• H.B.S.
n. c1930 jocular usage – human beings
• H.E.
n. 1940s services’ usage – a severe reprimand, ‘High Explosive’
• HE!
int. a1300 – an exclamation used to draw attention or express emotion
• HEAB
n. 1967 Amer. dial., derogatory – a Jew
• HEAD
adj. 1895 Amer. dial. – best, chief, most able
n. 1. c893 – the chief city, the capital; the chief or most excellent part
n. 2. c897 – a person to whom others are subordinate; a chief, a captain, a commander, a ruler, a leader, a principal person
n. 3. c1420 hunting usage – the antlers of a deer, roe-buck, etc.
n. 4. 1588 obs. – a body of people gathered
n. 5. 1715 Sc. & Eng. dial. – the higher end of a place, the upper part of a street; a hill or eminence
n. 6. 1848 Amer. sl. – the mouth (as a source of offensive or inappropriate talk); constructed esp. with ‘open’ or ‘shut’, as in ‘keep your head shut’
n. 7. 1869 Amer. sl. – a headache caused by overindulgence in alcoholic beverages; a hangover
n. 8. 1879 Eng. dial. – the source or spring of a stream or river
n. 9. 1882 Sc. & Eng. dial. – the hair of the head
n. 10. 19C colloq. – the toilet on a ship
n. 11. Bk1902 Eng. dial. – cream upon the surface of milk
n. 12. Bk1902 Eng. dial. – the stomach
n. 13. 1911 sl., orig. US – someone addicted to a drug, usually specified
n. 14. 1929-33 Amer. sl. – an illegal immigrant
n. 15. 1933 Amer. sl. – a young woman or girl; usually used with an adjective, as in ‘a wise head’
n. 16. 1941 Amer. sl. – fellatio or cunnilingus
n. 17. 1942 Amer. sl., orig. nautical & US Marine Corps usage – any lavatory; a toilet
n. 18. 1952 Amer. drug culture sl. – a drug-induced state
n. 19. 1954-60 Amer. sl. rare – sexual intercourse as experienced by a woman; usually considered vulgar
n. 20. 1954-60 Amer. sl. – the erect penis
n. 21. 1966 Amer. dial. – a plug of chewing tobacco
vb. 1. a1300 obs. – to cut off or remove the head; to decapitate, to behead a person
vb. 2. c1470 – to remove the head of an animal
vb. 3. 1707 Amer. dial. – to intercept, to turn someone to something aside
vb. 4. 1711 – to surpass, to outdo, to excel; to outwit, to get the better of
• HEADACHE
int. 1944 Amer. dial. – used as a warning to beware of falling or low-hanging objects
n. 1. a1825 – a rustic name for the wild poppy, Papaver Rhoeas, from the effect of its odour
n. 2. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – a loved one; a sweetheart
• HEADACHE WHISKEY
n. 1968 Amer. dial. – moonshine
• HEADACHE-WINE
n. Bk1902 Eng. dial. – a drink made of the petals of the poppy
• HEAD AND CROP
adv. 1854 Eng. dial. – completely
• HEAD AND EARS
adv. 1824 Amer. dial. – deeply, completely
• HEAD AND FOOT
adv. 1784 – completely, thoroughly
• HEAD AND HANG
vb. 1893 Sc. – to punish severely
• HEAD AND HEAD
adj. 1966 Amer. dial. – just about equal, very close
• HEAD AND HEELS
adv. Bk1902 Eng. dial. – completely, altogether, without reserve; with great earnestness
• HEAD AND HIDE
adv. 1868 Sc. – completely, altogether, without reserve; with great earnestness
• HEAD AND TAIL
adv. 1853 Sc. – completely, altogether, without reserve; with great earnestness
• HEAD AND THRAWART
adv. 1893 Sc. – in confusion, pell-mell
• HEAD-ANGLES
n. 1570 obs. – vertical or opposite angles
• HEAD-BANGER
n. 1983 sl. – a crazy or eccentric person
