like Epithetons, Abutting, Heading, facing, fronting, steighing, &c. Or Passiue headed, faced, etc. b. intransitive. With adverb or adverbial phrase. Of a ship's bow or prow: to be positioned with the front part pointing in a specified direction; to face. ΚΠ 1850 H. T. Cheever Whale & his Captors iii. 52 Sing out when we head right! 1897 tr. F. Nansen Farthest North II. 566 The Fram lay moored..with her bow heading west. 1917 A. R. Wonham Spun Yarns of Naval Officer iii. 46 Someone expressed the opinion that the wreck was not now heading the same way as when they had left her. 2007 S. S. Cottle In Danger at Sea ii. 145 The Olive was lying with her bow heading south. †c. transitive. Of a ship's bow or prow: to point towards, to face. Obsolete. rare. ΚΠ 1887 F. Marryat Driven to Bay III. viii. 126 The..ship..drifted along idly, with her nose heading every point except the one she was wanted to follow. 17. transitive. Originally U.S. To go round the head or source of (a lake, stream, or other body of water). ΘΚΠ society > travel > aspects of travel > travel in specific course or direction > direct (one's course, steps, etc.) [verb (transitive)] > go round the head of (a stream or lake) head1620 1620 W. Bradford Hist. Plymouth Plantation in Coll. Mass. Hist. Soc. (1856) 4th Ser. III. x. 81 They..headed a great creake. 1672 G. Fox Jrnl. (1952) 632 It was upon me to pass through the woods on the other side Delaware Bay, to head the creeks and rivers if it were possible. 1767 Bartram's Jrnl. 33 in W. Stork Acct. E. Florida (ed. 2) Soon came to a little lake which we headed. 1791 N.-Y. Mag. Mar. 139/1 The other road, leading from Cat's-Kill landing on the Hudson's River, heading the said Delaware River, and crossing the Susquehannah at the Olehout. 1847 in Wesleyan Missionary Notices (1848) Mar. 45/1 We had to go round by a circuitous route to head the lake. 1866 Fortn. Rev. 632 It is shorter to cross a stream than to head it. 1921 C. A. Murdock Backward Glance at Eighty ii. 30 The following day they headed the bay. 1996 C. B. McIntosh Nebraska Sand Hills 40/2 Unable to ford the river, they decided to try to head the river flood. 18. a. transitive. Esp. of a ship: to move forward so as to meet head-on; to advance directly against, or in opposition to the course of; (also) to confront, oppose. Cf. breast v. 5a. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > opposite position > be opposite (something) [verb (transitive)] > face wind, waves, etc. breast1578 head1682 the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > forward movement > move or cause to move forward or advance [verb (transitive)] > advance to meet directly head1682 the world > action or operation > difficulty > opposition > oppose [verb (transitive)] > confront abidec1275 stand?1316 visagec1386 bidec1400 to stand to ——1562 affront1569 to look (a person, etc.) in the face1573 outface1574 front1582 to meet with1585 confront1594 propose1594 to stand up to1596 outfront1631 to stand forth to1631 head1682 meet1725 society > armed hostility > attack > attack [verb (transitive)] > attack in front head1875 1682 N. Tate & J. Dryden 2nd Pt. Absalom & Achitophel 18 At once contending with the Waves and Fire, And heading Danger in the Wars of Tyre. 1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine sig. G3 Franchir la lame, to head the sea; to sail against the setting of the sea. 1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine sig. K2 Le vent se Range de l'avant, the wind hauls forward, the wind heads us, or takes us a-head. 1847 Sailor's Mag. Oct. 47/1 The ship was heading the wind and riding fairly. 1875 C. Clery Minor Tactics v. 63 Headed and attacked in flank. 1881 M. E. Braddon Asphodel III. 34 In a district where he has to cover his face with a muffler, and head the driving snow. 1910 Automobile 11 Aug. 236/2 Accordingly as the aviator headed the wind or went with it, his speed diminished. 