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English Grammar through StoriesBog'liq English Grammar through Stories - Boston Academy of English ( PDFDrive )
English Grammar through Stories
by Alan Townend
Photocopiable
© www.english-test.net
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41.
Head expressions
Now that the New Year has started, I wonder how many of the
resolutions that I described in the last newsletter you are sticking to.
As I mentioned at the end of that letter I said I'd decide to be more
decisive and my decision is that I shan't be making any! This could
be interpreted as «burying my head in the sand» — refusing to
accept a situation and choosing to ignore it. And that brings me to an
interesting topic concerning the use of that clever little four letter
word «head». Not surprisingly considering how important it is to the
rest of our anatomy, you can imagine how often it occurs in
expressions in English.
If you simply make no progress in an argument or you try to do
something again and again without success you find yourself
«banging your head against a brick wall» — not something to be
recommended. The other end of the head, in a manner of speaking is
the tail. So if you are trying to put together a piece of furniture that
has been delivered to your house in a so called flat pack and it just
doesn't make sense because part 24 simply won't fit into part 56,
you may well find that you «can't make head nor tail of it». In the
end you decide to toss a coin in the air and agree in advance that the
side it lands on will dictate what you do next. You ask yourself the
question: «Heads or tails»?
The head of course is at the top and is an indication of the sort of
person you are… You can be said to have «your head screwed on the
right way» — you are sensible. To «have a good head on your
shoulders» means you are not only sensible but also clever at the
same time. When people say you «have a good head for figures»,
they mean you are good at mathematics or you can work out how
much tax you ought to pay. If you don't panic, then you «have a
level head or are levelheaded». And that last word illustrates one of
the fascinating or if you like confusing things about the language in
that what you thought was a simple straightforward noun can
suddenly take on another grammatical function. «Where are you
headed/heading»? Means where are you going/in what direction are
you going? This year people in the United States are wondering
which presidential candidate is «heading for victory». The
unfortunate ship The Titanic «was heading for disaster» because it
was about to crash into a huge iceberg. Then again this word pops
up as an adjective «heady». We use this to describe something
exhilarating, intoxicating or elating. You would expect a «heady
argument» to come from the mouth of Einstein. If you drink too
much of a «heady wine», it might well «go to your head» (affect
your clarity of thinking) or make you feel confused so that you don't
know whether you're «on your head or your feet».
Apart from being sensible or able, you can also show to others
another side of your behaviour. You can (and I'm not too sure how
this is physically possible) «talk through the back of your head» —
talk nonsense. Then people might say as a result that your «need
your head examining» or that you are completely crazy and you are
«off your head». Comments like that made to the sensitive may have
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