• HEAD-BEETLER
n. 1874 Eng. dial. – any foreman or man in charge of workmen
• HEAD-BILLIE-DAWKUS
n. 1893 Sc. – one who has the chief charge, the presiding genius
• HEAD-BIT
n. Bk1902 Eng. dial. – a masterpiece; something surprising or astonishing
• HEAD-BONE
n. c1205 obs. – the skull
• HEADBOROUGH
n. c1440 – orig. the head of a tithing, or frank-pledge; later, a parish officer identical in functions with the petty constable
• HEAD-BOUND
adj. a1616 – wearing a turban
• HEAD-BUMMER
n. 1864 Sc. – the head of a house; the chief representative of a family; the principal person
• HEAD-BUSTER
n. 1966 Amer. dial. – whisky, esp. illegally made or bad whisky
• HEAD-CADAB
n. 1823 Sc. – a clever, sharp person; one quick of understanding
• HEAD CASE
n. 1971 sl., chiefly Brit. – a mentally deranged person; hence, someone whose behaviour is violent and unpredictable
• HEAD CHEESE
n. 1914 US sl. – the person in charge
• HEADCLOTH
n. 1747 Amer. dial. – a kerchief
• HEADER
n. 1. 1432-50 obs. – one who beheads; a headsman, an executioner
n. 2. 1537 obs. rare – one who makes head against or resists something; an opponent
n. 3. 1818 boxing usage – a blow on the head
n. 4. 1818 rare – one who heads or leads a party, etc.; a leader
n. 5. 1848 rare – one who dives head foremost
n. 6. 1849 colloq. – a headfirst fall; a plunge or dive head foremost
• HEADEST
adj. 1. 1577 obs. rare – chiefest
adj. 2. 1944 Amer. dial. – most advantageous
• HEAD-FILLIN’
n. 1877 Eng. dial. – brains, mental power
• HEADFOREMOST
adv. 1871 rare – headlong, precipitate
• HEAD-FOUNTAIN
n. 1688 obs. – fountainhead, source, origin
• HEAD-FREE
adj. 1898 Eng. dial. – of a horse: unbridled
• HEADFUCKER
n. 1. M20 US sl. – a disorienting or disruptive person, situation, or object
n. 2. M20 US drug culture sl. – a powerful and disorienting drug
• HEAD-GEAR
n. Bk1902 Eng. dial. – mental equipment, brains, good sense, ability
• HEAD-GO
n. Bk1902 Eng. dial. – the best of anything
• HEAD HANDKERCHIEF
n. 1852 Amer. dial. – a kerchief
• HEAD-HANKCHER
n. 1908 Amer. dial. – a kerchief
• HEAD-HANKERCHER
n. 1908 Amer. dial. – a kerchief
• HEAD-HILL
n. 1685 Sc. obs. – the hill of execution, the spot where criminals were beheaded
• HEADHOOD
n. c1449 obs. rare – the position or office of head, chief, principal, or supreme governor; chiefship, leadership; the first place or position; supremacy, primacy
• HEAD-HUNG
adj. 1631 obs. – hanging the head, despondent
• HEADHUNTER
n. M20 US sl. – a lecher; a hunter of maidenheads
• HEAD-ICE
n. 1853 Sc. – in curling: the ice at the heads or ends of a rink
• HEADILY
adv. 1. c1450 – headlong, precipitately, hastily, rashly; violently, impetuously
adv. 2. c1450 obs. – eagerly
• HEAD IN
vb. 1949 Amer. dial. – to back down or yield in an argument; to keep or become quiet
• HEADING
n. 1. a1300 arch. – a beheading, decapitation
n. 2. 1819 – the process of coming to a head; culmination
n. 3. 1853 Amer. dial. – a pillow or bolster; cloth or other material used to support the head
• HEADINGEST
adj. 1952 Amer. dial. – most unusual or striking
• HEADING-UP
n. 1857 – the process of coming to a head; culmination
• HEAD INTO
vb. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – to begin, to commence
• HEADISH
adj. 1. 1530 obs. rare exc. Amer. dial. – heady, headstrong