2006 G. R. Lloyd Special Providence v. 90 The sudden manoeuvre left the vessel heading the wind, sails flapping and useless. †b. transitive. to head it: to advance, make headway. Obsolete. rare. ΚΠ 1684 J. Bunyan Pilgrim's Progress 2nd Pt. ii. 137 That which heads it against the greatest opposition, gives best Demonstration that it is strongest. View more context for this quotation 19. a. transitive. To move ahead of so as to intercept, or so as to obstruct and cause to turn back or aside. Also occasionally with back. Now rare, except in to head off at Phrasal verbs. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > rate of motion > move at specific rate [verb (transitive)] > gain (ground) upon > catch up or overtake > so as to turn back or aside forehent1590 head1707 to head off1825 1707 T. Howe & J. Converse Let. 19 Aug. in Early Rec. Lancaster, Mass. 1643–1725 (1884) 165 We have sent about thirty men to waylay them or head them if they can. 1716 B. Church Entertaining Passages Philip's War i. 40 Concluding that if they headed him and beat him back, that he would take back in his own Track. 1812 Sporting Mag. 39 232 The fox being repeatedly headed, the hounds ran into him. 1823 W. Scott Let. 6 Mar. (1934) VII. 348 The Bavarian Genl...tried to head back Bony in his retreat from Leipsicke. 1893 F. C. Selous Trav. S.-E. Afr. 75 I saw that I must head my eland before she crossed the valley. 1935 T. Craig Paraguayan Interlude xvi. 183 I managed to head them before they broke through to the other side. b. transitive. New Zealand and Australian. Esp. of a heading dog: to stop or guide (sheep or cattle) by heading (heading n. 7). Cf. heading dog n. at heading n. Compounds 3. Also intransitive. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > sheep-farming > rear sheep or wool [verb (transitive)] > herd > action of sheep-dog head1933 1933 L. G. D. Acland in Press (Christchurch, N.Z.) 28 Oct. 15/7 A dog goes round to the far side of a mob of sheep and stops them. This is called heading... The owner would also say ‘I can head with him’. 1947 P. Newton Wayleggo (1949) v. 52 This dog would ‘head a nor'wester’. 1981 M. Anderson Both Sides of River 78 One of the musterers..gave him his first dog..who would hunt as well as head. 1995 C. Seis Working Dogs viii. 83 A dog that is a good cattle worker must have the strength to head and heel the bigger animals. 2007 T. Williams Working Sheep Dogs iii. 26 The most basic holding instinct is the instinct to head moving sheep. 20. Originally Nautical. With adverb or prepositional phrase. a. intransitive. To move forwards in a specified direction or towards a particular place or thing. Later also more generally: to go, make one's way. Also transitive: to follow (a course, way, etc.) in a specified direction. ΘΚΠ society > travel > aspects of travel > travel in specific course or direction > direct one's course [verb (intransitive)] thinkeOE bowa1000 seta1000 scritheOE minlOE turnc1175 to wend one's wayc1225 ettlec1275 hieldc1275 standc1300 to take (the) gatec1330 bear?c1335 applyc1384 aim?a1400 bend1399 hita1400 straighta1400 bounc1400 intendc1425 purposec1425 appliquec1440 stevenc1440 shape1480 make1488 steera1500 course1555 to make out1558 to make in1575 to make for ——a1593 to make forth1594 plyc1595 trend1618 tour1768 to lie up1779 head1817 loop1898 society > travel > aspects of travel > travel in specific course or direction > direct (one's course, steps, etc.) [verb (transitive)] > be bound for or head for drawc1275 to-hieldc1275 roama1375 pretend1481 pursue1488 to make forth1508 to be in gate to1548 to make to ——a1568 to make unto ——1593 to be for1606 to set one's face for (from, to, towards)1611 steer1667 head1880 hit1889 1817 A. Delano Narr. Voy. & Trav. Northern & Southern Hemispheres xxiv. 468 I was just heading for the land, when..I saw one of my faithful sailors..making towards me with all possible exertion. 1834 Sporting Mag. Mar. 425/2 Forcing their fox to break with some difficulty, he headed for Drem Hill. 1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast iv. 7 We saw a small, clipper-built brig..heading directly after us. 1880 D. Lloyd George Family Lett. 77 The ships now headed their course for the Falkland Islands. 1922 Illustr. World Mar. 46/1 I headed home again, and went once more to selling soap. 1942 Boys' Life Nov. 11/1 The lights he saw were those of a plane heading for the air station. 