head /hed/► SEE ALLabove/over sb’s headbe banging, etc. your head against a brick wallbite/snap sb’s head offbring sth/come to a headbuild up/work up, etc. a head of steambury/hide your head in the sandcan’t make head or/nor tail of sthdo sb’s head infrom head to foot/toeget your head downget your head round sthget sth into your/sb’s (thick) headget/take it into your head that…give sb their headgo to your headhave a good head on your shouldershave a (good) head for figureshave a (good) head for heightshave your head in the cloudshave your head screwed on (the right way)a/per headhead and shoulders above sb/sthhead first(the) head honchohead north/southhead over heels (in love)a head start (on/over sb)hold your head up (high)in over your headkeep your headkeep your head above waterkeep your head downlose your headneed, want, etc. your head examinedon sb’s (own) head be itout of/off your headover sb’s headput your head in the lion’s mouthput sth out of your headrear/raise its (ugly) headscream, shout, etc. your head offstand/turn sth on its headtake it into your head to do sthturn sb’s headlike a bear with a sore headhead/top the billput/lay your head/neck on the blockhave/keep a clear headenter sb’s headhave eyes in the back of your headyour eyes nearly pop out of your headhave a gun to your headhold/put a gun to sb’s headnot harm/touch a hair of sb’s headhang over sb’s headhang over sbhang your head (in/for shame)let your heart rule your headhit the nail on the headneed/want sb/sth like (you need/want) a hole in the headgive sb ideasI’ll knock your block/head off!knock sth on the headlaugh your head offkeep a level head(have) an old head on young shouldersa price on sb’s headring in your ears/heada roof over your headhave a rush of blood to the headscratch your head (over sth)shake your headwin, lose, etc. by a short headsmash sb’s face/head inbe/go soft in the headdo sth standing on your headtalk through the back of your headtalk your head offa thick headoff the top of your headuse your headwet the baby’s head ●above/over sb’s ˈheadtoo difficult for sb to understand超出某人的理解能力◆It was clear from the expression on his face that the lecture went completely over his head. 从他的表情就看得出来，这堂课他一点儿也没有听懂。●be banging, etc. your head against a brick ˈwall (informal) try for a long time to achieve sth, persuade sb to do sth, etc. without success徒劳无益；枉费心机◆I realized they weren’t even listening to my protests. I was just banging my head against a brick wall. 我意识到他们压根儿没有听我的抗议，我不过是在白费劲。●bite/snap sb’s ˈhead off (informal) speak to sb angrily without good reason（无道理地）呵斥某人◆He was only making a suggestion — there’s no need to snap his head off! 他只不过是提个建议，用不着这样呵斥他！●bring sth/come to a ˈheadif you bring a situation to a head or it comes to a head you are forced to deal with it quickly because it suddenly becomes very bad（使事情）到了危急关头◆Matters came to a head yesterday when an emergency meeting was called to demand the directors’ resignation. 昨天事情到了紧要关头，紧急会议召开，要求董事们辞职。◆Her recent public remarks about company policy have finally brought matters to a head. 她近期对于公司政策的公开评论终于让事情到了非处理不可的地步。●build up/work up, etc. a head of ˈsteamdevelop the energy, enthusiasm or support required to do sth大力推动；形成势头◆The movement for change has been building up a head of steam and the politicians are starting to listen. 要求变革的运动已经形成了一定势头，政界人物正开始倾听他们的声音。