adj. 2. Bk1902 Eng. dial. – intelligent, clever, sharp
• HEAD IT
vb. 1684 obs. – to make head, to advance
• HEAD JOINT
n. 1968 Amer. dial. bricklayers’ usage – a nonexistent item used as the basis of a practical joke
• HEADKERCHER
n. 1577 rare – a kerchief for the head
• HEADKERCHIEF
n. 1540 rare – a kerchief for the head
• HEAD KNOCK
n. 1946 Amer. dial., African American usage – God or Jesus
• HEAD-KNOCKER
n. 1965 Amer. dial. – a dentist
• HEADLAND
adj. 1863 Eng. dial. – headlong, precipitate, giddy
adv. 1863 Eng. dial. – headlong, precipitately
• HEADLANDS
adv. 1892 Eng. dial. – headlong, precipitately
• HEAD-LANGUAGER
n. 1879 Eng. dial. – a clever fellow; a prodigy
• HEAD-LAPPED
adj. 1893 Eng. dial. – dead and laid out for burial
• HEADLESS
adj. 1. 1526 – wanting in brains or intellect; brainless
adj. 2. 1586 – of things, actions, etc.: senseless, stupid
adj. 3. 1899 Sc. – fatherless; orphaned
• HEADLESS CHICKEN
n. 1993 sl. – someone who has lost composure
• HEADLET
n. 1. 1577 obs. exc. Eng. dial. – a little or miniature head, as the bud of a plant
n. 2. Bk1902 Eng. dial. – the top of anything
• HEAD-LIGHT
adj. 1899 Sc. – giddy, dizzy, light-headed
(nouns as ‘headlight’)
n. 1. 1934 Amer. dial. – a light-skinned Black person
n. 2. 1940 Amer. dial. – kerosene
n. 3. 1960 Amer. dial. – a woman’s breast
• HEAD-LIGHTNESS
n. 1899 Sc. – giddiness, dizziness
• HEADLIGHT OIL
n. 1940 Amer. dial. – kerosene
• HEADLIGHTS
n. 1. 1942 Amer. sl. – eyeglasses
n. 2. 1960s Amer. sl. – eyes
• HEADLING
adj. c1510 obs. – precipitate
adv. 1. a1300 obs. – with the head foremost; headlong
adv. 2. 1421-2 obs. – without thought or regard; thoughtlessly, precipitately
n. c950 obs. – an equal, a fellow, a mate
• HEADLINGS
adv. 1. c1380 obs. – without thought or regard; thoughtlessly, precipitately
adv. 2. c1400 obs. – with the head foremost; headlong
• HEADLONG
vb. 1. c1586 obs. – to cast headlong; to precipitate
vb. 2. 1654 obs. – to proceed in a headlong fashion
• HEADLONGLY
adv. 1610 obs. – in a headlong manner
• HEADLONGNESS
n. 1580 rare – headlong quality or speed; precipitateness, rashness
• HEADLONGS
adv. 1546 obs. exc. Eng. dial. – headlong
• HEADLONGWISE
adv. 1600 obs. – in a headlong way, precipitately
• HEADLY
adj. 971 obs. – chief, principal
adv. 1388 obs. – in a heady manner; impetuously, precipitately; headily
• HEADMAN
n. 1. c1000 – a chief man, chief, leader
n. 2. 1673 obs. rare – a headsman, an executioner
n. 3. 1819 Eng. dial. – the chief labourer on a farm
• HEADMARK
n. 1. 1715 Sc. & Eng. dial. – the natural characteristics of a person or animal, the countenance; observation of the features of a person or animal
n. 2. 1904 Amer. dial. – a mark of recognition given to a student for being at the head of the class, often in spelling
• HEAD-MONEY
n. a1533 obs. – payment for redemption from death
• HEADMOST
adj. Bk1902 Sc. – top-most
adv. Bk1902 Eng. dial. – head-foremost, headlong
• HEAD-MUCK
n. Bk1902 Eng. dial. – one who takes the chief part in anything; a leader, a person of consequence, a master
• HEAD NIGGER
n. 1966 Amer. sl. – an important, often self-important person
• HEAD OFF
vb. Bk1905 Amer. dial. – to intercept
• THE HEAD OF THE DIM
n. Bk1900 Sc. – midnight
• HEAD OF THE FLOCK
n. 1966 Amer. dial. euphemism – a bull