1991 Details Apr. 10/1 Heading down to the gun club for target practice is the highlight of my week. 2008 A. Nersesian Sacrificial Circumcision of Bronx 261 Once he had located the address of the Russian embassy in the phone book, he headed over in a cab. b. intransitive. Of a trail, road, tracks, etc.: to lead in a specified direction or towards a specified place or thing. ΚΠ 1818 J. Paddock Narr. Shipwreck Oswego iii. 63 Seeing several fresh tracks on the sand, all heading westward as before, we became more and more in fear of meeting the natives. 1873 Japan Weekly Mail 21 May 219/1 The road heading to Noge hill swarmed with sight-seers. 1880 C. C. Adley Rep. Pioneer Mining Co. 2 Oct. 1 Two strong veins..heading on in the direction of the main lode. 1905 Amateur Naturalist July 61 The quaint footprints headed straight for the bank of the creek. 1985 J. Sherwood Botanist at Bay iv. 45 Where the main road headed up to the pass, Marano branched off it along an unsealed road. 2010 J. Gillham Mountains of Snowdonia I. 96/2 Beyond it a narrow path heads towards the huge cliffs of Craig yr Ysfa. c. transitive. To direct the course of (a person or thing) towards a particular place, person, or thing; to cause to go in a specified direction. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > cause to move in a direction [verb (transitive)] steerc888 righteOE wisec1330 guy1362 makea1425 guide?a1505 to make forth1508 direct1526 to make out1560 bend1582 incline1597 work1667 usher1668 head1826 humour1847 vector1966 target1974 society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > direct or manage ship [verb (transitive)] > set a ship's course > direct vessel on certain course steer1470 haul1589 stem1594 head1826 1826 Telescope 15 Apr. 184/1 The man at the helm so lost his presence of mind that he headed the boat directly for the Niagara Falls. 1888 B. W. Richardson Son of Star III. xi. 200 Joshua heads his troops towards Caesarea Philippi. 1921 Amer. Hatter July 125/1 His plane caught fire. With great presence of mind he headed his plane for the sea, made a nose dive and escaped with severe burns. 1985 R. S. Peffer Watermen (1991) 8 Bart Murphy..said maybe I better head the boat up toward the starting line. 2003 H. Henson Making Run 162 I head the car toward the bypass, not sure where I'm going. d. transitive (in passive). Originally and chiefly U.S. To be moving in a specified direction or towards a particular place, person, or thing; to be moving or going. ΚΠ 1831 C. S. Stewart Visit to South Seas I. 220 The ship was headed for Nukuhiva. 1869 Galaxy Feb. 217 It went against me to keep her [sc. the mare] up, but it was life and death to me, and we were headed home. 1914 Hunter-Trader-Trapper May 69/1 We stood very still and presently I knew they [sc. racoons] were headed towards us and getting louder and louder. 1980 A. Maupin More Tales of City 64 She was headed for the door of the Superman Building. 2007 N. Sheff Tweak 250 Jerome..talks to me about where I'm headed and what a wonderful place it is. 21. Frequently with for. a. intransitive. To proceed towards a particular state of affairs, consequence, or outcome; to progress, move forward in time. Cf. to head south at south adv. 3. ΚΠ 1885 S. Johnson Oriental Relig.: Persia 327 The confluence and conflict of Asiatic races had necessitated the appearance of a select tribe capable of commanding these vast materials, whose ferment was now heading towards a definite world-result. 1898 19th Cent. Nov. 698 The peace burdens of nations have gone on increasing.., pressing heavily upon the masses in every country and heading straight for economic disaster. 1903 G. B. Shaw Man & Superman ii. 56 I rather think Rhoda is heading for a row with Ann. 1942 W. Lewis Let. 30 Apr. (1963) 320 Meanwhile we are heading for an economic freeze-up. 1973 Billboard 16 June 23/1 As we head into summer some interesting trends can be observed. 2009 Independent 19 Feb. 32/4 Without visionary leadership and a new economic orthodoxy.., we are heading for disaster. b. transitive (in passive) in same sense. ΚΠ 1890 Amer. Practitioner & News 9 130/1 Though defeated in time, he is headed for victory in eternity. 