head over heels
/ˌhɛd oʊ.vɚ ˈhilz/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.04 in modern English
23
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
2
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
adv
adv
At top speed; frantically.
adv
adj
Example Sentences
- "She tripped and rolled head over heels down the hill."
- "They then placed themselves on the edge of the hill, and sitting down and putting their hands round their knees, they tumbled down one after another, rolling head-over-heels till they disappeared in the valley."
- "Bond went head-over-heels on to the ground amongst the spectators' feet, his legs in the air. The back of the chair splintered with a sharp crack."
- "I was knocked head over heels about 20' from where I was before."
- "Hearing the noise in the dark, the children ran head over heels back home."
- "It told its readers that people all over the country were "rushing head over heels toward the El Dorado on the Pacific— that wonderful California, which sets the public mind almost on the highway to insanity.""
Etymology
Attested from the 14th century onwards, originally as heels over head, which better rendered the notion of things being upside down (head over heels is the standard state of being).
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌhɛd oʊ.vɚ ˈhilz/
- British English: /ˌhɛd əʊ.və ˈhiːlz/