• HEAD OF THE HERD
n. 1931 Amer. dial. euphemism – a bull
• HEAD-ON
n. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – a headache
• HEAD OR HARP
phr. 1802 Ireland – heads or tails
• HEAD OVER EARS
adv. 1822 Amer. dial. – deeply, completely
• HEAD-OVER-HAP
adj. Bk1902 Sc. – headstrong, reckless
• HEAD OVER KITTLE
adv. 1974 Amer. dial. – head over heels
• HEAD OVER TEAKETTLE
adv. 1979 Amer. dial. – head over heels
• HEAD OVER TINCUP
adv. 1940 Amer. dial. – head over heels
• HEAD OVER TINCUPS
adv. 1968 Amer. dial. – head over heels
• HEAD OVER TIN KETTLE
adv. 1960 Amer. dial. – head over heels
• HEAD OVER TIP
adv. 1894 Eng. dial. – head over heels
• HEAD-PAN
n. c1000 obs. – the skull, the brain-pan
• HEAD-PIECE
n. 1. 1535 – a piece of armour for the head; a helmet
n. 2. 1552 – any covering for the head; a cap, a kerchief
n. 3. 1588 – the head, as seat of the intellect; brain, understanding, intellect
n. 4. 1579 arch. – the head, skull, cranium
n. 5. 1656 – a man possessed of brains; a man of intellect
n. 6. 1807-8 – the figurehead of a ship
n. 7. Bk1902 Eng. dial. – a masterpiece; something surprising or astonishing
n. 8. 1965 Amer. dial. – (as ‘headpiece’) false hair, a hairpiece
• HEAD RAG
n. 1908 Amer. dial. – a kerchief
• HEAD-RAIL
n. 1834 obs. exc. Hist. – the kerchief or head-dress of women in Old English times
• HEADREST
n. 1967 Amer. dial. – an antimacassar
• HEADREST PIECE
n. 1967 Amer. dial. – an antimacassar
• HEAD RISE
n. 1944 Amer. dial. – a flash flood
• HEADROCK
n. 1954 Amer. dial. – a tombstone
• HEADROOM
n. 1572 Sc. obs. – a headland
• HEAD-SALTS
n. 1892 N. Ireland – smelling-salts
• HEADS AND HOLLS
adv. Bk1902 Eng. dial. – in confusion, pell-mell, topsy-turvy
• HEADS AND HORNS
adv. Bk1902 Eng. dial. – in confusion, pell-mell, topsy-turvy
• HEADS AND PLUCKS
n. 1790 Eng. dial. – the refuse of timber, the boughs, roots, etc.
• HEADS AND THRAWARTS
adv. Bk1902 Sc. – in confusion, pell-mell, topsy-turvy
• HEADS AND THRAWS
adv. 1835 Sc. – in disorder, in a confused heap; unshapely
• HEAD-SET
adj. 1986 Amer. dial. – obstinate, headstrong
• HEAD-SHA-RAG
n. 1893 Eng. dial. – one who takes the chief part in anything; a leader, a person of consequence, a master
• HEAD-SHEAF
n. 1892 Sc. – the crowning point, the finishing touch
• HEADSHIP
n. 1582 – the position or office of head, chief, principal, or supreme governor; chiefship, leadership; the first place or position; supremacy, primacy
• HEAD-SHRINKER
n. 1. 1950 sl., orig. US – a psychiatrist
n. 2. 1970 Amer. dial. – a woodpecker
• HEAD-SIR-RAG
n. 1893 Eng. dial. – one who takes the chief part in anything; a leader, a person of consequence, a master
• HEADSMAN
n. 1. a1400 rare – a chief, leader, head man
n. 2. 1601 – one who beheads; an executioner
n. 3. 1819 Eng. dial. – (‘head’s-man’) the chief labourer on a farm
• HEAD-SPLITTER
n. 1966 Amer. dial. – whisky, esp. illegally made or bad whisky
• HEADSPRING
n. c1450 – the chief source of anything; the quarter whence anything originates
• HEAD SQUARE
n. 1950 Amer. dial. – a kerchief
• HEAD SQUEEZE
n. 1966 Amer. dial. – a boss or foreman; an important person; the leader of a gang; the head of any organization
• HEAD-STALL
n. Bk1902 Sc. – the head of a house, a father, a husband, etc.
