HEAD

talk out of the back of your head

to talk nonsense

e.g. He's talking out of the back of his head - you can't get a flight to Australia for less than £500 these days. [usually in continuous tenses]

be like a bear with a sore head

to be in a bad mood which causes you to treat other people badly and complain a lot

e.g. If his newspaper doesn't arrive by breakfast time he's like a bear with a sore head.

a big-head

someone who believes that they are very clever or very good at an activity and who thinks that other people should admire them

e.g. Dan's such a big-head, always reminding us what fantastic results he got in his exams.

big-headed

e.g. Mary's got so big-headed since she won the geography prize

put your head/neck on the block

to risk doing something which will make other people lose their good opinion of you if it fails

e.g. In the past, the block was a large piece of wood on which criminals had their heads cut off.

e.g. He put his head on the block by promising his team wouldn't lose any more matches this year.

e.g. I'm not going to put my head on the block for you - it could cost me my promotion.

keep a civil tongue in your head

if you tell someone to keep a civil tongue in their head, you are telling them to be polite, especially after they have said something rude

e.g. Try to keep a civil tongue in your head. We want him on our side. [often an order]

a cool head

the ability to stay calm and think clearly in a difficult situation

e.g. These are high pressure situations and you have to keep a cool head.

have eyes in the back of your head

to know everything that is happening around you

e.g. Parents of young children have to have eyes in the back of their heads.

have a good head on your shoulders

to be clever

e.g. You can trust Laura with the money - she's got a good head on her shoulders.

hold/put a gun to somebody's head

to use threats to force someone to do what you want

e.g. Management are holding a gun to our heads. If we don't behave we'll lose our jobs.

harm a hair on somebody's head

to hurt someone

e.g. He adores the girl - he wouldn't harm a hair on her head. [often negative]

e.g. If he so much as harms a hair on her head, I won't be responsible for my actions.

head and shoulders above the others/the rest etc.

much better than other similar people or things

e.g. He's a head and shoulders above the other actors in the film.

e.g. When you think back on the other writers of this period, James stands head and shoulders above them all.

somebody's head on a plate/platter

if you want someone's head on a plate you are very angry with them and want them to be punished

e.g. The director was furious at what had happened and wanted Watt's head on a platter.

the head honcho (mainly American)

the most important person in an organization

e.g. You'll have to ask Alan, he's the head honcho in our department.

be banging/hitting your head against a brick wall

to keep asking someone to do something which they never do

e.g. I've been trying to get the rules changed for years now but I'm hitting my head against a brick wall.

e.g. He never listens to me - sometimes I feel like I'm banging my head against a brick wall.

be head over heels (in love)

to be in love with someone very much, especially at the beginning of a relationship

e.g. It's obvious that they're head over heels in love with each other.

fall head over heels (in love)

e.g. As soon as we met we fell head over heels in love.

e.g. I fell head over heels in love with Simon on our first date.

be in over your head

to be involved in a situation that is too difficult for you to deal with

e.g. I'm in over my head with all these exhibition arrangements.

be out of your head / be off your head

to be crazy

e.g. He took the car out in this weather - He must be off his head!

to not be in control of your behaviour because of the effects of alcohol or drugs

e.g. She's completely off her head, she is - what's she been drinking?

bite/snap somebody's head off

to answer someone angrily

e.g. I only asked if I could borrow your bike. There's no need to bite my head off!

e.g. She snaps his head off every time he opens his mouth.

build/get/work up a head of steam

to get enough energy, support, or enthusiasm to do something effectively

e.g. A head of steam is the pressure that is needed in the engine of an old-fashioned steam train to make it start moving.

e.g. In the last three months the campaign has built up a good head of steam.

bury your head in the sand

to refuse to think about an unpleasant situation, hoping that it will improve so that you will not have to deal with it

e.g. Parents said bullying was being ignored, and accused the headmaster of burying his head in the sand.

can't make head nor/or tail of something

to not be able to understand something at all

e.g. We couldn't make head or tail of the film.

e.g. 'What does his message say?' 'I don't know - I can't make head or tail of it.'

come to a head

if a problem or a disagreement comes to a head, it becomes so bad that you have to start dealing with it

e.g. Things hadn't been good between them for a while but it all came to a head last week when Phil failed to come home one night.

bring something to a head

e.g. The row over the project has brought to a head a more fundamental disagreement over funding.

do somebody's head in

to make someone feel confused and unhappy

e.g. Getting up at 4 o'clock every morning is doing my head in.

e.g. I've been trying to make sense of all these figures and it's doing my head in.

get your head around something

to be able to understand something

e.g. He's tried to explain the rules of the game dozens of times but I just can't get my head around them. [usually negative]

get your head down

to work hard at something that involves reading or writing

e.g. I'm sure I can finish the article - I just need to get my head down this afternoon.

get/put your head down

to sleep for a short while

e.g. I'm just going to put my head down for an hour - I feel so tired.

give somebody their head

to allow someone the freedom to do what they want

e.g. He's got some great ideas. Why not give him his head and see what kind of campaign he comes up with.

go head to head

to compete with someone directly

e.g. The tobacco industry's best lawyers will go head to head with the government in court tomorrow. [often + with]

go over somebody's head

to talk to or deal with someone's boss without talking to them first

e.g. I really don't want to go over her head but if she won't listen to me I have no choice.

if a piece of information goes over someone's head, they do not understand it

e.g. The bit about tax went straight over my head - was it important?

go to somebody's head

if an alcoholic drink goes to someone's head, it makes them feel drunk very quickly

e.g. That glass of wine I had before supper went straight to my head.

if success goes to someone's head, it makes them believe they are more important than they are

e.g. Just because you won the poetry prize, you won't let it go to your head now, will you?