1926 Joplin (Missouri) Globe 6 May 6/1 It is not believed there are more than a hundred individuals left, and that they are surely headed toward extinction. 1944 C. Jackson Lost Weekend 64 Why hadn't someone been decent enough to come over to his table and say ‘Careful there, friend, you're headed for trouble, we see you?’ 1961 Winnipeg Free Press 9 Dec. 30/3 Instead of saying that we are headed for the worst, let us keep our vision trained on the best. 1986 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 8 Jan. a6 Do you agree with Secretary Block that we've turned the corner on the farm economy and are headed for better times? 2001 Northern Territory News (Austral.) (Nexis) 11 Apr. 11 The Australian economy is in tatters, the country is headed for recession and there's no good news ahead. VI. To strike with the head. †22. transitive. To strike or drive at (something) with the head; to headbutt. Obsolete.Apparently an isolated use. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific thing > strike with specific thing [verb (transitive)] > with the head busha1387 butt1590 head1784 browbeat1830 puck1861 headbutt1934 nut1937 headbang1984 1784 Laura & Augustus II. 30 Old Crabtree..headed and handled the door so dexterously, that he sprained his collar-bone. 23. transitive. Association Football. To strike (a ball) with a part of the head, esp. the forehead; to make or meet (a pass, shot, etc.) by this means; to score (a goal) by this means. Also intransitive. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > impelling or driving > impel or drive [verb (transitive)] > by impact or force > with the head head1871 society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > play football [verb (transitive)] > actions or manoeuvres place-kick1845 punt1845 dribble1863 head1871 tackle1884 mark1887 foot1900 boot1914 rumble1954 late-tackle1957 dummy1958 crash-tackle1960 to pick up1961 nod1965 slot1970 welly1986 1871 Sheffield & Rotherham Independent 7 Nov. 3/4 The first goal scored was obtained by Mr. H. Ash, who judiciously headed the ball through. 1890 Cambr. Rev. 23 Jan. 161/1 A mistake by the backs..enabled R. C. Gosling to head a goal. 1907 North-China Herald 22 Feb. 393/2 Beryl headed a pass from Macdonald to the right wing. 1930 Daily Express 9 Sept. 12/2 Wednesday were playing very well..and Rimmer headed the equaliser just inside half an hour. 1981 Times 21 May 12/3 Oekland..steered a precision pass to Thoresen, who headed home from close range. 2003 G. Beim & R. Winter Female Athlete's Body Bk. ii. 30 Players who headed the ball more frequently..had higher rates of cognitive loss than players who used the technique less often. Phrasal verbs to head off 1. transitive. a. To move ahead of so as to intercept, or so as to obstruct and cause to turn back or aside.to head off at the pass: see pass n.¹ 5b. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > rate of motion > move at specific rate [verb (transitive)] > gain (ground) upon > catch up or overtake > so as to turn back or aside forehent1590 head1707 to head off1825 1825 E. Mackenzie Hist. View Northumberland (ed. 2) II. 144 The fox took towards Rotherbury Forest... Here it appears he was headed off. 1879 Bee-keepers' Mag. Jan. 9 The bumble..would try to head off the bees and drive them away from the hive. 1922 Boys' Life Sept. 51/2 Jim..let it [sc. a mouse] run about on the table, heading it off each time it came too near the edge. 1954 J. S. Wallerstein Cactus Wildcat 19 Mount your steeds. Head him off before he reaches the canyon. 2004 C. H. Harris & L. R. Sadler Texas Rangers & Mexican Revol. vi. 183 The Rangers had orders to organize a posse at Lobo and try to head off the thieves before they could drive the stolen stock across the river. b. To stop (a person or thing) from accomplishing some purpose, goal, task, etc.; (also) to anticipate and prevent; to avert. ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > the past > antecedence or being earlier > precede or come before [verb (transitive)] > anticipate or forestall before-takea1382 preventc1425 devance1485 prevenea1500 lurch1530 to take before the bounda1556 to be aforehand with1570 to be beforehand with1574 to meet halfwaya1586 preoccupate1588 forestall1589 fore-run1591 surprise1591 antedate1595 foreprise1597 preoccupy1607 preoccupy1638 pre-act1655 anticipatea1682 obviate1712 to head off1841 beat1847 to beat out1893 pre-empt1957 the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > movement towards a thing, person, or position > meeting or encounter > meet or encounter [verb (transitive)] > meet and obstruct the course of to cross the path of (any one)1820 to head off1841 to block off1893 1841 J. F. Cooper Deerslayer v. 29 But ‘head him off’, as you say of the deer. 1866 Missionary Mag. July 232 The Pastors..have failed..to foresee and head off disaster. 1891 R. H. Savage My Official Wife iii. 35 To head my rival off I indulged in a tremendous flirtation. 1913 F. N. Greene Right of Strongest xiii. 160 Who on earth succeeded in heading Horton off from finishing that story? 1979 G. A. Dorfman Govt. versus Trade Unionism in Brit. Politics since 1968 iii. 60 The Official Solicitor..headed off the crisis by suddenly and mysteriously taking up the dockers' defence. 2008 B. G. Ramcharan Preventative Diplomacy at UN 1 Wherever feasible, everything possible should be done to head off a conflict or disaster. 2. intransitive. To leave, depart. Cf. sense 20. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going away > go away [verb (intransitive)] wendeOE i-wite971 ashakec975 shakeOE to go awayOE witea1000 afareOE agoOE atwendOE awayOE to wend awayOE awendOE gangOE rimeOE flitc1175 to fare forthc1200 depart?c1225 part?c1225 partc1230 to-partc1275 biwitec1300 atwitea1325 withdrawa1325 to draw awayc1330 passc1330 to turn one's (also the) backc1330 lenda1350 begonec1370 remuea1375 voidc1374 removec1380 to long awaya1382 twinc1386 to pass one's wayc1390 trussc1390 waive1390 to pass out ofa1398 avoida1400 to pass awaya1400 to turn awaya1400 slakec1400 wagc1400 returnc1405 to be gonea1425 muck1429 packc1450 recede1450 roomc1450 to show (a person) the feetc1450 to come offc1475 to take one's licence1475 issue1484 devoidc1485 rebatea1500 walka1500 to go adieua1522 pikea1529 to go one's ways1530 retire?1543 avaunt1549 to make out1558 trudge1562 vade?1570 fly1581 leave1593 wag1594 to get off1595 to go off1600 to put off1600 shog1600 troop1600 to forsake patch1602 exit1607 hence1614 to give offa1616 to take off1657 to move off1692 to cut (also slip) the painter1699 sheera1704 to go about one's business1749 mizzle1772 to move out1792 transit1797–1803 stump it1803 to run away1809 quit1811 to clear off1816 to clear out1816 nash1819 fuff1822 to make (take) tracks (for)1824 mosey1829 slope1830 to tail out1830 to walk one's chalks1835 to take away1838 shove1844 trot1847 fade1848 evacuate1849 shag1851 to get up and get1854 to pull out1855 to cut (the) cable(s)1859 to light out1859 to pick up1872 to sling one's Daniel or hook1873 to sling (also take) one's hook1874 smoke1893 screw1896 shoot1897 voetsak1897 to tootle off1902 to ship out1908 to take a (run-out, walk-out, etc.) powder1909 to push off1918 to bugger off1922 biff1923 to fuck off1929 to hit, split or take the breeze1931 to jack off1931 to piss offa1935 to do a mick1937 to take a walk1937 to head off1941 to take a hike1944 moulder1945 to chuff off1947 to get lost1947 to shoot through1947 skidoo1949 to sod off1950 peel1951 bug1952 split1954 poop1961 mugger1962 frig1965 1941 Boston Sunday Globe 5 Oct. (Mag section) 13/4 Wade and Gleason headed off on foot, each with six-gun in hand. 1969 J. K. Baxter Flowering Cross 89 She felt she would have to head off with this other man though she still hated the thought of hurting her husband. 1989 R. Curtis & B. Elton Blackadder goes Forth in R. Curtis et al. Blackadder: Whole Damn Dynasty (1998) 350/2 (stage direct.) He heads off sparkily. 2008 D. Blacklock Crossing Paths 136 ‘I'd better get going,’ he said... ‘Then I might head off too,’ said Angie, getting up. to head up 1. transitive. To close up (a barrel, cask, or similar vessel) by fitting a head; to enclose (something) in a barrel or cask by this means. Also occasionally intransitive. Now chiefly historical. Cf. sense 10. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > close or shut [verb (transitive)] > a receptacle > specifically a cask head1558 to head up1641 1641 S. Smith Herring-bvsse Trade 10 [He] then fills them up, and Heads up the Barrels. 1727 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Oeconomique (Dublin ed.) at Herrings In a fresh Barrel..close packed and headed up by a sworn Cooper. 1763 J. Mills New Syst. Pract. Husbandry III. ii. iv. 99 For the keeping of meal..head it up closely, in clean, dry, tight, and well bound casks. 1800 P. Colquhoun Treat. Commerce & Police R. Thames ii. 59 To open and again head-up the casks. 1833 Fraser's Mag. 8 57 I was going to pack my most valuable seeds, and head them up in flour-barrels. 1884 Rep. Fruit Growers' Assoc. Ont. 1883 93 Having obtained the barrels, I number the bottom and sides before I remove the bottoms, to secure the right ones when heading up. 1916 Country Gentleman 22 July 1395 He quickly filled in and shook down the apples.., headed up the barrels, paid for them, and so filled his car. 2003 E. Mathews Ambassador to Penguins v. 33 Spare sails, rigging, flour, salt beef..and tobacco were all headed up in casks of various sorts. 2. transitive. To cause (water) to accumulate by blocking or impeding its flow. Also intransitive: (of water) to accumulate in this way. Also figurative. Cf. head n.¹ 44b. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > water > lake > pool > [verb (transitive)] > collect or store water feed1582 to head up1821 impound1862 1821 M. Holderness Notes rel. to Manners & Customs Crim Tatars 118 The value of all garden ground is estimated by the facility with which it may be watered... The water is headed up for the purpose. 1829 I. Taylor Nat. Hist. Enthusiasm x. 281 The means of diffusing religious knowledge, being..accumulated, and headed up above the level of the plains of China. 1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Heading up the land water, when the flood-tide is backed by a wind, so that the ebb is retarded, causing an overflow. 1903 H. M. Wilson Irrigation in India vii. 135 This increase of velocity..is guarded against by heading the water up at the crest of the fall by means of sleepers dropped in grooves of the piers. 1933 J. G. Sutton Design & Operation of Drainage Pumping Plants 52 The trash screen should be kept free from trash to prevent water heading up unnecessarily. 2010 P. K. Parua Ganga Introd. p. xix Diverting water from the Ganga into a long and wide feeder canal by throwing a barrage across it and artificially heading up the water. 3. intransitive. North American. Of a subject, question, etc.: to come up, arise; (also) to reach a critical point or climax. Now rare. ΚΠ 1903 Canada Law Jrnl. Nov. 682 The subject of legal education headed up in a resolution that it is desirable that a general school of law should be established. 1906 Springfield (Mass.) Weekly Republican 29 Nov. 3 When important questions are heading up. 1941 W. J. Cash Mind of South iii. ii. 292 The..anti-evolution campaign which headed up in the trial of John T. Scopes at Dayton, Tennessee. 4. transitive. Originally U.S. To be the head of; to be in charge or in control of. Cf. sense 3. ΘΚΠ society > authority > [verb (transitive)] > have authority over > as captain or head headc1390 captain1598 to head up1904 1904 Commons June 256/2 Alderman Herrman..headed up the ‘Graft Investigation’. 1917 Ohio State Univ. Monthly Mar. 40/1 The day will be a great success especially with Lowry Sater heading up the committee. 1971 Daily Tel. 21 Oct. 10 (advt.) We need women who can head up the book department of several of our branches throughout England and Wales. 1990 Independent on Sunday 28 Jan. 3 (advt.) I want you to head it up Fortescue... Study the market, pick the people. 2006 T. Atlas & P. Alson Atlas 253 I'm going to be heading up Michael's new management team. Don't worry, you're still with us, Teddy, but everyone else is gone. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022). > see also also refers to : -headsuffix < n.¹eOEn.²1893n.³1959v.OE see also
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> see also

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