●bury/hide your ˌhead in the ˈsandrefuse to deal with unpleasant realities, possible dangers, etc. by pretending they do not exist采取鸵鸟政策；不正视现实；回避问题◆Stop burying your head in the sand, Tim. Don’t pretend that everything’s all right. 蒂姆，不要再逃避现实了。别假装什么事都没有。ORIGINThis phrase refers to the common belief that the ostrich buries its head in the sand when it is in danger.这个短语原指一种普遍认识，即鸵鸟遇到危险时会把头埋进沙中。●can’t make head or/nor ˈtail of sth (informal) not be able to understand sth at all一点儿都不理解；茫无头绪◆I can’t make head or tail of this picture — is it upside down? 我看不明白这张画，是拿倒了吧？●do sb’s ˈhead in (BrE, informal) make sb feel confused, upset and/or annoyed使某人困惑（或烦恼、生气等）◆Shut up! You’re doing my head in. 闭嘴！你把我烦死了。●from ˌhead to ˈfoot/ˈtoeall over your body; completely从头到脚；全身◆She was dressed from head to foot in white. 她从头到脚穿了一身白。◆He was covered from head to foot in mud. 他浑身是泥。●get your ˈhead down (informal) 1.work or study hard埋头工作（或学习）◆If you want to pass that French exam, you’ll have to get your head down. 要想通过那个法语考试，你就得用功学习。2.go to bed and sleep上床睡觉◆It’s time to get our heads down; we have to be up early tomorrow morning. 该睡觉了，明天还要早起呢。●get your ˈhead round sth (BrE, informal) understand sth difficult, often with a lot of effort努力理解困难之事◆The plan is so complicated — I’m still trying to get my head round it. 这个计划太复杂了，我还得琢磨琢磨。●get sth into your/sb’s (thick) ˈhead (informal) succeed in understanding or in making sb understand sth fully（使）充分理解，明白◆When are you going to get it into your thick head that you don’t need to worry about money? You’re rich now. 你要到什么时候才明白你不用为钱担心呢？你现在有钱了。◆I’m still trying to get it into my head that I’m free to do what I want now. 我还在尽力让自己明白，我现在想干什么就能干什么了。●get/take it into your ˈhead that… (informal) think or believe sth, often wrongly（常指错误地）相信；误认为◆Somehow she’s taken it into her head that her husband is trying to poison her. 不知怎么的，她固执地认为丈夫想毒死她。●give sb their ˈheadgive sb the freedom to do what they want放任自主；让某人随意而为◆We must give the new art teacher her head, so that she has the freedom to do things differently. 我们必须给新来的美术老师自主权，这样她就可以自由地改变授课方式了。OPPtie sb’s handsORIGINThis idiom refers to allowing a horse to go as fast as it likes when you are riding it.这个习语原指骑马时放开马缰任其奔跑。●go to your ˈhead1. (of alcohol酒) make you feel a bit drunk上头；使有醉意◆I can’t drink more than two pints of beer — it goes straight to my head. 我最多只能喝两品脱啤酒，我很容易上头。2. (of success, fame, praise, etc.成功、名气、赞扬等) make you feel too proud of yourself in a way that other people find annoying使人过于骄傲；冲昏头脑◆Just because you had a small part in a movie, don’t let it go to your head! 你只不过在电影中演了小角色，不要就因此冲昏了头脑！●have a good ˈhead on your shouldersbe a sensible person头脑清醒；明智◆Don’t worry about the children — Laura’s with them and she’s got a good head on her shoulders. 别担心孩子们，劳拉跟他们在一起，她可是个知轻重的人。●have a (good) head for ˈfiguresbe good at doing sums, etc.工于计算◆If you want to be successful in business, you must have a good head for figures. 你要是想在经商上有所建树，就得有算术头脑。●have a (good) head for ˈheightsbe able to stand on a high place without feeling ill or afraid不恐高◆I won’t go up the church tower with you. I’ve no head for heights. 我不跟你去教堂塔顶了，我恐高。●have your head in the ˈclouds (informal) not be realistic because you are always thinking of your own hopes, ideas, dreams, etc.好幻想；想入非非◆He wants us to start a business together but it would never work. He’s got his head in the clouds half the time. 他想跟我们一起做生意，但这肯定行不通，他总是沉溺在幻想中。OPPhave/keep both/your feet on the ground●have your ˈhead screwed on (the right way) (informal) be sensible头脑清醒；理智◆You can certainly trust Ann with your money. She’s got her head screwed on the right way. 