• HEAD STICK
n. c1938 Amer. dial. – a board set up at the head of a grave
• HEAD-STOOP
adv. 1892 Sc. – headlong, hastily
• HEADSTOOPS
adv. c1400 obs. – head downmost; headlong
• HEAD-SWIMMING
n. 1917 Amer. dial. – vertigo, dizziness
• HEADSWOMAN
n. a1825 Eng. dial. – a midwife
• HEAD-THEEAK
n. Bk1902 Eng. dial. – thick hair which hangs like thatch on the head; a head-covering of any kind
• HEAD-TIRE
n. 1560 now arch. or Eng. dial. – attire for the head; a head-dress
• HEAD TO HEAD
adj. 1966 Amer. dial. – just about equal, very close
adv. c1728 obs. rare – face to face; in private conversation
• HEAD UP
adj. 1854 Amer. dial. – eager, cocky
adv. 1854 Amer. dial. – in a lively, impetuous, or determined manner
vb. 1. Bk1902 Eng. dial. – of a wound: to suppurate, to come to a head
vb. 2. Bk1902 Eng. dial. – to excite, to elevate
vb. 3. Bk1902 Eng. dial. – to froth, to foam
• HEAD UP AND TAIL A-RISING
adv. 1923 Amer. dial. – with great rapidity and temper
• HEAD UP AND TAIL OVER THE DASHBOARD
adv. 1912 Amer. dial. – in a lively, spirited manner
• HEAD UP AND TAIL UP
adv. 1854 Amer. dial. – in a lively, impetuous, or determined manner
• HEAD-WARCH
n. 1805 Eng. dial. – a headache
• HEAD-WARK
n. 1. c1000 obs. exc. Eng. dial. – pain in the head, headache
n. 2. 1863 Eng. dial. – the red field-poppy, Papaver Rhoeas
• HEADWATER
n. 1968 Amer. dial. – flood-water
• HEAD WATERS
n. 1802 – the streams from the sources of a river
• HEAD-WERK
n. c1000 obs. – pain in the head, headache
• HEAD WRAP
n. 1896 Amer. dial. – a kerchief
• HEADY
adj. 1. 1552 obs. rare – having a large head
adj. 2. 1599 – of a stream or current: impetuous, violent
adj. 3. 1628 obs. rare – affected in the head; giddy
adj. 4. 1871 Sc. & Eng. dial. – headstrong, impetuous, violent, self-willed, persistent
adj. 5. 1895 Eng. dial. – clever, having or giving proof of brains
• HEADY-CRAW
adv. 1899 Sc. – head-foremost, headlong
n. 1899 Sc. – a somersault
• HEADY-PEEP
n. 1885 Eng. dial. – the game of hide and seek
• HEADY-WHAP
n. Bk1902 Eng. dial. – a person with a preternaturally large head
• HEAF
n. 1872 Eng. dial. – an abode, a residence; an habitual haunt
vb. 1. 1873 Eng. dial. – to accustom or reconcile oneself to a place; to settle down, to make oneself at home
vb. 2. Bk1902 Eng. dial. – to lodge, to reside, to live
• HEAFING
n. Bk1902 Eng. dial. – a lodging, abode
• HE AIN’T GOT SENSE ENOUGH TO CARRY GUTS TO A BEAR
phr. Bk1913-17 Amer. dial. – said of someone very stupid
• HEAKEN
vb. 1863 Eng. dial. – to listen, esp. to listen by stealth
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