ass-headedadj.
/ˈashɛdᵻd/, U.S. /ˈæsˌhɛdəd/ 1. Stupid, foolish, idiotic.Not recorded in 18th cent.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > stupidity, dullness of intellect > [adjective]
sloweOE
stuntc960
dullOE
hardOE
stuntlyc1000
sotc1050
dillc1175
dulta1225
simplea1325
heavy1340
astonedc1374
sheepishc1380
dull-witteda1387
lourd1390
steerishc1411
ass-likea1425
brainless?a1439
deafc1440
sluggishc1450
short-witted1477
obtuse1509
peakish1519
wearish1519
deaf, or dumb as a beetle1520
doileda1522
gross1526
headlessa1530
stulty1532
ass-headed1533
pot-headed1533
stupid?1541
sheep's head1542
doltish1543
dumpish1545
assish1548
blockish1548
slow-witted1548
blockheaded1549
surd1551
dull-headed1552
hammer-headed1552
skit-brained?1553
buzzardly1561
witless1562
log-headeda1566
assy1566
sottish1566
dastardly1567
stupidious1567
beetle-headed1570
calvish1570
bluntish1578
cod's-headed1578
grout-headed1578
bedaft1579
dull-pated1580
blate1581
buzzard-like1581
long-eared1582
dullard1583
woodena1586
duncical1588
leaden-headed1589
buzzard1592
dorbellical1592
dunstical1592
heavy-headeda1593
shallow-brained1592
blunt-witted1594
mossy1597
Bœotian1598
clay-brained1598
fat1598
fat-witted1598
knotty-pated1598
stupidous1598
wit-lost1599
barren1600
duncifiedc1600
lourdish1600
stockish1600
thick1600
booby1603
leaden-pated1603
partless1603
thin-headed1603
leaden-skulledc1604
blockhead1606
frost-brained1606
ram-headed1608
beef-witted1609
insulse1609
leaden-spirited1609
asininec1610
clumse1611
blockheadly1612
wattle-headed1613
flata1616
logger-headeda1616
puppy-headeda1616
shallow-patedc1616
thick-brained1619
half-headed1621
buzzard-blinda1625
beef-brained1628
toom-headed1629
thick-witted1634
woollen-witted1635
squirrel-headed1637
clod-pated1639
lean-souled1639
muddy-headed1642
leaden-witteda1645
as sad as any mallet1645
under-headed1646
fat-headed1647
half-witted1647
insipid1651
insulsate1652
soft-headed1653
thick-skulleda1657
muddish1658
non-intelligent1659
whey-brained1660
sap-headed1665
timber-headed1666
leather-headeda1668
out of (one's) tree1669
boobily1673
thoughtless1673
lourdly1674
logger1675
unintelligenta1676
Bœotic1678
chicken-brained1678
under-witted1683
loggerhead1684
dunderheaded1692
unintelligible1694
buffle-headed1697
crassicc1700
numbskulled1707
crassous1708
doddy-polled1708
haggis-headed1715
niddy-noddy1722
muzzy1723
pudding-headed1726
sumphish1728
pitcher-souleda1739
duncey1743
hebete1743
chuckheaded1756
dumb1756
duncely1757
imbecile1766
mutton-headed1768
chuckle-headed1770
jobbernowl1770
dowfarta1774
boobyish1778
wittol1780
staumrel1787
opaquec1789
stoopid1791
mud-headed1793
borné1795
muzzy-headed1798
nog-headed1800
thick-headed1801
gypit1804
duncish1805
lightweight1809
numbskull1814
tup-headed1816
chuckle-pate1820
unintellectuala1821
dense1822
ninnyish1822
dunch1825
fozy1825
potato-headed1826
beef-headed1828
donkeyish1831
blockheadish1833
pinheaded1837
squirrel-minded1837
pumpkin-headed1838
tomfoolish1838
dundering1840
chicken-headed1842
like a bump on a log1842
ninny-minded1849
numbheadeda1852
nincompoopish1852
suet-brained1852
dolly1853
mullet-headed1853
sodden1853
fiddle-headed1854
numb1854
bovine1855
logy1859
crass1861
unsmart1861
off his chump1864
wooden-headed1865
stupe1866
lean-minded1867
duffing1869
cretinous1871
doddering1871
thick-head1873
doddling1874
stupido1879
boneheaded1883
woolly-headed1883
leaden-natured1889
suet-headed1890
sam-sodden1891
dopey1896
turnip-headed1898
bonehead1903
wool-witted1905
peanut-headed1906
peanut-brained1907
dilly1909
torpid-minded1909
retardate1912
nitwitted1917
meat-headed1918
mug1922
cloth-headed1925
loopy1925
nitwit1928
lame-brained1929
dead from the neck up1930
simpy1932
nail-headed1936
square-headed1936
dingbats1937
pinhead1939
dim-witted1940
pea-brained1942
clueless1943
lobotomized1943
retarded1949
pointy-headed1950
clottish1952
like a stunned mullet1953
silly (or crazy) as a two-bob watch1954
out to lunch1955
pin-brained1958
dozy1959
eejity1964
out of one's tiny mind1965
doofus1967
twitty1967
twittish1969
twatty1975
twattish1976
blur1977
dof1979
goofus1981
dickheaded1991
dickish1991
numpty1992
cockish1996
1533 T. More 2nd Pt. Confut. Tyndals Answere vii. p. ccccxxvi Thys felowes folyshe apyshenesse, and all his asseheded exclamacyons.