你可以放心让安保管你的钱，她脑子很清楚。OPPhave a screw loose●a/per ˈheadfor each person每人◆The meal shouldn’t cost more than $30 a head. 这顿饭每人最多花 30 美元。●head and ˈshoulders above sb/sthvery much better, greater, etc. than sb/sth远比…出色；大大超过◆He’s head and shoulders above the other candidates. 他远比其他候选人出色。●ˌhead ˈfirst1.moving forwards or downwards with your head in front of the rest of your body头在前；头朝下◆He fell head first down the stairs. 他一头栽下了楼梯。2.without thinking carefully about sth before acting仓促地；鲁莽地◆She got divorced and rushed head first into another marriage. 她离婚后又仓促再婚。●(the) head ˈhoncho (informal, especially NAmE) the person who is in charge; the boss负责人；老板◆Claude is the studio’s head honcho, so talk to him if you have a problem. 工作室里克劳德是头儿，有事找他。ORIGINThis phrase comes from the Japanese word hancho, meaning ‘group leader’.这个短语源于日语，意为“团队领导”。●head ˈnorth/ˈsouth (business商业) (about share prices, currencies, etc.) rise/fall in value（股价、汇率等）上升／下降◆The country’s currency headed south for the second day, weakening 1.4%. 该国货币汇率连续第二天下跌，跌幅达 1.4%。●head over ˈheels (in ˈlove)completely in love迷恋；深爱着◆He’s head over heels in love with his new girlfriend. 他深深地爱着自己的新女友。●a ˌhead ˈstart (on/over sb)an advantage that sb already has before they start doing sth先起步的优势；有利的开端◆Being able to speak French gave her a head start over the other candidates. 她会说法语，比其他候选人有优势。●hold your ˈhead up (high)not feel ashamed, guilty or embarrassed about sth昂首；不以为耻◆After this scandal, he will never be able to hold his head up high again. 经过这次丑闻，他再也抬不起头来。OPPhang your head (in/for shame)●in over your ˈheadinvolved in sth that is too difficult for you to deal with卷入力不从心的事◆After a week in the new job, I soon realized that I was in over my head. 新工作刚做了一星期，我便意识到自己做不了。●keep your ˈheadthink clearly and remain calm保持镇静◆If there is a robbery, you should try to keep your head and do as you are told. 要是有人打劫，保持冷静，照吩咐行事。●keep your ˈhead above watersucceed in staying out of debt; manage to deal with tasks, responsibilities, etc.设法不负债；能应付工作；能过得去◆The company had great difficulty keeping its head above water during the economic crisis. 在经济危机期间，公司难以为继。◆I don’t know how she manages to keep her head above water. She has so much to do. 她要做的事那么多，我不知道她是怎么应付过来的。●keep your ˈhead down (informal) 1.avoid being noticed or being seen in public避免引起注意；保持低姿态；低调行事◆She’s so unpopular with the voters that the Prime Minister has told her to keep her head down until after the election. 她在选民中极不受欢迎，因此首相让她在选举结束前少出头露面。◆In the army you soon learn to keep your head down and stay out of trouble. 在部队里，你很快就会学会不惹人注意，不惹麻烦。2.work very hard努力工作◆He kept his head down for weeks before the final exams. 期终考试前几个星期他埋头复习功课。●lose your ˈhead (informal) become unable to act in a calm or sensible way失去理智； 恐慌失措◆It’s a very frightening situation, but we mustn’t lose our heads. 情况确实非常吓人，但是我们绝对不能慌张。OPPkeep a level head●need, want, etc. your ˈhead examined (informal) used for saying that sb is behaving in a crazy or stupid way发疯；脑袋有毛病◆She spent $300 on a pair of shoes? She needs her head examined. 她花 300 美元买了双鞋？真是疯了。●on sb’s (own) head ˈbe it (often used for warning sb常用作告诫语) somebody is alone responsible for the results of their action or decision归咎于某人；后果自负◆You refuse to go to your own daughter’s wedding? On your head be it! 你不参加自己女儿的婚礼？后果自负！◆On his own head be it if he decides to leave college early. 他要是决定从大学退学，那一切后果都由他自己承担。