head first en · ADV
Pronunciation
- /hɛd.fɜːst/ (UK)
- /hɛd.fɝst/ (US)
Meanings
-
With the head first or foremost.
He must be able to spring from the floor to about twice his own height, gradually turning over as he rises, so as to come down again head first.
1889, Lewis Carroll [pseudonym; Charles Lutwidge Dodgson], “L’Amie Inconnue”, in Sylvie and Bruno, London; New York, N.Y.: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, page 25:I shot head first off of the bank like a frog, clothes and all on, and struck out for the canoe.
1884 December 10, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter VII, in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: (Tom Sawyer’s Comrade) […], London: Chatto & Windus, […], →OCLC, page 48:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more head first | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| head-first | alternative | lexicographic | |
| most head first | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Antonyms
footling · footling breech · feet first