1592 T. Nashe Pierce Penilesse (Huntington Libr. copy) sig. Cv They are an arrogant Asse-headed people, that naturally hate learning, and all them that loue it.
1609 J. Dowland tr. A. Ornithoparchus Micrologus ii. xiii. 65 Asse-headed ignorance [L. asininam ignorantiam].
1839 Wizard of Windshaw I. vi. 100 Ye ass-headed dolts, that have gone thrusting yourselves, without cause, in the way o' the fellow's clapper-clawing.
1856 Semi-weekly Raleigh (N. Carolina) Reg. 31 Dec. An ass-headed set of political tricksters.
1948 T. A. Bailey Man in Street xxii. 257 The reactionary powers of Europe..were presumably preparing to restore the tyranny of the ass-headed Spanish king over his revolted American colonies.
1995 South China Morning Post (Hong Kong) 22 Apr. 14 Asinine architects, stupid surveyors, ass-headed accountants..will fail anyway.
2. Of a person, deity, etc.: having the head of an ass.In later use frequently with reference to the character Bottom, in Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream (1600), a weaver whose head is turned into that of an ass by the fairy Puck.Apparently unattested in the 17th and 18th centuries.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > types of head > [adjective] > having
headedOE
cop-headed1519
small-headedc1540
jolt-headed1552
chuff-headed1563
ass-headed1584
two-headed1596
golden-headed1598
hard-headed1601
big-headed1614
bicipitous1646
buffle-headed1654
female-headed1655
heavy-headed1684
bullet-headed1699
jolter-headed1748
pinheaded1771
pigheaded1774
thin-headed1804
roundhead1842
bulbous-headed1860
blob-headed1865
occipital1873
fat-headed1883
mesopic1885
peanut-headed1906
dome-headed1910
1584 R. Scot Discouerie Witchcraft v. v. 99 Bodins asseheaded man must either eate haie, or nothing: as appearethe in the storie.
1807 C. Lamb Tales from Shakespeare I. ii. 37 ‘Where is Pease-blossom?’ said the ass-headed clown.
1867 H. M. Westropp Handbk. Archæol. ii. 300 Seth.., the ass-headed god of the Semitic tribes.
1928 Times 4 Jan. 13/6 Animals—real or fabulous—engraved on the seals,..especially..a pair of ass-headed creatures.
1984 Times Lit. Suppl. 21 Sept. 16/2 The basic comedy of situation as delicate fairy queen falls in love with braying ass-headed weaver.
2007 Cornish Guardian (Nexis) 7 Mar. 16 Sexy siren Titania falls prey to her cohort's mischief and finds herself swept off her feet by the ass-headed Bottom.
Derivatives
ˌass-ˈheadedness n.
ΚΠ
1617 J. Minsheu Ἡγεμὼν είς τὰς γλῶσσας: Ductor in Linguas Asseheaddiness, or blockishnesse.]
1845 Jrnl. Health & Dis. Sept. 43 The mule has..the ass-headedness of the ass.
1905 J. S. Farmer & W. E. Henley Dict. Slang & Colloquial Eng. 16/1 Assheadedness, folly.
2013 E. Frattaroli in S. Akhtar Guilt vii. 91 My father's intolerance of my ‘ass-headedness’.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2018; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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adj.1533