●out of/off your ˈhead (BrE, informal) 1.crazy疯了；神经错乱◆Are you off your head? 你疯了吗？2.not knowing what you are saying or doing because of the effects of alcohol or drugs（酒后或吸毒后）胡言乱语，行为乖张，神志不清◆Don’t even try to have a proper conversation with him — he’s off his head. 别指望能跟他好好谈谈，他已经神志不清了。●over sb’s ˈheadto a higher position of authority than sb职位更高的；越级向上◆He gets angry when you go over his head and talk to his boss. 你要是跳过他直接跟他老板谈，他会生气的。●put your ˌhead in the lion’s ˈmouthdeliberately put yourself in a dangerous or risky situation把脑袋往狮子嘴里送；使自己置身险境；铤而走险◆So I put my head in the lion’s mouth and asked my boss for a pay rise. 于是我冒险要求老板给我加薪。●put sth out of your ˈheadstop thinking about or wanting sth不再想某事；打消（念头）◆I am not going to let you go to the party, so you can put that idea out of your head. 我不会让你去参加聚会的，你就打消这个念头吧。●rear/raise its (ugly) ˈhead (used of sth considered unpleasant不受欢迎的事物) appear again after being hidden or forgotten再次露头；再次出现◆Political corruption has reared its ugly head again. 政治腐败再次抬头。◆Famine has raised its head again in many parts of the world. 世界上许多地方又开始闹饥荒。●scream, shout, etc. your ˈhead off (informal) scream, shout, etc. a lot and very loudly连续大声尖叫（或喊叫等）◆She screamed her head off when I jumped out at her. 我跳出来拦住她，她吓得大声尖叫。●stand/turn sth on its ˈhead1.turn sth upside down将某物倒置2.make people think about sth in a completely different way使人完全改变思路；提出截然不同的观点◆He stood the argument on its head, saying that the plan wouldn’t save money and would, in fact, cost more. 他提出全然相反的意见，认为这个计划不但不能省钱，反而花得更多。●take it into your head to do sthsuddenly decide to do sth心血来潮；突发奇想◆She’s taken it into her head to give all her books away. 她脑子一热，要把她的书全都送人。●turn sb’s ˈhead (of success, praise, etc.成功、赞扬等) make a person feel too proud in a way that other people find annoying冲昏某人的头脑；使某人得意忘形◆You’d better stop giving me all these compliments, or you’ll turn my head! 你最好别再说这些恭维话了，我都快飘飘然了！●like a ˌbear with a sore ˈhead (informal) very bad-tempered脾气很坏的；易怒的◆She’s like a bear with a sore head in the mornings.她早上通常脾气很暴躁。●head/top the ˈbillbe the most important item or performer in a show, play, etc.是最重要的节目（或表演者）；主演；压轴◆Topping the bill tonight will be Robbie Williams.今晚的压轴歌手是罗比 ∙ 威廉斯。●put/lay your head/neck on the blockrisk defeat, failure, etc.; put yourself in a situation where you might be blamed, criticized, etc.冒失败的危险；将自己置于有可能受到指责（或批评等）的境地◆The government laid its head on the block and said that if it loses this vote in Parliament tonight it will call an election.政府冒风险称，如果在议会今晚的投票中失利的话将要求举行选举。◆I’m prepared to put my neck on the block and promise that the new building will be ready by the end of the year.我愿意拿自己的人头担保新楼将在年底竣工。ORIGINIn the past when people were executed(= killed as a punishment), they had to lay their head on a block so that it could be chopped off.旧时被处死刑的人将头置于 block （木墩）上引颈断头。●have/keep a clear ˈheadbe able to think clearly, especially because you have not had any alcohol, drugs, etc.（尤指因没有喝酒、吸毒等而）头脑清醒◆Don’t give me any wine, I must keep a clear head for the meeting this afternoon.别给我喝酒，我下午开会，得保持清醒。OPPa thick head●enter sb’s ˈheadbe thought of by sb; occur to sb被…想起；被…意识到◆It never even entered my head that we might not win.我从没想过我们会赢不了。●have eyes in the back of your ˈhead (informal) seem to be able to see everything and know what is going on背后长眼，眼观六路（喻目光敏锐）◆You have to have eyes in the back of your head to keep control of six lively children.要管好六个活蹦乱跳的小孩，必须能眼观六路。●your eyes nearly pop out of your ˈhead (informal) sb has an expression of great surprise on their face（惊讶得）眼珠都快掉出来了◆Our eyes nearly popped out of our heads when we saw a giraffe walking down the High Street.我们看见一头长颈鹿走在大街上，惊得眼珠都快掉出来了。▸ˈeye-popping
adjective
(informal) very surprising or amazing令人大为吃惊（或惊奇）的◆a movie with eye-popping special effects一部特技效果非同一般的影片●have a ˈgun to your head (informal) be forced to do sth that you do not want to do被枪顶着脑袋；被迫做某事；受胁迫◆‘Why did he go back to his wife?’ ‘Because he had a gun to his head. She said she would never let him see the children again.’“他为什么又回到妻子身边去了？”“他是被逼的，她说不然的话会让他再也见不到孩子。”●hold/put a ˈgun to sb’s headforce sb to do sth that they do not want to do by making threats用枪顶住某人的脑袋；威胁某人；胁迫某人就范◆He had to sack a hundred workers last week. He didn’t want to, but the bank was holding a gun to his head.上周他不得不解雇了一百名工人。虽然他不情愿，但银行逼得紧。●not harm/touch a hair of sb’s ˈheadnot hurt sb physically in any way at all不动某人一根头发；丝毫不伤害某人◆If he harms a hair of my daughter’s head, I’ll kill him.他要是敢碰我女儿一根毫毛，我就宰了他！●hang over sb’s ˈhead●hang ˈover sb (of a possible problem, etc.可能出现的问题等) worry sb烦扰着某人◆With the threat of job losses hanging over their heads, the staff are all very worried.面临可能失去工作的威胁，员工们都忧心忡忡。◆She can’t enjoy herself with all these financial problems hanging over her.财政问题困扰着她，她没法高兴。●hang your ˈhead (in/for ˈshame)look or feel embarrassed or ashamed羞愧地低下头◆When I think of how I behaved, I have to hang my head in shame.一想起自己的行为，我就羞愧难当。◆The thief hung his head as he was led away by the police.小偷被警方带走时，羞愧地低着头。OPPhold your head up (high)●let your ˌheart rule your ˈheadact according to what you feel rather than what you think is sensible情感胜过理智；感情用事◆Don’t let your heart rule your head. I know you like him but are you sure you can really trust him?不要感情用事。我知道你喜欢他，可是你能确定自己真的信任他吗？●hit the nail on the ˈhead (informal) say sth that is exactly right说到点子上；正中要害◆‘So you want to move to another department.’ ‘You’ve hit the nail on the head. That’s exactly what I want.’“这么说你想调到另一个部门去。”“一点不错，这正是我所想的。”OPPbe/fall wide of the mark●need/want sb/sth like (you need/want) a ˌhole in the ˈhead (informal) definitely not need/want sb/sth at all绝对不需要／不想要◆I had to get home before midnight, and just then I needed a flat tyre like a hole in the head.我必须在午夜前到家，可偏偏车胎爆了，真是不要什么来什么。●give sb iˈdeas ( put iˈdeas in/into sb’s head) give sb hopes about sth that may not be possible or likely; make sb act or think in an unreasonable way使某人抱有空想（或做不切实际的事）；让（某人）想入非非◆Don’t keep telling him about your adventures in Africa. You’re giving him ideas.不要总对他讲述你在非洲的历险了，你会让他想入非非的。◆Who’s been putting ideas into his head?谁在给他灌输这些不切实际的想法？●I’ll knock your ˈblock/ˈhead off! (BrE, spoken) used to threaten sb that you will hit them（用于威胁某人）我要把你脑袋揪下来，我要揍扁你●knock sth on the ˈhead (BrE, informal) stop doing sth; stop sth from happening停止做某事；阻止某事发生◆By lunchtime we were all exhausted so we knocked it on the head.午饭时我们都已经筋疲力尽了，就停下不干了。◆The increase in airfares has knocked our plan to travel this year on the head.机票价格的上涨使我们今年的旅行计划化为泡影。●laugh your ˈhead offlaugh very loudly and for a long time大笑不止；笑疯了◆If old Mr Bradley could see you now he’d laugh his head off.要是老布拉德利先生看到你现在的样子，一定会笑掉大牙。OPPcry your eyes out●keep a level ˈheadremain calm and sensible, even in difficult situations（在困境中）保持镇静，不慌不忙◆She managed to keep a level head when all the others panicked.其他人全都惊慌失措，她仍尽力保持冷静。OPPlose your head▸ˌlevel-ˈheaded
adjective
◆Nurses need to be level-headed.护士需要头脑冷静。●(have) an old head on young ˈshouldersused to describe a young person who acts in a more sensible way than you would expect for a person of their age年轻而有见识；少年老成◆He’s only seventeen, but he has an old head on young shoulders and remains calm under pressure.他只有十七岁，不过少年老成，面对压力沉着冷静。●a ˈprice on sb’s heada reward for finding or killing a criminal缉拿（或杀死）某人的悬赏金◆In the Wild West there were cowboys who used to hunt down any man with a price on his head.在西大荒，牛仔们曾为得到悬赏而穷追任何要追捕的对象。●ring in your ˈears/ˈheadmake you feel you can still hear sth余音绕梁；在耳边回响◆Months later, the applause at the Berlin concert was still ringing in her ears.几个月过去了，柏林音乐会上的掌声似乎还在她耳边回响。●a ˈroof over your head (informal) a place to live; a house居住的地方；栖身之所◆Everyone needs a roof over their heads but thousands remain homeless.每个人都需要一个居住的地方，可是还有成千上万的人无家可归。●have a rush of blood to the ˈhead (humorous) because of a strong emotion, suddenly (decide to) do sth foolish or dangerous激动得冲昏了头脑；一时冲动◆I don’t really know why I bought that vase. I just had a rush of blood to the head and wrote a cheque.我不太清楚自己为什么会买下那个花瓶，我只是一时昏了头就开了张支票。●scratch your ˈhead (over sth)think hard in order to find an answer to sth绞尽脑汁；苦思冥想◆We’re all scratching our heads for a solution to this problem.为了找到这个问题的答案我们都绞尽脑汁。●shake your ˈheadmove your head from side to side as a way of saying ‘no’, or to show sadness, disagreement, disapproval, etc.摇头（表示拒绝、难过、不同意、反对等）◆She didn’t say anything — she just shook her head and sighed.她什么也没说─只是摇摇头，叹了口气。●win, lose, etc. by a short ˈheadwin, lose, etc. but by only a little以微弱的优势取胜（或以极小的劣势失利）◆The competition was tough but the winner by a short head was John Smith.竞争非常激烈，最后约翰 ∙ 史密斯以微弱的优势获胜。ORIGINThis expression refers to a close finish in horse racing.这个表达法原指赛马的结果难分难解。●smash sb’s ˈface/ˈhead in (BrE, informal) hit sb very hard in the face/head猛击某人的脸／头◆Give me the money or I’ll smash your head in.把钱给我，不然我揍扁你。●be/go soft in the ˈhead (informal, disapproving) be/become crazy or stupid脑子有毛病；发疯；犯傻◆Sometimes I talk to myself in the street; people must think I’m soft in the head.有时候我在大街上自言自语，人们一定以为我脑子有毛病。●do sth standing on your ˈhead (informal) do sth very easily, without any effort做某事毫不费力（或轻而易举）◆This exam’s no problem. I could do it standing on my head.这个考试不成问题，对我来说不费吹灰之力。●talk through the back of your ˈhead (informal) talk nonsense说话不用脑子；胡说八道◆If he says that he’s going to win the prize, he’s talking through the back of his head.他说他会得奖吗，他是在说胡话呢！●talk your ˈhead off (informal) talk a lot喋喋不休；说个不停◆He talked his head off all evening.他整晚都在喋喋不休。●a thick ˈhead (informal) a physical condition in which your head is painful or you cannot think clearly as a result of an illness or of drinking too much alcohol（生病或酗酒导致的）昏沉脑袋，头脑迷糊◆I’ve got a really thick head this morning.今天早上，我的头昏昏沉沉的。OPPhave/keep a clear head●off the ˌtop of your ˈhead (informal) as a guess; without having time to think carefully单凭猜测；信口地；不加思索地◆Off the top of my head I’d say it would cost $2 000 to do the repairs.我猜整修大概得花 2 000 美元。◆‘What’s the population of Liverpool?’ ‘I’m afraid I couldn’t tell you off the top of my head.’“利物浦有多少人口？”“抱歉，我不能马上说出来。”●use your ˈhead (BrE alsouse your ˈloaf) (informal) think carefully; use your intelligence动动脑子；仔细想想◆Use your loaf! Meena can’t read English, so there’s no point in writing her a letter!动动脑子吧！米娜不懂英文，给她写信根本没用！ORIGINIn rhyming slang, loaf of bread stands for ‘head’.在同韵俚语中，loaf of bread代表head。●wet the baby’s ˈhead (informal) have a drink to celebrate the birth of a baby喝酒来庆祝婴儿降生
